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IMDbPro

49th Parallel

  • 19411941
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 2h 3m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
6.8K
YOUR RATING
Laurence Olivier and Leslie Howard in 49th Parallel (1941)
A World War II U-boat crew are stranded in northern Canada. To avoid internment, they must make their way to the border and get into the still-neutral U.S.
Play trailer3:11
1 Video
22 Photos
  • Drama
  • Thriller
  • War
A World War II U-boat crew are stranded in northern Canada. To avoid internment, they must make their way to the border and get into the still-neutral U.S.A World War II U-boat crew are stranded in northern Canada. To avoid internment, they must make their way to the border and get into the still-neutral U.S.A World War II U-boat crew are stranded in northern Canada. To avoid internment, they must make their way to the border and get into the still-neutral U.S.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
6.8K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Michael Powell
  • Writers
    • Emeric Pressburger(original story and screenplay)
    • Rodney Ackland(scenario)
  • Stars
    • Leslie Howard
    • Laurence Olivier
    • Raymond Massey
Top credits
  • Director
    • Michael Powell
  • Writers
    • Emeric Pressburger(original story and screenplay)
    • Rodney Ackland(scenario)
  • Stars
    • Leslie Howard
    • Laurence Olivier
    • Raymond Massey
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 90User reviews
    • 50Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 3 wins & 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:11
    Trailer

    Photos22

    49th Parallel (1941)
    49th Parallel (1941)
    Leslie Howard and John Chandos in 49th Parallel (1941)
    Glynis Johns, Niall MacGinnis, and Anton Walbrook in 49th Parallel (1941)
    Leslie Howard and Eric Portman in 49th Parallel (1941)
    John Chandos, Niall MacGinnis, Charles Victor, and Anton Walbrook in 49th Parallel (1941)
    Laurence Olivier, Finlay Currie, and Raymond Lovell in 49th Parallel (1941)
    John Chandos, Richard George, Raymond Lovell, Niall MacGinnis, Eric Portman, and Peter Moore in 49th Parallel (1941)
    Laurence Olivier, Leslie Howard, and Raymond Massey in 49th Parallel (1941)
    Laurence Olivier in 49th Parallel (1941)
    Laurence Olivier, Leslie Howard, and Raymond Massey in 49th Parallel (1941)
    Laurence Olivier, Leslie Howard, Glynis Johns, Raymond Massey, Eric Portman, and Anton Walbrook in 49th Parallel (1941)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Leslie Howard
    Leslie Howard
    • Philip Armstrong Scottas Philip Armstrong Scott
    Laurence Olivier
    Laurence Olivier
    • Johnnie - The Trapperas Johnnie - The Trapper
    Raymond Massey
    Raymond Massey
    • Andy Brockas Andy Brock
    Anton Walbrook
    Anton Walbrook
    • Peteras Peter
    Eric Portman
    Eric Portman
    • Lieutenant Ernst Hirthas Lieutenant Ernst Hirth
    Glynis Johns
    Glynis Johns
    • Annaas Anna
    Niall MacGinnis
    Niall MacGinnis
    • Vogelas Vogel
    Finlay Currie
    Finlay Currie
    • The Factoras The Factor
    Raymond Lovell
    • Lieutenant Kuhneckeas Lieutenant Kuhnecke
    John Chandos
    • Lohrmannas Lohrmann
    Basil Appleby
    • Jahneras Jahner
    Eric Clavering
    • Artas Art
    Charles Victor
    Charles Victor
    • Andreasas Andreas
    Ley On
    • Nick - the Eskimoas Nick - the Eskimo
    Richard George
    Richard George
    • Kommandant Bernsdorffas Kommandant Bernsdorff
    Peter Moore
    • Kranzas Kranz
    Frederick Piper
    • Davidas David
    Tawera Moana
    • George - the Indianas George - the Indian
    • Director
      • Michael Powell
    • Writers
      • Emeric Pressburger(original story and screenplay) (scenario)
      • Rodney Ackland(scenario)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      On a trip home to Wales, Niall MacGinnis was stopped and searched by police. He was arrested as a German spy when the police found a photo in his wallet of MacGinnis dressed in a German sailor's uniform, standing next to what appeared to be a U-boat. In fact, it was a publicity photo from MacGinnis' role in this movie. MacGinnis spent several days in jail before documents were sent from London verifying that he had been in the movie.
    • Goofs
      The bombers that destroy the submarine are Lockheed Hudsons when they are approaching to make the attack, but when the attack commences they have changed to Douglas B-18 Bolos.
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Prologue: I see a long, straight line athwart a continent. No chain of forts, or deep flowing river, or mountain range, but a line drawn by men upon a map, nearly a century ago, accepted with a handshake, and kept ever since. A boundary which divides two nations, yet marks their friendly meeting ground. The 49th parallel: the only undefended frontier in the world.

    • Crazy credits
      (Spoken introduction) "I see a long straight line athwart a continent. No chain of forts, or deep flowing river, or mountain range, but a line drawn by men upon a map nearly a century ago, accepted by a handshake and kept ever since. A boundary which divides two nations yet marks their friendly meeting grounds, the 49th parallel, the longest undefended frontier in the world."
    • Alternate versions
      The initial American release had many cuts made to avoid upsetting some special interest groups. the running time was cut from 123 minutes to 104 minutes. Most of the submarine's voyage up to Hudson Bay was removed. They dive after sinking the freighter (and filming her crew) and we next see them in the Bay, preparing to send the raiding party ashore. All the scenes of them entering the Bay, including the reference to "his charts" (the missionary's), were cut. They cut all references to the "flying missionary" who was a German spy, the scenes with the map and all of it. They also cut the other "delicate" passage there, where Hirth tells the captive Canadians that the Eskimos are sub-apes like Negroes, only one step above the Jews, and the ripostes from Johnnie and the Factor. Obviously they didn't want to offend southern segregationists or anti-Semites by showing that Nazis shared their racist views, or leave in any dialogue decrying same.
    • Connections
      Featured in Has Anybody Here Seen Canada? A History of Canadian Movies 1939-1953 (1979)
    • Soundtracks
      Alouette
      (uncredited)

      Traditional French folksong

      Sung to accompaniment of accordion by Laurence Olivier

    User reviews90

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    "The only undefended frontier in the world"
    You'd be tempted to think that there's no way '49th Parallel (1941)' could have turned out anything less than excellent. Not only do Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger perform their famous double-act, but there's also the equally-enviable partnership of David Lean (here working as editor) and cinematographer Freddie Young. But we must remember that in the realm of WWII propaganda there lie dangerous waters, and only the most talented filmmakers (so far, I count Hitchcock, Wilder, Renoir, Curtiz and Reed) can navigate their war-themed picture towards any degree of lasting respectability. We can certainly add Michael Powell to that list of famous names. '49th Parallel' is different from most of its contemporaries because it presents the film solely from the German point-of-view. The portrayal is not favourable, of course, and at least their commander reeks of pure evil, but the German characters are nonetheless humanised to no small extent. These aren't cold, immoral monsters, but ordinary people, swept up in euphoric Nazi ideology and pining for the simpler life they can barely remember.

    When a German submarine is destroyed in Hudson Bay, Canada, the surviving Nazi soldiers – led by the fiercely patriotic Kommandant Bernsdorff (Richard George) – must navigate their way across the country into the then-neutral United States of America. The native citizens they meet along the way are largely jovial and laid-back, many hardly aware of the war raging across the Atlantic, and the Germans haughtily deem them foes unworthy of the Fuhrer's might. But these Canadians, as placid as they first seem, can surely recognise fascism when they see it, and each of the soldiers is picked off one by one, like the characters from a war-themed version of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None." Among the unwitting local patriots is French-Canadian trapper Laurence Olivier – a caricature but an entertaining one – anthropologist/author Leslie Howard, and grinning deserter Raymond Massey, each of whom shows the Nazis that they're dealing with an enemy whose sheer spirit overshadows all of Hitler's armies combined.

    The film was apparently intended as a tribute to Canada's involvement in the war, and perhaps – as was Hitchcock's 'Foreign Correspondent (1940)' – a call-to-arms for the then-isolationist United States, who would hold back until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941. Many of the film's characters remark upon the sheer remoteness of the war relative to their own lives, unaware that it is actually standing before them; this idea was almost certainly aimed at American audiences. After the brilliantly suspenseful first act at Hudson Bay, I initially felt that the film was going off track by continuing to follow the Germans after their aerial departure from the remote village. However, as time wore on, I began to appreciate what the film was aiming for. Though the snow-swept slopes around Hudson Bay may seem leagues away from the Canadian/American border, Kommandant Bernsdorff and his ever-dwindling band gradually progress their way south, until, not only does he reach the border, but he physically crosses into the United States. The War had never been closer.
    helpful•22
    4
    • ackstasis
    • Feb 6, 2009

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 15, 1942 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • Canada
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • German
    • Also known as
      • The Invaders
    • Filming locations
      • Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
    • Production company
      • Ortus Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • £132,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 3 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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