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49th Parallel

  • 1941
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 3m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
7.2K
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
DramaThrillerWar

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.

  • Director
    • Michael Powell
  • Writers
    • Emeric Pressburger
    • Rodney Ackland
  • Stars
    • Leslie Howard
    • Laurence Olivier
    • Raymond Massey
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    7.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Michael Powell
    • Writers
      • Emeric Pressburger
      • Rodney Ackland
    • Stars
      • Leslie Howard
      • Laurence Olivier
      • Raymond Massey
    • 95User reviews
    • 52Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 3 wins & 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:11
    Watch Trailer

    Photos22

    Raymond Massey and Eric Portman in 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 Scott
    Laurence Olivier
    Laurence Olivier
    • Johnnie - The Trapper
    Raymond Massey
    Raymond Massey
    • Andy Brock
    Anton Walbrook
    Anton Walbrook
    • Peter
    Eric Portman
    Eric Portman
    • Lieutenant Ernst Hirth
    Glynis Johns
    Glynis Johns
    • Anna
    Niall MacGinnis
    Niall MacGinnis
    • Vogel
    Finlay Currie
    Finlay Currie
    • The Factor
    Raymond Lovell
    • Lieutenant Kuhnecke
    John Chandos
    • Lohrmann
    Basil Appleby
    • Jahner
    Eric Clavering
    • Art
    Charles Victor
    Charles Victor
    • Andreas
    Ley On
    • Nick - the Eskimo
    Richard George
    Richard George
    • Kommandant Bernsdorff
    Peter Moore
    • Kranz
    Frederick Piper
    • David
    Tawera Moana
    • George - the Indian
    • Director
      • Michael Powell
    • Writers
      • Emeric Pressburger
      • Rodney Ackland
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more 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
      When the train is going over the railroad bridge at Niagara Falls ostensibly traveling from Canada to the U.S., it actually is heading from the U.S. into Canada. The water in the Niagara River under the bridge in the scene is coming toward the camera, with the train moving across the bridge from left to right. Canada would be on the right in the shot, the direction the so-called U.S. bound train is traveling.
    • 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 reviews95

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Extraordinary achievement
    Yes, it is (was) propaganda. But never has there been a more curiously right and true epitome of the sloppy yet resilient defense of transcontinental democracy than this. Canada wins because Canada is a mess; the Nazi neatness and demand for clear-cut lines falters, and in the end is clobbered with a roundhouse right. So long as I live, I will love this film; it's P&P at their best, and the Vaughan WIlliams score is second to none. What else can one say? I wish I were Canadian.

    And since the IMDb, to which I contributed long before it became such a commercial concern, insists that I have at least 10 lines of text, I will keep on jabbering for a few more lines, in order to preserve the above comments for posteriority ...
    helpful•58
    10
    • drrap
    • May 21, 2010

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    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(Indian Day scenes)
    • 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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