Forty-Ninth Parallel

Forty-Ninth Parallel (1941) is the third collaboration by the British writer-director team of Powell & Pressburger. It was released in the USA as The Invaders.

Story

The film is set early in WWII, and follows the surviving Nazi crew of a German U-boat sunk in a Canadian bay. They attempt to travel across Canada to the then-neutral United States - the title comes from the 49th parallel north which marks part of the border between the two countries. Led by the Lieutenants Hirth (Eric Portman) and Kuhnecke (Raymond Lovell), the small band of sailors have various encounters, including a French-Canadian trapper (Laurence Olivier), a German Hutterite community (led by Anton Walbrook), an English academic (Leslie Howard) and an AWOL Canadian soldier (Raymond Massey).

Related Topics:
WWII - Nazi - German - U-boat - Canadian - United States - 49th parallel north - Eric Portman - Raymond Lovell - Laurence Olivier - Hutterite - Anton Walbrook - Leslie Howard - AWOL - Raymond Massey

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By modern standards the depiction of Canada seems stereotypical: brave Mounties, decorated Indians and overwrought French-Canadians. However, Pressburger deliberately used the diversity of Canada to contrast with the fanatical world view of the Nazis. For a British WWII propaganda film it is highly unusual: the leading characters are Nazis, and it criticises them in spiritual terms rather than straightforward demonisation. Powell and Pressburger would return to similar themes in the more controversial The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and A Canterbury Tale.

Related Topics:
Mounties - Indians - French-Canadian - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - A Canterbury Tale

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