49th Parallel (The Invaders) (1941)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jonathan H

  
  I know this film was meant to rally the US to take action in the war effort, but 49th Parallel is a propaganda film whose polemics would make Eisenstein blush. Plus, Olivier doesn't just chew the scenery, he swallows it whole.

• Stella D

  
  sure it's wartime propaganda but it's stylishly done and wonderful fun. we'd expect nothing less from the archers. a stranded u-boat crew tries to make their way to safety across canada after losing their vessel in hudson bay. anton walbrook and leslie howard are… More
  sure it's wartime propaganda but it's stylishly done and wonderful fun. we'd expect nothing less from the archers. a stranded u-boat crew tries to make their way to safety across canada after losing their vessel in hudson bay. anton walbrook and leslie howard are standouts in a cast of great character actors. olivier almost spoils it with a horrible french accent in early scenes but don't let it put u off the film; he won't be around for long. the canadian backdrop is a refreshing change from other WW2 era films.

• William S

  
  I have a real soft spot for The 49th Parallel. It's certainly not held up by many as the best of Powell and Pressburger but it's one of those films I find myself drawn to again and again - P&P's warm and involving characterisation, the landscapes of Canada, Vaughn… More
  I have a real soft spot for The 49th Parallel. It's certainly not held up by many as the best of Powell and Pressburger but it's one of those films I find myself drawn to again and again - P&P's warm and involving characterisation, the landscapes of Canada, Vaughn Williams' evocative score (given its due reverence as an 'honorary' character in the title sequence) are all scrumptious trimmings to a thoroughly exciting story. Along with Hitchcock's WWII propaganda films 'Lifeboat' and 'Foreign Correspondent' and Cavalcanti's 'Went the Day Well?', it is the very best of its type - a call to arms that also happens to be cracking good cinema. The cast list reads like a roll-call of all the great (mostly) British character actors of the day and, excepting the misfire of Olivier's phony accent, no-one puts a foot wrong. And how marvelous that Powell & Pressburger made such a successful piece of anti-Nazi propaganda and still managed to sneak in not just one of their trademark 'good' Germans but two - Anton Walbrook as Peter, the 'leader' of the (German!) Hutterite commune [his blistering speech is deeply moving and is certainly the heart of the film's message] and Niall McGinnis as Vogal, the German soldier who finds his conscience just a little too late - his demise being the quiet tragedy of a man who wanted a return to a simple life baking bread, instead of being an unthinking killer!

• Randy T

  
  Terrific old Canadian war film made before the United States decided to enter World War II. The producers thought <i>49th Parallel</i>, a scathing indictment of Nazi Germany, would hasten America's involvement in the war. In spite of it's propagandist intent,… More
  Terrific old Canadian war film made before the United States decided to enter World War II. The producers thought <i>49th Parallel</i>, a scathing indictment of Nazi Germany, would hasten America's involvement in the war. In spite of it's propagandist intent, it's held up extremely well.

• AJ V

  
  I caught this movie on TV and was bored at once. I'm not a big fan of military type movies in the first place, but this one didn't catch my interest at all.

• jay n

  
  Ensemble war drama of a nazi U-boat crew trying to escape Canada is filled with fine performances and served as propaganda to encourage the U.S. to get into WWII. Niall MacGinnis stands out but all the actors are good even if Olivier overdoes it a bit with the French Canadian accent.… More
  Ensemble war drama of a nazi U-boat crew trying to escape Canada is filled with fine performances and served as propaganda to encourage the U.S. to get into WWII. Niall MacGinnis stands out but all the actors are good even if Olivier overdoes it a bit with the French Canadian accent. One of Leslie Howard's last films before he himself became a casualty of the war.

• First L

  
  In the 49th Parallel, a nazi u-boat off the coast of Canada is sunk and the crew must fight their way down to the amnesty of the United States. It's a simple premise, and one used chiefly to demonstrate the evils of nazism. As the nazis trek across Canada, they are shown… More
  In the 49th Parallel, a nazi u-boat off the coast of Canada is sunk and the crew must fight their way down to the amnesty of the United States. It's a simple premise, and one used chiefly to demonstrate the evils of nazism. As the nazis trek across Canada, they are shown nothing but hospitality, and they thumb their noses at it the entire time. When they're not killing their hosts, their killing each other for wanting to desert. It seems like it would be more logical to try and blend in with your surroundings if you're on the lam and trying to escape through a foreign countryside, but these nazis just can't help themselves, they're brutal gangsters and they are compelled to kill as much as possible. They're presented with a chance to destroy some original artwork by Picasso and Matisse, or destroy some original manuscripts, which is like waving candy in front of a baby, you don't have to ask twice. Sure, it's a little cartoonish, and yes, its war fantasy with the emphasis on fantasy, but the lead nazi does have a certain amount of depth. He's read "Mein Kampf" and believes in the Hitler reich. Unfortunately, any humanity that surfaces in the course of this film gets quickly over-shadowed by the cartoonish nature of the nazis. It's a shame because there are some fine performances here.

• Stephen M

  
  The Archers were still finding their feet here and this picture is not in the same class as their very best work of the Forties. Nevertheless, it transcends its propagandistic raison d'etre (of keeping our Canadian allies sweet during WWII) and, though episodic and sometimes… More
  The Archers were still finding their feet here and this picture is not in the same class as their very best work of the Forties. Nevertheless, it transcends its propagandistic raison d'etre (of keeping our Canadian allies sweet during WWII) and, though episodic and sometimes preachy, it remains hugely entertaining. Undeniably a great actor, Olivier often tended to "ham it up" when given a foreign accent to play with; he does so here, though enjoyably so, as a French-Canadian trapper. Powell's great eye for landscape is well to the fore.

• Byron B

  
  Suspenseful road movie. Interesting look at Canadian countrysides and villagers. Character study of marooned German U-boat soldiers trying to blend in till they can make their way to the safe US border (takes place before the US entered World War II).

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"49th Parallel" takes place in the early days of World War II when a German U-Boat, seeking supplies in the remote Hudson Bay of northern Canada, is sunk by aircraft. The only survivors are a six-man shore party led by Lieutenant Hirth(Eric Portman).… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"49th Parallel" takes place in the early days of World War II when a German U-Boat, seeking supplies in the remote Hudson Bay of northern Canada, is sunk by aircraft. The only survivors are a six-man shore party led by Lieutenant Hirth(Eric Portman). With no apparent way home, they march to a nearby trading post.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Written by Emeric Pressburger and directed by Michael Powell, "49th Parallel" is little more than an episodic and propagandistic travelogue of Canada.(It was intended as a thank you to Canada for its help in the war.) But as far as propaganda goes, it is relatively benign as it focuses on how cool the people of Canada are(a position I can usually get behind, especially as it includes indigenous peoples in that mix), rather than the expected bloodthirsty warmongering. In fact, the movie does seem rather pacifistic at times. Solid directing, an interesting story and a great cast(even though Laurence Olivier makes a slightly odd French Canadian trapper) definitely help.[/font]

• MJS M

  
  I was under the impression that this movie was some sort of spy thriller, but I was mistaken, it?s actually a pretty obvious WW2 era British propaganda movie intended to be against Nazi?s and American Isolationism (this was pre-Pearl Harbor), and also to be a celebration of the… More
  I was under the impression that this movie was some sort of spy thriller, but I was mistaken, it?s actually a pretty obvious WW2 era British propaganda movie intended to be against Nazi?s and American Isolationism (this was pre-Pearl Harbor), and also to be a celebration of the Canadian home front. The intention was to make the Nazi?s look like a genuine threat to North America. I suppose this might have been disturbing at the time but it seems a little silly now. The plot revolves around a German U-Boat that tries to attack Canada but which is quickly destroyed by aerial bombardment, stranding about ten Nazi soldiers ashore. The rest of the movie is about this group trying to escape Canada and being thwarted at every turn. To call this structure flawed would be putting it mildly; it basically makes the Nazis the main protagonists while still making them villains unworthy of the slightest empathy. There is no way to relate to these two dimensional and inhuman character and thus no way to be interested by them throughout their episodic adventures. The depiction of Canada seems remarkably stereotypical, especially Laurence Olivier?s bizarre turn as some sort of ignorant French Canadian lumberjack. The rest of the movie is prone to a lot of boring sermonizing. It?s mildly interesting as a historical artifact, but I have no idea how it found its way into the Criterion Collection.

• cody f

  
  Yet another solid Powell & Pressburger film, fantastic cast with a great ending. Has a real Anti-Nazi theme, but as I always say "Hitler Was Wrong!"

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