Review of 49th Parallel (1941) by Carey M — 12 Jul 2014

An early one from Powell and Pressburger that is a masterwork in sympathetic propaganda. And when I say sympathetic I mean to say that they choose not to totally villainize all Germans but instead choose to make one or two human.

In fact, it is the German band of submariners who escape when their U-boat is destroyed in Hudson Bay, Canada, who we follow through the film as they escape across Canada. A lot of British stars waived part of their fees for the war effort to appear: Laurence Olivier as a French Canadian trapper (!), Anton Walbrook as the leader of a German Hudderite settlement, Raymond Massey as an AWOL Canadian soldier, and Leslie Howard as a British expert on Native Americans camping in the Rockies.

Eric Portman plays the dastardly leader of the Nazi group to evil effect but not without some humanity given his plight. Powell knows that propaganda should only work (on the intelligent) to the extent that it feels realistic and like it speaks the truth rather than demonizing and over-doing it.

Message aside, one can already see Michael Powell's genius as a director with montage, fades, efficient use of screen time, and nearly surreal moments of beauty shining through.