Review of 49th Parallel (1941) by Private U — 04 Jun 2008

[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].

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[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].