49TH PARALLEL (1941) ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
D: Michael Powell
Leslie Howard, Eric Portman, Laurence Olivier,
Raymond Massey, Anton Walbrook, Glynis Johns,
Finlay Currie, Naill MacGinnis, Richard George
When Canadian bombers sink a German U-boat in Hudson Bay, the sub's survivors try to escape by traveling across Canada from east to west. A suspenseful, episodic propaganda piece in which the Germans (most of them) are hardcore Nazis, and the Canadians (all of them) are stout defenders of freedom and tolerance. In its most revealing segment, the sailors find shelter in a Hutterite settlement, a perfectly functioning socialist utopia. Ralph Vaughn Williams composed the music. Laurence Olivier's Quebecois accent is close to impenetrable.
Glynis Johns
(1923-2024)
