49th parallel

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Movie
Original title 49th parallel
Country of production Great Britain
original language English
Publishing year 1941
length 123 minutes
Rod
Director Michael Powell
script Emeric Pressburger , Rodney Ackland
production Michael Powell
music Ralph Vaughan Williams
camera Freddie Young
cut David Lean
occupation

49th Parallel (US title: The Invaders , in German also The 49th Latitude ) is a British feature film from 1941. Directed by Michael Powell , the script was written by Emeric Pressburger and Rodney Ackland . The later famous director David Lean was the film editor .

action

The 49th parallel , the border between Canada and the USA since the Oregon Compromise of 1846 , is, according to the film, the only undefended border in the world.

After sinking a Canadian cargo ship, the fictional German submarine U37 flees to Hudson Bay , where it is sunk itself in an air raid. The captain had sent the six survivors, Lieutenant Hirth and Kuhnecke as well as the sailors Vogel, Kranz, Lohrmann and Jahner, ashore shortly before. As ordered, they take over a trading post in an Inuit village where the French-Canadian trapper Johnnie is currently visiting. Lieutenant Hirth tries in vain to convince Johnnie of National Socialism ; shortly afterwards he inflicts a serious gunshot wound on him when Johnnie sends a warning over the radio. The plane then sent to the trading post is taken over by the six, and they shoot the two inmates and some villagers. Jahner is shot by an Inuit when he tries to allow the overloaded plane to take off by dropping ballast. After a few hours of flight, the fuel suddenly runs out, although Hirth and Kuhnecke, who flies the plane, had very controversial discussions about this very problem. Kuhnecke has to ditch in Winnipegsee , where he drowns.

Shortly afterwards, the four survivors meet a community of Hutterites , mostly refugees from Germany or their descendants, and are welcomed as guests. Hirth believes that he has found supporters, yes "brothers", and gives a speech at a community meeting to promote the fight. Peter, the leader of the community, contradicts him and explains that they are not the brothers hoped for. Vogel, actually a baker who was called up for military service, feels at home in the community. Hirth thereupon sentences him to death for treason against the German Reich and lets Kranz and Lohrmann shoot him.

The three move on via Winnipeg towards Vancouver , where they hope to catch a Japanese ship. You ambush a traveling salesman to get his collection of suits. Take the train to Banff and mingle with the visitors of the annual Indian Day. However, a conductor reports them to the Mounties , who then interrupt the celebrations and try to arrest the three. Kranz loses his nerve and is arrested. Hirth and Lohrmann can escape.

They flee to the Rocky Mountains and meet Philip Armstrong Scott, who lives in a tipi. With a few helpers, he has set up a fairly comfortable camp. There are even pictures by Picasso and Matisse . He writes a book about the history of the Indians in the area and tells them that the wildest and most primitive of these tribes remind him a lot of the National Socialists. Convinced that he has a coward and weakling in front of him, Hirth ties him up with Lohrmann's help. They destroy the artwork and steal the weapons they find. After the unsuccessful attempt to steal the horses too, Lohrmann rebels against Hirth - the two continue to flee separately. Lohrmann is caught by Scott, who has now been freed, and beaten up like a little boy. Scott says afterwards: “He had a fair chance. An armed Superman versus an unarmed, decadent Democrat. I wonder how Dr. Goebbels will explain that. "

Hirth, who is now celebrated as a hero in Germany, flies back to Ontario . From there, he wants to travel hidden in a freight train and past Niagara Falls to the neutral USA . On the train he meets the Canadian soldier Andy Brock, who has extended his vacation without authorization. When Brock turned his back on him after a friendly conversation, Hirth knocked him down and stole his uniform. Brock wakes up just in time to make it clear to the US border officials that they should send the two back - and how they can legally do it. On the way back, Brock will get his uniform back - without asking.

background

production

49th Parallel was produced by Ortus Films . The shooting, which lasted from 1939 to 1941, proved to be lengthy and had to be interrupted several times.

Actors and actresses

The real main character of 49th Parallel is Eric Portman . The stars named before him in the opening credits are all limited to their relatively short sections and can only be seen in the corresponding sets: Laurence Olivier only appears in the main building of the trading post, Adolf Wohlbrück only in the buildings of the Hutterites and Raymond Massey only in the railroad car. Leslie Howard's appearances are limited to the tipi set.

Elisabeth Bergner was originally intended for the role of Anna . In fact, she can be seen from a distance in a few shots. However, she only shot a few scenes in Canada, then went to the US and stayed there. Maybe she only accepted the role to come to the US. She was replaced by the much younger Glynis Johns .

Raymond Massey was talked into the role by his brother Vincent , who was then the High Commissioner for Canada in London . Vincent Massey spoke the opening credits in the film.

music

The film's musical director was Muir Mathieson . For the composition of the original music, he was able to engage the then almost 70-year-old and very renowned Ralph Vaughan Williams for his first work in a movie. This was shown in a prominent place in the opening credits . It begins with the pages Leslie Howard - Laurence Olivier - Raymond Massey - Anton Walbrook - Eric Portman - And the Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams in - 49th Parallel .

World premieres

The world premiere was on October 8, 1941 in London . In the United States, the film premiered on March 5, 1942 under the title The Invaders . There was no official German premiere.

On 20 February 2007, 49th Parallel of The Criterion Collection released on DVD.

The film was distributed in the UK by General Film Distributors and in the US by Columbia Pictures .

reception

criticism

49th Parallel is largely assessed positively. Rotten Tomatoes lists eight reviews of which seven are rated positive.

The reviews think the film is good, precisely because it is a particularly well-made propaganda film, convincing because the Nazis are not demonized. On the contrary, the characters are quite different and therefore appear more human. The good Nazi bird is highlighted. It is also considered courageous that the story is told from the point of view of the Nazis, who on their way through Canada meet a wide range of people living in Canada, but who are all against National Socialism. The main goal was to encourage the US population to join the war, but also to increase Canadian war efforts.

The very good cast is particularly emphasized, from which Eric Portman is emphasized in the role of the lieutenant who was convinced of National Socialism. The prominent actors are also mentioned, although Laurence Olivier's accent is considered exaggerated.

It is slightly criticized that the film depicts the geography of Canada quite incorrectly.

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1943 , 49th Parallel received three nominations under the title The Invaders (the film was released in 1941, but didn't hit US cinemas until 1942 and was therefore not eligible for nomination until 1942; the corresponding Academy Award ceremony was in 1943). Emeric Pressburger received the Oscar in the category Best Original Story . Michael Powell lost to Mrs. Miniver in the Best Picture category . Emeric Pressburger and Rodney Ackland also lost to Mrs. Miniver in the Best Adapted Screenplay category .

German title

Since there is no German version of the film, there is also no official German title. However, the film is sometimes called The 49th Latitude . The well-known film portals do not use this title. The lexicon of international films does not contain the film. OFDb.de , filmportal.de and Film.at all use the title 49th parallel , only the cinema program calls him the 49th parallel . The Internet Movie Database also has no German-language title.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kay Less : The large personal dictionary of films , Berlin 2001. See entries in the biographies of Michael Powell, Adolf Wohlbrück, Laurence Olivier etc.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Glenn Erickson: 49th Parallel The Invaders. In: DVDTalk. February 7, 2007, accessed January 16, 2017 .
  3. ↑ a b Mark Duguid: 49th Parallel (1941). In: Screenonline. Retrieved January 16, 2017 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e Rob Nixon: 49th Parallel (1941). In: Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 16, 2017 .
  5. ↑ a b Bruce Eder: 49th Parallel. In: Criterion.com. Retrieved January 16, 2017 .
  6. ↑ The 49th Parallel in the All Movie Guide (English). Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  7. ↑ 49th Parallel (The Invaders) (1941). In: Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 16, 2017 .
  8. ↑ a b c d e Dennis Schwartz: 49th Parallel (aka: The Invaders). In: Ozus' World Movie Reviews. March 13, 2005, accessed January 16, 2017 .
  9. ↑ a b c d Lang Thompson: 49th Parallel (1941) Home Video Reviews. In: Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 16, 2017 .
  10. ^ A b c Charles Barr: 49th Parallel: The War Effort. In: Criterion.com. February 19, 2007, accessed January 16, 2017 .
  11. ^ Emanuel Levy: Invaders, The (1942). In: EmanuelLevy.com. August 8, 2007, accessed January 16, 2017 .
  12. ↑ a b Mike Cummings: The 49th Parallel (1941). In: AllMovie. Retrieved January 16, 2017 .
  13. ↑ 49th Parallel. In: ofdb.de. Retrieved January 16, 2017 .
  14. ↑ 49th Parallel. In: filmportal.de . German Film Institute , accessed on September 10, 2018 .
  15. ↑ 49th Parallel (GB 1941). In: film.at. Retrieved January 16, 2017 .
  16. ^ The 49th parallel. In: The cinema program. Retrieved January 16, 2017 .
  17. ↑ 49th Parallel (1941) Release Info. In: IMDb. Retrieved January 16, 2017 .