[ April 24, 2024 ]
Tonight’s Saturday Night Cinema classic is one of the era’s most extraordinary and original war films from Geller’s favorite British film-making partnership, the producer-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (the Archers). When a Nazi U-boat crew, headed by the ruthless Eric Portman, is stranded in Canada during the thick of World War II, the men evade capture by hiding out in a series of rural communities, before trying to cross the border into the still-neutral United States.
The all-star cast includes Leslie Howard (Ashley Wilkes, Gone With the Wind and real-time war hero who was shot down by Luftwaffe Junkers), Sir Laurence Olivier, Raymond Massey, Anton Walbrook.
This is third collaboration of the supreme British film-making partnership Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger….and their first of two collaborations with the already highly regarded editor David Lean.
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For their third collaboration, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were engaged by the Ministry of Information to make a propaganda film. 49th Parallel (1941; The Invaders in the US), was a concerted attempt to influence opinion in neutral America into supporting their government’s entry into the war.
Pressburger proved an enthusiastic propagandist. As he later said, “Goebbels considered himself an expert on propaganda, but I thought I’d show him a thing or two.” This is despite the fact that Pressburger‘s own status in Britain at the time was as an ‘enemy alien’. On returning from Canada he found himself imprisoned and threatened with deportation, until Powell and the MOI intervened.
Pressburger‘s script, which won him an Academy Award for Best Original Story, charts the progress of a German U-boat crew stranded in Canada after the sinking of their craft off Hudson Bay. As the six crew members, led by the unflappable Corporal Hirth (Eric Portman), struggle to reach the neutral territory of the United States, they encounter a series of opponents, who serve to contrast Canada’s democracy and ethnic diversity with the Nazis’ moral bankruptcy.
The ruthless Hirth is a far cry from the more sympathetically portrayed German officer played by Conrad Veidt in Powell and Pressburger‘s earlier Spy in Black (1939). Unburdened by doubts in himself or in his philosophy, he has no patience with weakness or sensitivity. But his arrogance is his undoing, for he repeatedly underestimates his opponents. The other Nazis each have their own distinct characters, and there is even a ‘good Nazi’, which attracted some criticism at the time.
German actress Elisabeth Bergner, the only woman in a leading role, jumped ship after shooting a few scenes in Canada; it became clear she had only signed on to get to America. Fortunately, she was very effectively replaced by the unknown Glynis Johns. Two other stars, Laurence Olivier and Raymond Massey, almost pulled out, and the MOI threatened to pull the plug due to budget overspend. When Hollywood giants David O. Selznick and Samuel Goldwyn showed an interest, however, J. Arthur Rank stepped in and provided the rest of the money. He – and the Treasury – made their money back comfortably: a success at home, the film became the biggest British hit to date in American cinemas.
49th Parallel was the first of two collaborations between Powell and Pressburger and the already highly regarded editor David Lean.
Mark Duguid
The New York Times in 1984:
RECENT RELEASES; THE 49th PARALLEL
September 8, 1984,
The 49th Parallel Starring Eric Portman, Anton Walbrook, Raymond Massey, Laurence Olivier, Leslie Howard; co-written by Emeric Pressburger and directed by Michael Powell
This is a gripping adventure- drama about six survivors of a sunken German submarine desperately crossing Canada toward sanctuary in the pre-Pearl Harbor United States. Beautifully written, directed and played, the story adroitly entangles the cunning fugitives with a variety of democratic types – a gentle religious sect, a remote trapper, an esthetic humanist – against a scenic sweep of the Canadian Rockies. The tale is equally effective as a chase thriller and an anti-Nazi treatise.”The 49th Parallel” was a British wartime project (originally titled ”The Invaders”), with such stars as Olivier (an excellent doomed trapper) and Howard (in the rather stagey humanist sequence) taking relatively small roles. Portman, as the Nazi U-boat captain, Massey as a Canadian soldier and Walbrook as a Hutterite are all fine.
You may wonder how all six Germans happen to be perfectly fluent in English. Doesn’t matter, in a movie that speaks volumes.
https://youtu.be/AtEtMUXjuKw
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49 Comments
4 years ago
Today I read about a Nazi named Arthur Koepchen, inventor of the first pumped-storage
power plant. No English Wiki articles yet. RWE was heavily involved in Nazi machinations.
“Under the target number ‘B 28’ (from 1941: GO 1123) the Koepchenwerk was already on the
target lists of the British Bomber Command before the outbreak of the Second World War. Until
April 1940 it was an important potential target in the ‘Ruhr Plan’. The destruction of power plants
in the Rhineland and Ruhr area was intended to eliminate the German armaments industry.”
“On 1 May 1933, the Executive Board joined the NSDAP as a unified body. Since autumn 1943, the
Essen state police had been investigating Wilhelm Ricken, RWE’s technical director and designated
general director, for ‘subversion of the military’. The then First Mayor of Essen, Just Dillgardt, who
was also second chairman of RWE’s Supervisory Board, had reported Ricken to the state police. Pre-
viously, he had received a tip from the then commercial director and fellow board member of Ricken,
Friedrich Praedel. This ‘board member’ of RWE is said to have pushed Dillgardt to press charges.
Wilhelm Ricken was then arrested on 20 October 1943 and sentenced to death on 8 March
1944 by the Volksgerichtshof (People’s Court), partly because of his statement that ‘the war
would end like 1918’. On 2 May 1944 Wilhelm Ricken was executed in Berlin-Plötzensee.”
4 years ago
Reply to
Old White Man
This mainly responsible Nazi henchman had already negotiated with
Americans in Portugal in 1944 in order to exchange his (murderous)
“technical knowledge” for his miserable existence. His plan worked.
https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/interviews-and-profiles/a-forgotten-diabolical-nazi-and-a-seven-decade-cover-up-an-interview-with-author-dean-reuter/2019/10/11/
4 years ago
Reply to
Old White Man
Ironically the Russian winter scotched their delusions
of grandeur. It hasn’t been as cold in a hundred years.
https://www.newscenter1.tv/living-history-how-40-temperatures-stopped-nazi-germany/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/britain-at-war/5907564/Second-World-War-Frozen-to-death-by-the-Fuhrer.html
4 years ago
Reply to
Old White Man
The Nazis, in their technical self-confidence, had not even
considered that Stalin’s Bolshevik Russia had no functional
infrastructure such as tarred roads or rail networks, to tele-
phones and so on. Their heavy tanks sank into the mud and
they had to ride horses. Their Blitzkrieg, which was successful
in France, came to a halt and became a deadly trap for millions
of young soldiers. Their accursed “war craft” was once the ulti-
mate “Prussian virtue”, but again they bet on the wrong horse.
4 years ago
Reply to
Old White Man
Although GI’s were not trained soldiers like Germans, only uniformed civilians,
they had a fantastic service: their uniforms were permanently washed and re-
newed b service. But the cleanliness-fetishist Germans had to walk around for
months in their stinking unwashed field-gray uniforms until they hung from their
bodies in shreds. The Russians have stripped hundreds of thousands of living
& dead German soldiers of their leather jack boots, synonym of totalitarianism.
4 years ago
The Brits never missed an opportunity to defame the
Germans (“the Huns” sic!) as monsters for 100 years.
Not much different than the lie about the Jewish child
murders. The reason was that Germany, with its pro-
gressive development, became a danger to the Empire,
which had to be counteracted with atrocity propaganda.
https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/otheringatrocity_propaganda
4 years ago
Reply to
White Old Man
After WWII (which is actually one single war, today only by other means)
the “Isle Apes” lost their “Empire”. What a fair irony! And that was only
the beginning! Today they have shrunk to “Little Britain”, their “capital”
ruled by a Muslim. Let’s see how it goes on and who is the laughing last.
4 years ago
Reply to
Old White Man
A Brit saved Hitler, who
seized Jewish success.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Tandey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Gutmann
4 years ago
Reply to
Old White Man
Who understands the self-destructive brotherly hatred
between Semites (Jews & Arabs) understands the hat-
red between Germanics (Teutons and Anglo-Saxons).
4 years ago
Reply to
White Old Man
They had fine cabarets in Berlin to be sure. Better at that time than Soho.
4 years ago
Reply to
White Old Man
They had fine cabarets in Berlin to be sure. Better at that time than Soho.
4 years ago
Aha: “You may wonder how all six Germans happen to be perfectly
fluent in English. Doesn’t matter, in a movie that speaks volumes.”
I’m rather surprised that these Brits pass for “Germans”. You see, you can also
look at everything differently. Especially what you think is normal & “God-given”.
4 years ago
Reply to
Old White Man
That Germans would shoot British children, such malicious
filth. Even Hitler let 300,000 of these isle apes escape back
to their island, although he could have wiped them all out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dunkirk.
4 years ago
To embarrassing “White Old Man” : the point still stands>> take your medication. Nice set of abusive posts which totally type you and it looks as though I touched a sore spot. I do hope that you recover soon.
4 years ago
Reply to
Michelle
You better should start hoping
to handle your insignificant life.
You haven’t understood the
purpose of your biology yet.
Sure: you could laugh at
that, but you’d better cry.
4 years ago
Reply to
Old White Man
“I do hope that you recover soon.”
In it hides the secret female need to
nurse a wounded warrior to health.
You should start to live out your inhe-
rent brood care instinct contructively.
4 years ago
Reply to
Old White Man
Not really! We all just want you to shut up and cease hogging the page. Hurry up and reply I do not have all day.
4 years ago
Reply to
Michelle
“We all just want”. Crazies always
believe they are “spokespersons”
for everyone else without without
permission or being “politicians”.
4 years ago
Reply to
Old White Man
By all means attack my person if it helps you feel better but it still does not wipe the stains of your posts from this page. IIRC you have posted similar self answered tsunamis of opinion here before but under a different name. I wonder why?
4 years ago
Reply to
Michelle
Why I comment? To get in finally in touch with you. After all,
your sex drive is stronger than your unobjective “criticism”.
4 years ago
Reply to
Old White Man
“Unobjective”? You mean 33 comments out of 37 is NOT a deluge? Oh My bad!
As for the remainder of your last line. Please leave your dire needs out of it.
4 years ago
Reply to
Michelle
Your only “ambition” is to pull other
people into your negative mindset.
They stick to them like che-
wing gum without checking.
4 years ago
Reply to
Old White Man
Ohh My bad! So it is you who speak for all others, how obtuse of me not to realize this. I do guess that answering your own posts gives this impression and who am I to disagree with the majority?
4 years ago
Reply to
Michelle
No no, your deepest wish is to contact me, your nature is incredibly
awkward, but your subconscious commands you to apply this unsuc-
cessful strategy again and again. You are looking for a man who is
even worse than you, even darker in his soul, more corrupt, brutal,
sadistic. Only then do you know that you can finallöy let yourself go.
4 years ago
Reply to
Michelle
You already gave me that tip a while back.
I in return recommend you a warm gentle
tender but also sexually very violent night.
4 years ago
Reply to
Michelle
“RL” (rather lange?). Hopefully your dildo does
not have to suffer from our “conversation” now,
he has done nothing “evil”! Sleep well Michelle!
4 years ago
Reply to
Michelle
You’re too stupid to add up your moronic comments,
words, syllables, and letters. If I’m absent for three
weeks or so, I’ll post a hundred comments if I like it!
4 years ago
I’ve never liked Olivier, what a lying perfidious mug.
In “Marathon Man”, he was actually playing himself.
4 years ago
Reply to
Old White Man
Dat asshole wasn’t Jewish. A clear straight
look like Jew Kirk Douglas had your look for
in his visage in vain. Chaplin was also one of
those. There was something slimy about him.
4 years ago
Ah yes, “The 49th Parallel” or “The Invaders”, as it was known in America, is a typical Jewish anti-German propaganda film made while the U.S. was still neutral, to point out that the Canadians, too, was at war, so America should get into it as well. Unfortunately, Jews succeeded in getting America into the war against Germany just a short time later, but I digress. Of course, the original story and screenplay of this anti-German propaganda piece were written by a Hungarian Jew named Emeric Pressburger, with the scenario written by a British Jew named Rodney Ackland. When this film was made, Emeric Pressburger wasn’t even a British citizen. That didn’t happen until 1946. After he died, he was interred in the Christian cemetery of Our Lady of Grace Church, Aspall. His is the only grave in that Church of England graveyard with a Star of David. Interesting to note is that when America released this film a year later, retitled “The Invaders”, American censors cut 19 minutes from the film, including the speech by the fanatical Nazi commander who claims that Eskimos are “sub-apes like Negroes, only one step above the Jews”, which was removed to avoid offending segregationists in the American South. Ah, those Jews and their sick and twisted wartime propaganda! Still making them tons of money to this day. The film even won Pressburger an Oscar for Best (anti-German propaganda) Story and was nominated for Best (anti-German propaganda) Picture and Best (anti-German propaganda) Screenplay, including Rodney Ackland for additional dialogue. When will all of the Jewish WW2 lies ever end? Never, because there’s no business like Shoah business!
4 years ago
Reply to
Red Pilled Piper
Actually it was Churchill that got us into the war because of the sinking of the Lusitania
Maybe if we hadn’t gotten involved we’d be speaking German today?
Germany was monitoring the U.S. with subs and they were having success in torpedoing our ships. I have read they kept that out of the papers so the Nazi’s wouldn’t know how successful they were and until we got a handle on that and stopped it.
Many Americans don’t know this, but German U-boats weren’t uncommon off the US coast.
Several were actually sunk by US depth charges during WWII:
https://robert.accettura.com/blog/2012/05/28/did-the-nazis-try-to-attack-nyc-via-submarine-based-missile/
The green points are major cities, the dark blue were sunk in 1942, orange 1943, light blue 1944, yellow 1945. You can see it’s a fair number and they were within reasonable distance. U-869 is the yellow one closest to NYC was sunk by it’s own torpedo. U-521 was sunk by US depth charges as were some others.
This German sub was found off the coast of Texas.
Many were found sunk off the east coast.
A Sunken Nazi Sub Has Been Discovered Off The Texas Coast (in the Gulf of Mexico)
George Dvorsky
7/15/14 2:40PM
4 years ago
Reply to
felix1999
Wrong! The sinking of the Lusitania did contribute indirectly to the entry of the United States in the war, but into World War One, NOT World War Two! The sinking of the Lusitania occurred on Friday, May 7, 1915, during the First World War! England, France, and Russia went to war with Germany in 1939, when Hitler’s army entered the Danzig Corridor in Poland to save the Germans who were being raped, tortured, and murdered by the communist Jews. Also, of course, Hitler sent subs to America during the war because America had already declared war against Germany! In reality, the fix was already in when the Jews declared war on Germany with the economic boycott of March 24, 1933. This truly could be described as the first shot fired in the Second World War.
“Judea declares War on Germany.” – (((Daily Express))), March 24, 1934
“Germany is striving to become once again a great nation and to recover her lost territories as well as her colonies. But our Jewish interests call for the complete destruction of Germany…” – (((Vladimir Jabotinsky))), in Mascha Rjetsch, January 1934
“Germany is the enemy of Judaism and must be pursued with deadly hatred. The goal of Judaism of today is a merciless campaign against all German peoples and the complete destruction of the nation. We demand a complete blockade of trade, the importation of raw materials stopped, and retaliation towards every German, woman, and child.” – Jewish professor (((A. Kulischer))), October 1937
“Hitler will have no war (does not want war), but we will force it on him, not this year, but soon.” – (((Emil Ludwig Cohn))) in Les Annales, June 1934 (also quoted in his book The New Holy Alliance)
“We Jews are going to bring a war on Germany.” – (((David A. Brown))), National Chairman, United Jewish Campaign, 1934
The Jews, after almost six years of trying, unfortunately, got their war!
4 years ago
Reply to
Red Pilled Piper
Yes, the Lusitania sunk during WW1. The Treaty of Versailles helped instigate WW2. The terms of the agreement required reparations, disarming, territorial concessions etc.. There is still debate over the harshness of the treaty today. At that time Germany was a proud country.
The U.S. was reluctant to get into any wars with Europe and it was Nazi Germany that first declared war on the U.S., specifically Hitler and then the U.S. responded later declaring war on Nazi Germany.. The U.S. had wanted to stay neutral. The increasing cooperation between the U.S. and the U.K. was viewed by Hitler as provocative. This helped Churchill.
Your take on the Jews wanting a war is strange. You seem to have an intense dislike of Jews and wish to blame them for anything that comes down the pike. It’s not as though the Jews were in the driver seat under Hitler. Hitler went to great lengths to hide the atrocities being done to Jews and then eventually anyone who disagreed with Hitler. Hitler declaring war on the U.S. was a stupid blunder on his part. He didn’t understand our country and disliked what he thought he knew about the U.S.. He liked how Japan attacked us. Jews didn’t start WW2. WW2 was more so based on their perceiving unfairness of agreements, a tanked economy. and being viewed as a way to revive their economy.
4 years ago
Reply to
felix1999
Those quotes from Jews that I posted previously speak for themselves.
4 years ago
Reply to
felix1999
Just to get it correct: Germany declared war on the US in solidarity with Japan so the US didn’t have much choice, right?
4 years ago
Reply to
Red Pilled Piper
4 years ago
Thank you for this movie, Pamela. My uncle was in a Lancaster bomber on the way back from a bombing run on Germany when the aircraft in which he was the nose gunner and bomb aimer was shot down over Holland. All of the brave airmen on the Lanc were killed. His death nearly killed his parents, my grandparents. This movie displays the spirit of Canadians during the war. I much appreciate the recognition.
4 years ago
Reply to
Canadian Patriot
To be a nose gunner and bomb aimer took guts! You can be very proud of him.
So many were so brave.
4 years ago
Reply to
Canadian Patriot
In your sick minds are such psychopaths who drop bombs on civilians and have countless women, children and old people on their consciences, true national “heroes”, although the alleged “enemy” never threatened or even attacked your country. It’s a good thing that these cursed wretched pigs (self-proclaimed “Canadians”) were shot from the sky to cause no more damage!
Your CUNTRY gets exactly what it deserves,
dnd that’s very good! To hell with “Canada”!
https://www.amren.com/news/2019/11/southern-poverty-law-center-partner-funds-violent-canadian-antifa/
4 years ago
Reply to
European Man
Are you OK, my friend? You seem a little feverish. Perhaps you should lie down and rest.You need to look after yourself better. And talk to someone…one of your friends perhaps. A cool washcloth on the forehead would do you a world of good. Be well!
4 years ago
Great movie! We watched it last night.
I always associate Leslie Howard with Gone with the Wind – a true classic.
4 years ago
Ah, Glynis. One of my all time favorites. ‘Send in the Clowns’.
