49th Parallel [2 Discs] [Criterion Collection]

Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Overview

"Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's thoughtful exercise in pro-British World War II propaganda makes its American DVD debut in this richly appointed package from the Criterion Collection. 49th Parallel has been transferred to disc in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and looks quite good; while the source materials look a bit soft in spots, for the most part the visual quality is excellent, and the location work (shot in Canada by Frederick Young) truly stands out. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Mono, and sounds just fine, as good as any film produced in 1941 is likely to sound. The dialogue is in English (with a smattering of French and German for character color), with no multiple language options included, though the disc does feature optional English language subtitles. The feature include an optional commentary track, in which Bruce Eder discusses the style of the film and shares anecdotes about its production, while the original theatrical trailer is also on board. A bonus disc includes more bonus material, including a BBC television documentary on Powell and Pressburger, audio recordings of Powell discussing (#49th Parallel as he dictated material for his autobiography (the sound quality is less then pristine, but he's clearly understandable), and The Volunteer, an entertaining 43-minute short ($Powell directed to promote military recruitment during the war which stars Ralph Richardson. A well-designed booklet featuring an essay by Charles Barr and a transcript of Michael Powell's speech at the film's premiere is the icing on the cake. If 49th Parallel isn't at the top of Powell and Pressberger's list of cinematic accomplishments, it certainly merits a viewing (especially for Laurence Olivier's con brio performance as a Quebecois trapper), and this edition treats the material with tender loving care."

Product Details

Release Date:	02/19/2007
UPC:	0715515022422
Original Release:	1941
Source:	Criterion
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	2:03:00
Sales rank:	15,543

Special Features

Disc One: The Film - ; New, restored high-definition digital transfer; Audio commentary by film and music historian Bruce Eder; Original theatrical trailer; Disc Two: The Supplements - ; The Volunteer, a 1943 Powell and Pressburger war-effort short starring Ralph Richardson; Excerpts from Michael Powell's audio dictations for his autobiography; A Pretty British Affair, a BBC documentary on the careers of Powell and Pressburger, which considers their World War II - era collaborations and features rare footage of the filmmakers together; Plus: A new essay by film scholar Charles Barr and an excerpt from Powell's 1941 speech

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Eric Portman	Lt. Hirth
Laurence Olivier	Johnnie
Leslie Howard	Phillip Armstrong Scott
Glynis Johns	Anna
Anton Walbrook	Peter
Niall MacGinnis	Vogel
Finlay Currie	Factor
Raymond Lovell	Lt. Kuhnecke
John Chandos	Lohrmann
Raymond Massey	Andy Brock
Basil Appleby	Jahner
Eric Clavering	Art
Charles Victor	Andreas
Ley On	Nick the Eskimo
Richard George	Bernsdorff
Peter Moore	Kranz
Frederick Piper	David
Tawera Moanna	George, an Indian
Charles Rolfe	Bob
O.W. Fonger	US Customs Officer
Theodore Salt	U.S. Customs Officer
Tawera Moana	George, the Indian
Ralph Williams	Composer

Technical Credits

Emeric Pressburger

Rodney Ackland

Michael Powell	Producer
John Sutro	Producer
Emeric Pressburger	Screenwriter
Rodney Ackland	Screenwriter
C.C. Stevens	Sound/Sound Designer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- 49th Parallel: The Film
1. Overture and Prologue [2:36]
2. The Curtain Rises on Canada [6:20]
3. The Journey North [6:09]
4. Hudson Bay [3:55]
5. "This Hitler Is Only Bluffing" [6:02]
6. A Good German [5:18]
7. Chess Game [7:39]
8. Slaughter and Escape [6:38]
9. Kuhnecke's Command [5:02]
10. The Hutterite Settlement [6:19]
11. Total Warfare [4:40]
12. "A Great Storm" [7:11]
13. "We Are Not Your Brothers" [3:13]
14. Vogel's Peace [5:38]
15. Road Hazards [5:46]
16. Indian Day [5:48]
17. "Art Goes on Forever" [5:17]
18. Savage Tribal Methods [8:10]
19. Superman vs. Democrat [5:22]
20. Bumming a Ride [8:11]
21. The Border [6:37]
22. Color Bars [:00]
Disc #2 -- 49th Parallel: The Supplements
1. "Totally Lacking in Practical Ability" [8:33]
2. Fred Joins Up [10:59]
3. Aircraft Carrier Reunion [9:03]
4. Ship Film Screening [13:07]
5. Declaration From the King [2:53]
1. Beginnings [6:36]
2. Canadian Research [7:37]
3. The Story [6:58]
4. Cast and Crew [12:06]
5. Hollywood Side Trip [7:17]
6. The Submarine [10:21]
7. Return to England [8:34]
1. The Savile Club [4:57]
2. The Old Hollywood [6:55]
3. A Beautiful Mind [8:17]
4. Spritual Values [4:09]
5. Ancestors [1:24]
6. Strongest Themes [8:46]
7. Postwar Melodrama [9:12]
8. Art and Religion [5:12]
9. "Cut" and Credits [1:50]

Menu

Disc #1 -- 49th Parallel: The Film
Play Movie
Chapters
Commentary
Off
On
Index
Artistic Ambitions
Powell's Early Career
Ten Little Indians
Moments of Comedy
The Neutrality Act
Progaganda
Sparring Match
Plane Trouble
Heated Interchanges
Elizabeth Bergner
Opposing Sides
Specter of Anti-Semitism
Peter's Speech
Enemy Aliens
Anton Walbrook
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Interlude
Historical Significance
International Vision
Raymond Massey
Star Billing
Color Bars
Trailer
Disc #2 -- 49th Parallel: The Supplements
The Volunteer
Play
Index
Michael Powell Audio
Play
A Pretty British Affair
Play
Index

Editorial Reviews

This 1941 British war film preached pure propaganda and got away with glowing critical reviews. How did it do it? With riveting suspense, superb writing, good cinematography, and some of the finest actors of the day, including Laurence Olivier, Leslie Howard, Raymond Massey, Anton Walbrook, and Eric Portman. When director Michael Powell and producer Emeric Pressburger began planning the motion picture as part of the war effort, they decided to make a propaganda film that was more than patriotic pap. Helping to fire their imaginations were the hard realities of the day: Hitler was on the march, Britain was in peril, and the U.S. had not yet entered the war. Pressburger fashioned a story about Nazis who enter Canada after their submarine sinks off the coast, above the 49th Parallel, and try to make it to the neutral U.S. while authorities are hot on their trail. Portman convincingly portrays the detestable Nazi leader while Olivier, Howard, Walbrook and Massey play patriotic Canadians who resist him and the other invaders. (The Invaders, incidentally, was the title of the film in the U.S.) The movie attempted not only to influence U.S. public opinion but also to solidify Canadian support for the war.