49th Parallel

1941 123 min ★ 7.0 War, Thriller

In the early days of World War II, a German U-boat is sunk in Canada's Hudson Bay. Hoping to evade capture, a small band of German soldiers led by commanding officer Lieutenant Hirth attempts to cross the border into the United States, which has not yet entered the war and is officially neutral. Along the way, the German soldiers encounter brave men such as a French-Canadian fur trapper, Johnnie, a leader of a Hutterite farming community, Peter, an author, Philip and a soldier, Andy Brock.

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Cast

Leslie Howard

Philip Armstrong Scott

Laurence Olivier

Johnnie, the Trapper

Raymond Massey

Andy Brock

Anton Walbrook

Peter

Eric Portman

Lieutenant Hirth

Raymond Lovell

Lieutenant Kuhnecke

Richard George

Kommandant Bernsdorff

Niall MacGinnis

Vogel

Peter Moore

Kranz

John Chandos

Lohrmann

Details

Director

Michael Powell

Screenplay

Emeric Pressburger

Tagline

"THE MIGHTEST MANHUNT THAT EVER SWEPT THE SCREEN!"

Status

Released

Original Language

EN

Budget

$140,000

Revenue

$5,275,000

Production

Ortus Films

Reviews

C

CinemaSerf

June 25, 2022

★ 7/10

A quirky war film for various reasons, this one. A Nazi submarine crew are raiding North Atlantic shipping when their submarine is destroyed near the Canadian coast. The crew of survivors - led by a curiously cast Eric Portman - take over an Hudson's bay Company post frequented by a French-Canadian Laurence Olivier and Finlay Currie - a redoubtable Scot who is determined not to to stand for this "...

D

drystyx

April 18, 2023

★ 10/10

An incredible journey with the antagonists being the stars. Most WWII films about men behind enemy lines depict the "good guys" I dare say, in the Allies, behind enemy lines. Here, we get the exact opposite, with six Uboat survivors from Germany stuck behind enemy lines. There is so much that is outstanding about this film that it would take pages to explain. It's likely the very film that caus...