49th Parallel (1941)
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- Not Rated
- 2h 3min
- Drama, Thriller
- 15 Apr 1942 (USA)
- Movie
A World War II U-boat crew are stranded in northern Canada. To avoid internment, they must make their way to the border and get into the still-neutral U.S.
Director:
Awards:
- Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Richard George | ... |
Kommandant Bernsdorff (The U-Boat Crew)
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| Eric Portman | ... |
Lieutenant Hirth (The U-Boat Crew)
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Raymond Lovell | ... |
Lieutenant Kuhnecke (The U-Boat Crew)
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| Niall MacGinnis | ... |
Vogel (The U-Boat Crew)
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Peter Moore | ... |
Kranz (The U-Boat Crew)
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John Chandos | ... |
Lohrmann (The U-Boat Crew)
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Basil Appleby | ... |
Jahner (The U-Boat Crew)
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| Laurence Olivier | ... |
Johnnie, the Trapper (The Canadians)
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| Finlay Currie | ... |
The Factor (The Canadians)
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Ley On | ... |
Nick, the Eskimo (The Canadians)
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| Anton Walbrook | ... |
Peter (The Canadians)
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| Glynis Johns | ... |
Anna (The Canadians)
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| Charles Victor | ... |
Andreas (The Canadians)
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Frederick Piper | ... |
David (The Canadians)
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| Leslie Howard | ... |
Philip Armstrong Scott (The Canadians)
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Tawera Moana | ... |
George, the Indian (The Canadians)
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Eric Clavering | ... |
Art (The Canadians)
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Charles Rolfe | ... |
Bob (The Canadians)
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| Raymond Massey | ... |
Andy Brock (The Canadians)
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Theodore Salt | ... |
A United States Customs Officer
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O.W. Fonger | ... |
A United States Customs Officer
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Elisabeth Bergner | ... |
Anna (replaced by Glynis Johns) (scenesDeleted)
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George Alexander | ... |
Cameo Appearance (uncredited)
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| Robert Beatty | ... |
RCMP Mountie in Alberta (uncredited) (voice)
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Eric Berry | ... |
Nazi Radio Announcer (uncredited)
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Gron Davies | ... |
Officer on Submarine (uncredited)
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Leslie Falardeau | ... |
Aviator on Seaplane (uncredited)
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Toni Gable | ... |
Hutterite Woman (uncredited)
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Lionel Grose | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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Jack Hynes | ... |
Aviator on Seaplane (uncredited)
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Stuart Latham | ... |
Second Nazi Radio Announcer (uncredited)
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Norman Luxton | ... |
Man in Fringed Jacket on Balcony at Banff Indian Day (uncredited)
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Vincent Massey | ... |
Prologue Narrator (uncredited) (voice)
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| Percy Parsons | ... |
Hi-Jacked Canadian Motorist (uncredited)
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Gerry Wilmot | ... |
Canadian Radio Announcer (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Michael Powell | ||
Written by
| Emeric Pressburger | ... | (original story by) |
| Emeric Pressburger | ... | (original screenplay by) |
| Rodney Ackland | ... | (scenario by) and |
| Emeric Pressburger | ... | (scenario by) |
Produced by
| George H. Brown | ... | associate producer (uncredited) |
| Roland Gillett | ... | associate producer (uncredited) |
| Michael Powell | ... | producer (produced by) |
Music by
| Ralph Vaughan Williams | ||
Cinematography by
| Freddie Young | ... | director of photography (as Frederick Young) |
Editing by
| David Lean | ||
Editorial Department
| Hugh Stewart | ... | associate editor |
Art Direction by
| David Rawnsley | ||
Makeup Department
| George Blackler | ... | makeup artist (uncredited) |
Production Management
| Harold Boxall | ... | in charge of production |
| George H. Brown | ... | associate in charge of production (as George Brown) |
| Roland Gillett | ... | associate in charge of production |
| Herbert Smith | ... | executive in charge of production (uncredited) |
| John Sutro | ... | production manager (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Arthur Seabourne | ... | associate director (as A. Seabourne) |
Art Department
| Frederick Pusey | ... | associate art director |
| Sydney Streeter | ... | associate art director (as Sydney S. Streeter) |
| Peter Cushing | ... | props (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Walter Darling | ... | sound recorder |
| C.C. Stevens | ... | sound recorder |
| A.W. Watkins | ... | sound supervisor |
| Dex Harrison | ... | sound engineer (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Osmond Borradaile | ... | photography: special backgrounds (as Osmond Borrowdaile) |
| Henty Henty-Creer | ... | cameraman |
| Skeets Kelly | ... | cameraman |
| Jim Body | ... | clapper boy (uncredited) |
| Fred Daniels | ... | still photographer: portraits (uncredited) |
| Leslie Falardeau | ... | camera grip (uncredited) |
| Jack Hynes | ... | still photographer (uncredited) |
| David Mason | ... | assistant camera (uncredited) |
| Oscar Paulin | ... | camera grip (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Muir Mathieson | ... | musical director |
| London Symphony Orchestra | ... | music performed by (uncredited) |
| Phyllis Sellick | ... | musician: piano, Philip Armstrong Scott segment, on radio (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Betty Curtis | ... | continuity (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Nugent M. Clougher | ... | advisor: Canada |
| Abraham Bloomfield | ... | interpreter: Eskimo (uncredited) |
| Betty Curtis | ... | production secretary (uncredited) |
| Captain Halfyard | ... | master of "The Continent" (uncredited) |
| Bill Paton | ... | assistant: Mr Powell (uncredited) / double: Leslie Howard, Lake O'Hara (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- General Film Distributors (GFD) (1941) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (as General Film Distributors Ltd.)
- Columbia Pictures of Canada (1941) (Canada) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures (1942) (United States) (theatrical) (as 'The Invaders')
- Columbia Film (1944) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Wivefilm (1946) (Sweden) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Rank Film Distributors of Italy (1952) (Italy) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures (1948) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Columbia Pictures (1952) (France) (theatrical)
- Thorn EMI Video Australia (1986) (Australia) (video)
- The Criterion Collection (1990) (United States) (video) (laserdisc)
- The Criterion Collection (2006) (United States) (DVD)
- The Criterion Collection (2007) (United States) (DVD)
- BuckRay TV (2022) (United States) (video)
- Premium Cine (2022) (Spain) (video)
- Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) (United States) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Canada (this film is dedicated to: who helped us to make it)
- United States Government (this film is dedicated to: who made it possible)
- Government of Canada (this film is dedicated to: who made it possible)
- The Government of the United Kingdom (this film is dedicated to: who made it possible)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
In the early years of World War II, a German U-boat (U-37) sinks Allied shipping in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and then tries to evade Canadian Military Forces seeking to destroy it by sailing up to Hudson Bay. The U-boat's fanatical Nazi Captain sends some members of his crew to look for food and other supplies at a Hudson Bay Company outpost. No sooner than the shore party (lead by Lieutenant Hirth) reaches the shore, the U-boat is spotted and sunk by the Canadian Armed Forces, leaving the six members of the shore party stranded in Canada. The Nazi Lieutenant then starts to plan his crew's return to the Fatherland. He needs to reach the neutral U.S., or be captured. Along the way, they meet a variety of characters, each with their own views on the war and nationalism. In this movie, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger show their ideas of why the U.S. should join the Allied fight against the Nazis.
Written by Steve Crook |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | THE MIGHTEST MANHUNT THAT EVER SWEPT THE SCREEN! (original poster-all caps) See more » |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | GBP132,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | On a trip home to Wales, Niall MacGinnis was stopped and searched by police. He was arrested as a German spy when the police found a photo in his wallet of MacGinnis dressed in a German sailor's uniform, standing next to what appeared to be a U-boat. In fact, it was a publicity photo from MacGinnis' role in this movie. MacGinnis spent several days in jail before documents were sent from London verifying that he had been in the movie. See more » |
| Goofs | When the train is going over the railroad bridge at Niagara Falls ostensibly traveling from Canada to the U.S., it actually is heading from the U.S. into Canada. The water in the Niagara River under the bridge in the scene is coming toward the camera, with the train moving across the bridge from left to right. Canada would be on the right in the shot, the direction the so-called U.S. bound train is traveling. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Has Anybody Here Seen Canada? A History of Canadian Movies 1939-1953 (1979). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Alouette See more » |
| Crazy Credits | (Spoken introduction) "I see a long straight line athwart a continent. No chain of forts, or deep flowing river, or mountain range, but a line drawn by men upon a map nearly a century ago, accepted by a handshake and kept ever since. A boundary which divides two nations yet marks their friendly meeting grounds, the 49th parallel, the longest undefended frontier in the world." See more » |
| Quotes |
[first lines]
Prologue: I see a long, straight line athwart a continent. No chain of forts, or deep flowing river, or mountain range, but a line drawn by men upon a map, nearly a century ago, accepted with a handshake, and kept ever since. A boundary which divides two nations, yet marks their friendly meeting ground. The 49th parallel: the only undefended frontier in the world. See more » |