49th Parallel (1941) :
Brief Review -
A film that every Canadian won't forget. It didn't need propaganda to prove that Hitler and the Nazis were the biggest curse to humanity. There is a huge flashback story behind the making of this film, and one of them is 'propaganda'. As it starts off with the commentary that the 49th Parallel is undefeated, you start feeling the burn. Somehow, it goes completely off course with the setup until the runaway journey of those six Nazis begins. It is about World War II U-boat crews who are stranded in northern Canada. To avoid internment, they must make their way to the border and get into the still-neutral United States. But the outside world doesn't think like them, nor does it follow any kind of Hitlerism. I loved that word, "Hitlerism!" The film is a poignant take on how Hitler and his ideologies corrupted youth and destroyed their careers. How he turned young, bright, and kind fellas into inhuman machine guns. 49th Parallel may be about those six Germans and 11 million Canadians, but believe me, it spoke on behalf of billions of people whose lives have been destroyed by World War 2. This film tells you how Hitler and the Nazis ruined humanity, and that too without any propaganda. It uses simple formulas of human bonds, books, forgiveness, art, and simple rules of life. Watch out for every scene when those Nazis are being humiliated by humanity. What a fantastic casting unit it was. Leslie Howard, Laurence Olivier, Anton Walbrook, Raymond Massey, Glynis Johns, Eric Portman, Niall MacGinnis and others have done so well here. You need a lot of guts to make a film like this during the war period, and Michael Powell won't get enough praise even if you hail him for that. Not to forget legendary director David Lean's editing skills. Overall, a very hard-hitting and substantial flick for all ages.
RATING - 7.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
A film that every Canadian won't forget. It didn't need propaganda to prove that Hitler and the Nazis were the biggest curse to humanity. There is a huge flashback story behind the making of this film, and one of them is 'propaganda'. As it starts off with the commentary that the 49th Parallel is undefeated, you start feeling the burn. Somehow, it goes completely off course with the setup until the runaway journey of those six Nazis begins. It is about World War II U-boat crews who are stranded in northern Canada. To avoid internment, they must make their way to the border and get into the still-neutral United States. But the outside world doesn't think like them, nor does it follow any kind of Hitlerism. I loved that word, "Hitlerism!" The film is a poignant take on how Hitler and his ideologies corrupted youth and destroyed their careers. How he turned young, bright, and kind fellas into inhuman machine guns. 49th Parallel may be about those six Germans and 11 million Canadians, but believe me, it spoke on behalf of billions of people whose lives have been destroyed by World War 2. This film tells you how Hitler and the Nazis ruined humanity, and that too without any propaganda. It uses simple formulas of human bonds, books, forgiveness, art, and simple rules of life. Watch out for every scene when those Nazis are being humiliated by humanity. What a fantastic casting unit it was. Leslie Howard, Laurence Olivier, Anton Walbrook, Raymond Massey, Glynis Johns, Eric Portman, Niall MacGinnis and others have done so well here. You need a lot of guts to make a film like this during the war period, and Michael Powell won't get enough praise even if you hail him for that. Not to forget legendary director David Lean's editing skills. Overall, a very hard-hitting and substantial flick for all ages.
RATING - 7.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.