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49th Parallel
A stranded U-boat crew navigate a hostile Canada in this propaganda odyssey starring Laurence Olivier.
Director: Michael Powell
Overview
This deft propaganda film, in which a stranded U-boat crew endure a perilous Canadian odyssey en route to the neutral USA, was Pressburger’s attempt to outshine Goebbels. While Powell rhapsodises over the Canadian wilderness, Pressburger’s fierce, humane script takes a scalpel to Nazi ideology. By way of thanks, because he was classified an ‘enemy alien’, Emeric was not allowed to go to Canada.
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