49th Parallel

1941 · directed by Michael Powell

Rating

78/100

Hit

no

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.

49th Parallel (1941), directed by Michael Powell, rates 78/100. See how its director, cast and crew rate across their careers.

Cast

• Leslie Howard
• Laurence Olivier
• Raymond Massey
• Anton Walbrook
• Eric Portman
• Raymond Lovell
• Richard George
• Niall MacGinnis
• Peter Moore
• John Chandos

Crew

• Freddie Young — Director of Photography
• David Lean — Editor
• Emeric Pressburger — Screenplay

More from Michael Powell

1. The Red Shoes (1948) — 97/100 · hit
2. A Matter of Life and Death (1946) — 86/100 · hit
3. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) — 85/100 · hit
4. The Thief of Bagdad (1940) — 84/100 · hit
5. I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) — 84/100 · hit
6. Peeping Tom (1960) — 83/100 · hit

How these numbers work: Methodology