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49th Parellel (1941)
Actually, the only real flaw in the film are the tangled and inconsistent accents, particularly Olivier's French over-execution. This is a wonderful picture full of humor and horror, and there are so many surprises, twists and turns that the ending comes far too soon- this is the kind of vivid story which could go on pleasantly forever. Of course we have Michael Powell to thank for that, a director's director who knows where to find life in his frame. He captures his actors at their most vulnerable, finds drama in the most unthinkable places, and all the while he steadies his story so that the jokes all crack nicely and the tragedies knock you flat. This expert control feels on celluloid something like a pulse, pumping all the rights things into every available space and leaving no shot a waste. An ensemble cast features many good performances and a few great ones, notably Leslie Howard's full-blooded turn as a chatty art-wise Canadian who gets picked on by a couple of Nazis for loose lips, but then pursues his chance to get even. A very funny, often angry and always riveting war-time film which is sure to have a little something for everyone.
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