49th Parallel (#376, DVD)

At once a compelling piece of anti-isolationist propaganda and a quick-witted wartime thriller, 49th Parallel is a classic early work from the inimitable British filmmaking team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. When a Nazi U-boat crew, headed by the ruthless Eric Portman, is stranded in Canada during the thick of World War II, the men evade capture by hiding out in a series of rural communities, before trying to cross the border into the still-neutral United States. Both soul-stirring and delightfully entertaining, 49th Parallel features a colorful cast of characters played by larger-than-life actors Laurence Olivier, Raymond Massey, Anton Walbrook, and Leslie Howard. SPECIAL FEATURES SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET: New, restored high-definition digital transfer Audio commentary by film and music historian Bruce Eder The Volunteer, a 1943 Powell and Pressburger war-effort short starring Ralph Richardson A Pretty British Affair, a BBC documentary on the careers of Powell a