“Contraband” (1940)
Having gotten on like a house on fire, Powell & Pressburger moved on to their next effort, again produced by Korda and starring Veidt and Hobson, in the shape of thriller “Contraband” (known as “Blackout” in the U.S., a title that Powell later said he preferred). Unconnected, as you might imagine, to the recent Mark Wahlberg vehicle, it sees Veidt in a more heroic role, as Danish sea captain Hans Andersen — a name surely not accidental in its evocation of the fairy-tale writer behind “The Red Shoes.” Held in port overnight, he discovers that two of his passengers, the beguiling Mrs. Sorenson (Hobson) and the mysterious Mr. Pigeon (Esmond Knight) have gone ashore, unauthorized. He heads off into London (blacked out to avoid air raids) after them, falling for Mrs. Sorenson along the way, only to discover that the pair are British spies, pursued by German agents. Perhaps due to not being a true Archers production, the film is generally overlooked, but it’s a terrific little thriller; the pace rattles along, and there’s a delightful lightness of touch to the film (there’s a lovely interlude involving the staff of a Danish restaurant called The Three Vikings) that’s reminiscent of a Hitchcockian “wrong man” thriller. Veidt and Hobson have positively scintillating chemistry together, and thanks to the atmospheric, almost noirish setting, Powell’s direction is top-notch, the filmmaker truly starting to hit his stride. Of all their films, at least until their later period, this is probably the one that the fewest people have seen, but it’s a real hidden gem. [A-]
“49th Parallel” (1941)
The last film on which Powell & Pressburger split their credits, “49th Parallel” (known as “The Invaders” in the U.S.) was meant to sway the American public to support the country joining in the British war effort. Starring Leslie Howard, Laurence Olivier and Raymond Massey (all three waiving half of their acting fees), the film follows the Nazi crew of a stranded WWII U-boat as they make their way down through Canada to the still-neutral U.S.A. Along the way, they encounter a range of characters from a French-Canadian trapper called Johnny (Olivier), who they kill after he tries to radio Canadian authorities, to an English academic (Howard) who is horrified as the Nazis ransack his books and valuables. True to British form, Howard’s character declares, “Nazis? That explains your arrogance, stupidity, and bad manners.” While watching, you may think the movie borders on being propaganda, but it’s pretty unapologetic about it. Originally, the British Ministry of Information had approached Powell to make a propaganda piece on minesweeping, but Powell & Pressburger wanted to “scare the pants off the Americans”. Making their own contribution to the war effort, Pressburger famously remarked, “Goebbels considered himself an expert on propaganda, but I thought I’d show him a thing or two.” Lauded by critics and public alike, “49th Parallel” continues to rally the troops, even over 70 years later. [B]