49th Parallel

[...] 1934 US Dir Frank Borzage Cast Margaret Sullavan, Douglass Montgomery, Alan Hale, Catherine Doucet IMDb Lovely film, wrongly forgotten! A young couple in 1920s Germany struggle through hard economic times with a baby on the way, and suffer terrible disappointments every time it seems their luck has turned for the better. But this is hardly a typical melodrama or steely message movie: all the misfortunes have a note of whimsy to them (not entirely unlike 49th Parallel) and the lovers mostly manage to keep smiling through it all. And that is not to say this is a happy Hollywood fairytale; it is a responsible and realist film, but wonderfully light on its feet and far from a bummer. Evidently this is one of the first Hollywood films to explicitly challenge fascism, putting common-man notions of peace and fairness in the words of Hans, and establishing a touching search for a place to live simply and freely as the motivation of the beleaguered newlyweds. And this looks to have been released just before the Hays Code clamped down, so it may be your last chance to see a couple snuggling close in a bed, to hear the words “orgies” and “sex appeal” used freely, and to find prostitution dealt with explicitly (and again, whimsically). Margaret Sullavan is perfect in this sort of plucky, romantic role; Douglass Montgomery is a bit bloodless, but does fine. It is a mature, tender, brilliant film. [...]

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