Talk:49th Parallel

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I've redirected the redundant 49th Parallel (film) to this article, merged them, and made substantial changes to the text that was here. I removed the following:

• "no scene in the movie actually takes place on this border". The film ends with the crew reaching the border.
• That the film has a "laughable conception of Canada". Many films of this era rely on cultural stereotypes, and this is normal by the standards of its day. The diverse stereotypes are also being used to contrast with the Nazis.
• That they travel "mostly on foot" from Newfoundland to British Columbia! They travel by foot, car, plane and train.

Also one of the leads, Eric Portman, was not mentioned. Jihg 02:46, Jan 6, 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Olivier's accent

A lot of people have commented (here & elsewhere) on Olivier's accent as a French Canadian trapper claiming it is inept, over-wrought or other such descriptions. But not many of those people know what a French Candian trapper's accent should be like. There is no reason to believe that it would be like most other Canadian accents, or a French accent of someone from France, or even like a French Canadian accent as heard in a big city like Montreal. Olivier did have a real trapper as a dialogue coach. Maybe he went a bit over the top in moments of extremis, but until I hear otherwise I believe that it was quite accurate. In fact there are reports on the Powell and Pressburger Appreciation Society email list to the effect that it was very accurate [1]. SteveCrook 22:41, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

There are regional variations within Quebec and there were in formerly francophone parts of the former, wider Northwest Territories; a Rimouski accent is distinguishable from a Chicoutimi accent and a Baie Comeau accent and a North Bay accent and a Saskatchewan Métis accent and a Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan or a St Albert, Alberta, accent. None of these is anything like Olivier's attempt. And Olivier's least critical partisans would agree that accents were not his forte. The comment should remain. Masalai 03:49, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

Very good, thanks for that. That's the sort of information that we need. But can you explain how the Québécois heard by an admirer of the film in the reference I gave thought that this person's accent was very like Olivier's? SteveCrook 11:47, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

You mean this? "Thanks Don, I always felt he was unjustly maligned for that accent....Don Henson wrote: I was recently at a meeting where there was a speaker from Quebec. His accent was almost a perfect replica of Larry O's in 49P. I suppose what critics were expecting was a French accent. But Quebec is not France. Just as Americans don' have an English accent, then Quebecois don't have a French accent. It does sound bizarre to our ears, and it took me a while to get used to it. Every time I talked to this chap I couldn't help think about 49P. I too found LO's accent weird but now realize it was spot on. Don" Doesn't really sound like "Don" has much acquaintance with Canadian French accents. Just because it didn't sound to British or other ears (whatever Don's ears are) like Paris French doesn't mean that Olivier's attempt was authentic. It was pretty terrible. Masalai 12:34, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

Yes, that's the comment I referenced. I don't know Don's exposure to French Canadian accents, but he does know the film quite well and he thought that the accent of this person from Quebec was very similar to the accent used by Olivier. Now nobody is expecting Olivier's accent to be 100% spot on so that it'd fool a local. But is there any way that it can be described in a way that won't be thought of as too subjective or "Point of View" because then that is likely to just be deleted by another contributor. SteveCrook 16:54, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

Possibly "subjective version of...," or "inaccurate" or "unusual"? The fact is that it really is painfully inept and verges on racism, and any reversion back to the former description has to be pretty oblivious of reality. Incidentally, if you want to hear an authentic rustic French Canadian accent, that of the recently retired Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien will do nicely: M. Chrétien billed himself as the "boy from Shawinigan" and his accent in English is a more authentic stereotype. Masalai 11:15, 26 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] French poster

What a horrible poster - it gives totally the wrong idea about the film. Almost, but not quite, as bad as the American poster for Colonel Blimp that portrays his as a dirty old man stroking his moustache while he leers at Deborah Kerr's legs. This one shows Olivier, Howard and Massey all poised to leap, presumably on the wicked Nazis. But they were never in a scene together. And as for that other drawing of Olivier carrying a blonde damsel (wearing high heels of course) to safety (we presume). He was never in any scenes involving any women. The closest were the Inuit women outside the trading post. OK, that's enough of that gripe. I just had to say it. -- SteveCrook 17:02, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:Forty ninth parallel (1941).jpg

Image:Forty ninth parallel (1941).jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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BetacommandBot (talk) 19:42, 13 February 2008 (UTC)