The Volunteer (1944 film)
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| The Volunteer | |
|---|---|
 Trade advertisement | |
| Directed by | Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger |
| Written by | Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger |
| Produced by | Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger |
| Starring | Ralph Richardson Pat McGrath |
| Cinematography | Frederick Ford |
| Edited by | John Seabourne Michael C. Chorlton |
| Music by | Allan Gray |
Release date |
|
Running time | 24 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Volunteer (1944) is a short black-and-white British film by the filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger for the British Ministry of Information during the Second World War, as recruitment propaganda for the Fleet Air Arm. The number of volunteers for the Fleet Air Arm rose after its release.
The film features Ralph Richardson starring in a West End production of Othello. Pat McGrath plays his dresser, who joins the Fleet Air Arm and becomes a war hero as famous as Richardson himself. Anna Neagle and Laurence Olivier make cameo appearances, as does the film's director, Michael Powell, and another British film director, Anthony Asquith.
This film was one of a highly regarded series of wartime collaborations between Powell and Pressburger, which also included The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) and A Matter of Life and Death (1946).[1]
The film is available as a supplement to The Criterion Collection DVD of Powell and Pressburger's film 49th Parallel (1941) and on the BFI's blu-ray edition (2001) of Powell and Pressburger's film One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942).[2]
Cast
[edit]- Ralph Richardson as Lt Cmdr Ralph Richardson
- Pat McGrath as Fred Davey
- Anna Neagle as herself leaving Denham Studios
References
[edit]- ^ Christie, Ian. Arrows of Desire: The Films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (1985)
- ^ Powell and Pressburger (directors / screen-writers) (1944). One of our aircraft is missing (motion picture, blu-ray). BFI. BFIB1422 – via 5-035673-014226.
External links
[edit]- The Volunteer reviews and articles at the Powell & Pressburger Pages
- The Volunteer at IMDb
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