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 U.K. Ministry of Information. Made during World War II as recruitment propaganda for the Fleet Air Arm, volunteer numbers rose after its release.
The films features actor 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. British film stars Anna Neagle and Laurence Olivier make cameo appearances, as does director Michael Powell and fellow British film director Anthony Asquith.
This film was one of a highly-regarded series of war-time film collaborations between Powell and Pressburger - together often known as The Archers, the name of their production company - 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 the 1941 Powell and Pressburger film 49th Parallel and on the BFI 2021 blu-ray edition of the 1942 Powell and Pressburger film One of Our Aircraft is Missing.[2]
Cast
[edit]- Ralph Richardson as Lt. Cmdr Ralph Richardson
- Pat McGrath as Fred Davey
- Anna Neagle as Leaving Denham Studio
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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