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. The film is available as a supplement to the Criterion DVD of 49th Parallel. External links The Volunteer reviews and articles at the Powell & Pressburger Pages 1944 films 1940s English-language films British aviation films British World War II propaganda shorts Films shot at Denham Film Studios British black-and-white films Films by Powell and Pressburger 1944 war films British war films