Foreign Correspondent (1940)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Charles Bennett (screenplay) &
Joan Harrison (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

16 August 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Mystery | Romance | Thriller | War

Tagline:

The thrill spectacle of the year!

Plot:

On the eve of WW2, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London.

Plot Keywords:

Treaty | Disbelieving Authorities | Bodyguard | Photographer | Chiaroscuro

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Oscars.

Cast

Joel McCrea	...	Johnny Jones / Huntley Haverstock
Laraine Day	...	Carol Fisher
Herbert Marshall	...	Stephen Fisher
George Sanders	...	Scott Folliott
Albert Bassermann	...	Van Meer
Robert Benchley	...	Stebbins
Edmund Gwenn	...	Rowley
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Mr. Krug
Harry Davenport	...	Mr. Powers
Martin Kosleck	...	Tramp
Frances Carson	...	Mrs. Appleby (credited as Mrs. Sprague)
Ian Wolfe	...	Stiles
Charles Wagenheim	...	Assassin
Eddie Conrad	...	Latvian (as Edward Conrad)
Charles Halton	...	Bradley

Also Known As:

Personal History (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

120 min | Germany:98 min (cut version) | Spain:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Dutch | Latvian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #6409) | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Company:

Walter Wanger Productions

Trivia:

Walter Wanger bought the rights to Vincent Sheean's political memoir "Personal History" (New York: Doubleday, 1935) for $10,000 in 1935. After 16 writers and five years, the script became the basis for "Foreign Correspondent".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the plane crash climax, during the montage of images after the plane hits the water, the camera tilts too high up and the lights of the set can be seen.

Quotes:

Johnny Jones: I came 4,000 miles to get a story. I get shot at like a duck in a shooting gallery, I get pushed off buildings, I *get* the story, and then I've got to shut up!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 'Topaz': An Appreciation by Film Critic/Historian Leonard Maltin (2001) (V)

Never pauses for breath...

What a movie!

I literally could not believe how great this movie was once I'd seen it for the first time. After a short intro we are thrust directly into the action and from there on in, it's one thrilling set-piece after another.

We go from kidnapping to assassination, to car chase, to discovery of plot, to escape from a hotel, to a twist regarding the leader of the enemy, to a wonderful sequence with a hired bodyguard who is in fact an assassin, to a fake kidnapping set up by the heroes, to torture scene, to rescue, to plane crash at sea...

It's dizzying that this was all intended for one film and when the end credits rolled you really felt like you'd got your money's worth. If I'd have watched this movie when it came out in the forties, I would have praised Hitchcock all night for giving me ten superb movies in one for my dollar.

In short (although you can hardly call these ramblings short) check this movie out. If you're a fan of escapist, thrilling adventures populated by superb characters (see George Sanders as ffolliot, and Robert Benchley as Stebbins) you will be delighted. This is one of Hitch's lesser seen gems and deserves to be rediscovered without delay