Foreign Correspondent (1940)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

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

Release Date:

16 August 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Romance | Thriller | War

Tagline:

MYSTERY IN WHISPERS that cracks like THUNDER! (original print ad - many caps)

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Reporter | Escape | Foreign Correspondent | Newspaper | Conspiracy

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Oscars.

Cast

Joel McCrea	...	John Jones
Laraine Day	...	Carol Fisher
Herbert Marshall	...	Stephen Fisher
George Sanders	...	Ffolliott (ffollliott)
Albert Bassermann	...	Van Meer (as Albert Basserman)
Robert Benchley	...	Stebbins
Edmund Gwenn	...	Rowley
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Mr. Krug (as Eduardo Cianelli)
Harry Davenport	...	Mr. Powers
Martin Kosleck	...	Tramp
Frances Carson	...	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 | Spain:115 min | West Germany:98 min (cut version) (uncut version: 120')

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Dutch | Latvian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (cut version) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #6409) | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Company:

Walter Wanger Productions

Trivia:

Shooting was completed on May 29, 1940, after which Hitchcock made a visit to England. He returned on July 3 with the word that the Germans were expected to start bombing at any time. Ben Hecht was hurriedly called in and wrote the tacked-on final scene set at a London radio station. It was filmed on July 5, and the real-life bombing started on July 10, 1940.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Johnny and Carol step down from the taxi in front of her house, he takes the suitcase with her left hand and changes it to the right one, to direct her with the left hand. After the taxi leaves, he is holding the suitcase in his left hand.

Quotes:

Johnny Jones: [Powers is giving Jones instructions on whom he should interview in Europe] Anyone else?
Mr. Powers: No.
Johnny Jones: Well how about Hitler? Don't you think it would be a good idea to pump him? He must have something on his mind.

Movie Connections:

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

Hitch was firing on all cylinders

This film is a true gem, that had all of the touches we have come to associate with films of the master. While "Rebecca" (from the same year) may have garnered more recognition, it was an extremely brooding film that lacked the trademark Hitchcock sense of humor.

"Foreign Correspondent" however, had it all. The suspense is unrelenting, building to a spectacular climax. It had many of those dazzling Hitchcock sequences: the assassination in Amsterdam, the scene in the cathedral tower and, especially, the sequence in the windmill, which is pure magic!

Of course, it also had that classic sense of humor and a slew of terrific character roles, including Edmund Gwenn as the most cherubic and cheerful hit man you've ever seen! The final scene was strictly American propaganda, but that can probably be forgiven considering the subject matter of the film and the time of it's release.

All in all, a wonderful example of the master at his best, that deserves to be dusted off and enjoyed alongside some of it's more celebrated cousins!