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Foreign Correspondent

  • 1940
  • Passed
  • 2h
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
22K
YOUR RATING
Laraine Day and Joel McCrea in Foreign Correspondent (1940)
Watch Trailer
Play trailer2:22
1 Video
66 Photos
ActionRomanceThriller

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

  • Director
    • Alfred Hitchcock
  • Writers
    • Charles Bennett
    • Joan Harrison
    • James Hilton
  • Stars
    • Joel McCrea
    • Laraine Day
    • Herbert Marshall
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    22K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Alfred Hitchcock
    • Writers
      • Charles Bennett
      • Joan Harrison
      • James Hilton
    • Stars
      • Joel McCrea
      • Laraine Day
      • Herbert Marshall
    • 176User reviews
    • 73Critic reviews
    • 89Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 6 Oscars
      • 1 win & 6 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:22
    Watch Trailer

    Photos66

    George Sanders, Robert Benchley, and Joel McCrea in Foreign Correspondent (1940)
    Foreign Correspondent (1940)
    Albert Bassermann, Martin Kosleck, and Joel McCrea in Foreign Correspondent (1940)
    Laraine Day and Joel McCrea in Foreign Correspondent (1940)
    Martin Kosleck and Joel McCrea in Foreign Correspondent (1940)
    Foreign Correspondent (1940)
    Laraine Day and Joel McCrea in Foreign Correspondent (1940)
    Laraine Day and Joel McCrea in Foreign Correspondent (1940)
    Martin Kosleck and Joel McCrea in Foreign Correspondent (1940)
    Foreign Correspondent (1940)
    Foreign Correspondent (1940)
    Foreign Correspondent (1940)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Joel McCrea
    Joel McCrea
    • John Jones
    Laraine Day
    Laraine Day
    • Carol Fisher
    Herbert Marshall
    Herbert Marshall
    • Stephen Fisher
    George Sanders
    George Sanders
    • Scott ffolliott
    Albert Bassermann
    Albert Bassermann
    • Van Meer
    • (as Albert Basserman)
    Robert Benchley
    Robert Benchley
    • Stebbins
    Edmund Gwenn
    Edmund Gwenn
    • Rowley
    Eduardo Ciannelli
    Eduardo Ciannelli
    • Mr. Krug
    • (as Eduardo Cianelli)
    Harry Davenport
    Harry Davenport
    • Mr. Powers
    Martin Kosleck
    Martin Kosleck
    • Tramp
    Frances Carson
    Frances Carson
    • Mrs. Sprague
    Ian Wolfe
    Ian Wolfe
    • Stiles
    Charles Wagenheim
    Charles Wagenheim
    • Assassin
    Eddie Conrad
    Eddie Conrad
    • Latvian
    • (as Edward Conrad)
    Charles Halton
    Charles Halton
    • Bradley
    Barbara Pepper
    Barbara Pepper
    • Dorine
    Emory Parnell
    Emory Parnell
    • Captain John Mark
    Roy Gordon
    Roy Gordon
    • Mr. Brood
    • Director
      • Alfred Hitchcock
    • Writers
      • Charles Bennett
      • Joan Harrison
      • James Hilton
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Shooting was completed on May 29, 1940, after which director Alfred 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
      As the purser on the ship tells John and Carol that he has no more cabins, the right side of his fake moustache can be seen sliding down. He surreptitiously pushes back it in place, but as they turn back for a second try and he continues speaking, the moustache slides down again.
    • Quotes

      John Jones: I'm in love with you, and I want to marry you.

      Carol Fisher: I'm in love with you, and I want to marry you.

      John Jones: Hmm... that cuts down our love scene quite a bit, doesn't it?

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits prologue: To those intrepid ones who went across the seas to be the eyes and ears of America... To those forthright ones who early saw the clouds of war while many of us at home were seeing rainbows... To those clear-headed ones who now stand like recording angels among the dead and dying... To the Foreign Correspondents - this motion picture is dedicated.
    • Alternate versions
      Due to its political theme, no German distributor was willing to show the film until 1960. Then, after the huge success of Psycho (1960), Constantin Film released the film with a running time of ca. 98 Minutes; approximately 22 minutes were cut, mainly Nazi-sequences. ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen) showed the film in 1995 for the first time ever in Germany in a newly-dubbed uncut version.
    • Connections
      Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Le contrôle de l'univers (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Rule Britannia
      (1740) (uncredited)

      Music by Thomas Augustine Arne

      Background music played as a ship pulls out of the harbor

    User reviews176

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Underrated in the Hitchcock Canon
    Though a bit preachy (WWII was about to start) and overlong (2-hours), the movie's still a gripping Hitchcock, only his second in the US. That windmill sequence has stayed with me for sixty years. How clever the entire set-up is, not quite like anything else I've seen. Notice especially the excellence of the exterior set—the sky, the windmills— these visuals are exceptional for a sound stage creation.

    Then too, I love the way Hitch builds suspense in the tower scene with all the untimely intrusions. Still it's difficult to see Santa from Miracle on 34th Street (1947) as a heartless killer. Then too, there's that pure Hichcockian assassination scene with the umbrellas and the unflinching camera as the bullet strikes Van Meer's face. And finally, the cockpit crash scene that's still jarring. Thanks IMDb for explaining how it was done. For its time, the unswerving camera as the plane strikes water was both daring and imaginative.

    To me, these are exceptional dramatic highlights. On the whole the narrative is engaging as we follow efforts to locate the real Van Meer, while the romantic angle is woven cleverly into the plot without being obtrusive. And for a political movie of the time, note that the term Nazi is not used even once. The narrative manages to keep the sinister nationality of the plotters anonymous, but we know who is meant.

    Note too how animated the usually reserved George Sanders is in his scenes. It's almost a problem since he overshadows the quieter hero, Joel McCrea. True McCrea is a little palid in his role as a reporter, still he comes across as appropriately likable and assertive when necessary, as in the hidden phone sequence.

    Nonetheless, the movie's a worthy entry in the Master of Suspense's film catalog and if it's not as well known as many of his other 40's movies, it should be.
    helpful•12
    1
    • dougdoepke
    • Jun 3, 2013

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    FAQ2

    • Is this film in the public domain?
    • Some copies look terrible. Which is the best version to buy?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 16, 1940 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Dutch
      • German
      • Latvian
    • Also known as
      • Imposter
    • Filming locations
      • Amsterdam, Netherlands(Huntley Haverstock's hotel)
    • Production company
      • Walter Wanger Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $1,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $623
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      2 hours
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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