Foreign Correspondent (1940)

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

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Charles Bennett (screenplay), Joan Harrison (screenplay)

Stars:

Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joel McCrea	...	John Jones
Laraine Day	...	Carol Fisher
Herbert Marshall	...	Stephen Fisher
George Sanders	...	Scott ffolliott
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

Storyline

Johnny Jones is an action reporter on a New York newspaper. The editor appoints him European correspondent because he is fed up with the dry, reports he currently gets. Jones' first assignment is to get the inside story on a secret treaty agreed between two European countries by the famous diplomat, Mr. Van Meer. However things don't go to plan and Jones enlists the help of a young woman to help track down a group of spies.

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Plot Keywords:

policeman | fuzz | pig | bacon | reporter | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Romance | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Dutch German Latvian

Release Date:

16 August 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Personal History

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Box Office

Gross USA:

$3,484,588

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walter Wanger Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 98 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The music being used for by the Germans in the torture of Van Meer is Chick Webb's "Harlem Congo".

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Goofs

At about 1:40:40 begins the shot of the Clipper flying boat, and as it gets closer you can clearly see wires above and below the mock-up.

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Quotes

Captain John Mark: Mr. Haverstock, I want a talk with you.
John Jones: Yes sir?
Captain John Mark: I just found out you're a newspaperman.
John Jones: I guess that's right.
Captain John Mark: Oh, it is, eh? Why didn't you tell me that when I questioned you? You lied to me, sir!
John Jones: My dear captain, when you've been shot down in a British plane by a German destroyer, 300 miles off the coast of England, latitude 45, and have been hanging on to a half-submerged wing for hours, waiting to drown, with half a dozen other stricken human beings, you're liable to forget you're a ...

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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.

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Alternate Versions

In the German version the final radio address was missing. The movie ends with the newspaper headlines.

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Connections

Spoofed in High Anxiety (1977)

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Soundtracks

Rule Britannia
(1740) (uncredited)
Music by Thomas Augustine Arne
Background music played as a ship pulls out of the harbor

User Reviews

Everything you could possibly ask for

Action, romance, comedy, political intrigue...Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent(1940) has got it all. The film deals with very serious subject matter, the run up to the disastrous World War II in Europe, but Hitchcock's comedic treatment of the life and death circumstances make the film infinitely more watchable. Joel McRae is an outstanding leading man and the rest of the great international ensemble cast doesn't miss a dramatic or comedic note at any point in the film. The characteristic hitchcockian suspense is present throughout but it's the comedic moments that really make the film shine. In only his second Hollywood film, Hitchcock was in top form in showing the unique style of storytelling that would change the medium and influence film makers for 70 years and counting.