Foreign Correspondent
The Thrill Spectacle of the Year!
The wind blows one way but the windmill turns another. To a group of fifth Columnists, it's a signal. It also signals to an intrepid American reporter that he's stumbled across the biggest story in prewar Europe.
Foreign Correspondent is prime Alfred Hitchcock, a showcase of the director's best cinematic tricks and executed on a grand scale. An 80-foot windmill, a 10-acre facsimile of Amsterdam Square used to stage a stunning rain-soaked assassination scene and an airship with a 120-foot wingspan for a still-amazing sea-crash sequence are some of the massive sets in this gripping spy yarn. Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall, George Sanders and Robert Benchley headline this nominee for six 1940 Academy Awards, including Best Pictures.
Member Reviews
Didn't Seem Like Hitchcock - ShawnConnery
I gotta say, it was good. Good, but not great. As well, it didn't feel like a Hitchcock film, but I guess that's because he was given the story to base his film on. The acting is pretty good, as well as the story, though it just seems kind of slow throughout, and it takes a while to really get started. I didn't really feel as much suspense or thrill in this movie, though some scenes were definitely great, such as the windmill, the plane crash, and some other scenes. All in all, I think it was pretty good, warranting 3 and a half stars from me.Prelude to Themes of some Hitchcock’s Classics - Gregg
Story of a crime reporter (Joel McCrea) suddenly thrust into the international arena as a foreign correspondent for a major New York paper assigned to Europe in the weeks leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War. While trying to cover the efforts being to avert war our protagonist manages both to fall in love and also to uncover a plot to subvert the peace process.
The film includes some really great set pieces, featuring wonderful sets, special weather effects and large crowds all used to great effect. For those familiar with Hitchcock’s work there are also some obvious early versions of motif’s that would be used again in later films ("Notorious", "North by Northwest", "Vertigo" and "The Man Who Knew to Much" to name a few).
The two leads Joel McCrea and Larraine Day are fine in their roles and largely effective but don’t have the transcendence of the later actors Hitchcock’s films would feature so effectively. The supporting cast though is extremely effective and includes; Herbert Marshall, George Sanders, Albert Basserman (nominated for an Oscar), Robert Benchley, Edmund Gwenn (the future Kris Kringle from "Miracle on 34th Street" plays a hired killer) and Eduardo Cianelli.
The cinematography is as to be expected quite good and includes some wonderful images. The score is effective though perhaps not up to the later Hitchcock scores from Bernard Herrmann.
The comedic elements of the film which was apparently largely added by Robert Benchley are good but seem somewhat out of place. The story has strong elements as well but I think the script needed to be tighter, perhaps another rewrite could have made this film truly great, although it already had a great many writer – perhaps too many
Foreign Correspondent would be nominated for 6 Oscars including Best Picture, although it would win none. Another Hitchcock film the far superior "Rebecca" would win Best Picture that year.good, but not memorable - Spadinasaur
Johnny Jones, a crime reporter for the NY Globe, is sent to Europe, with a mission -- to report on the coming war -- and a new name (Jones' publisher prefers "Huntley Haverstock").
Within a day of his arrival, Jones stumbles across international intrigue. He witnesses the apparent assasination of a Dutch politician and chases after the culprits. Just as quickly, he falls in love with Carol Fisher (the beautiful Laraine Day), the daughter of a leader of a peace organization. Sure enough, the leader is mixed up with the assassination plot and is not who he seems. Jones, Carol and another reporter must survive killers and an airplane crash landing (over the Atlantic Ocean!) in order to get the story out.
Overall, an efficient thriller. (Much like Hitchcock's later Notorious, one of the interesting points is seeing how he treats the case of a "civilized" European who is willing, not without anguish, to secretly work against his country.) Not a particularly memorable film, however, mainly because it was obviously made in order to encourage American support for the British war effort. There is thus not a lot of attention paid to character, an essential ingredient in a top-rate Hitchcock film.
Member Reviews
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Didn't Seem Like Hitchcock - ShawnConnery
I gotta say, it was good. Good, but not great. As well, it didn't feel like a Hitchcock film, but I guess that's because he was given the story to base his film on. The acting is pretty good, as well as the story, though it just seems kind of slow throughout, ...Prelude to Themes of some Hitchcock’s Classics - Gregg
Story of a crime reporter (Joel McCrea) suddenly thrust into the international arena as a foreign correspondent for a major New York paper assigned to Europe in the weeks leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War. While trying to cover the efforts ...good, but not memorable - Spadinasaur
Johnny Jones, a crime reporter for the NY Globe, is sent to Europe, with a mission -- to report on the coming war -- and a new name (Jones' publisher prefers "Huntley Haverstock").
Within a day of his arrival, Jones stumbles across international intrigue. ...