Foreign Correspondent (1940)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

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

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 | Editor | Conspiracy | Party | Foreign Correspondent

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 1 win

Cast

Joel McCrea	...	John Jones
Laraine Day	...	Carol Fisher
Herbert Marshall	...	Stephen Fisher
George Sanders	...	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
Barbara Pepper	...	Dorine
Emory Parnell	...	'Mohican' Captain
Roy Gordon	...	Mr. Brood
Gertrude Hoffman	...	Mrs. Benson
Marten Lamont	...	Captain (as Martin Lamont)
Barry Bernard	...	Steward
Holmes Herbert	...	Asst. Commissioner
Leonard Mudie	...	McKenna
John Burton	...	English Announcer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Samuel Adams	...	Van Meer's Impersonator (uncredited)
Meeka Aldrich	...	Donald's Wife (uncredited)
Jack Alfred	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Bunny Beatty	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Frank Benson	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Billy Bester	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Henry Blair	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Becky Bohanon	...	Sophie (uncredited)
Louis Borel	...	Capt. Lawson (uncredited)
Barbara Boudwin	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Betty Bradley	...	Cousin Mary (uncredited)
Louise Brien	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Ronald Brown	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Horace B. Carpenter	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Willy Castello	...	Krug's Henchman at Windmill (uncredited)
George Cathrey	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Wheaton Chambers	...	Committeeman (uncredited)
Ken Christy	...	Fake Dutch Detective (uncredited)
E.E. Clive	...	Mr. Naismith (uncredited)
Gino Corrado	...	Luncheon Waiter (uncredited)
John Dawson	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Harry Depp	...	Uncle Buren (uncredited)
Elspeth Dudgeon	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Carl Ekberg	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Helena Phillips Evans	...	Mrs. Stiles (uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Parking Valet (uncredited)
James Finlayson	...	Dutch Peasant (uncredited)
Robert Fischer	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
George B. French	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Bill Gavier	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Jack George	...	Hotel Waiter (uncredited)
John George	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Douglas Gordon	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Alexander Granach	...	Hotel Valet (uncredited)
Richard Hammond	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Luncheon Guest (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Man with Newspaper on Street (uncredited)
Otto Hoffman	...	New York Globe Teletype Operator (uncredited)
Billy Horn	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Paul Irving	...	Dr. Williamson (uncredited)
Colin Kenny	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Crauford Kent	...	Toastmaster (uncredited)
Joan Leslie	...	Jones' Sister (uncredited)
Gwendolyn Logan	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Eily Malyon	...	College Arms Hotel Cashier (uncredited)
Eric Mayne	...	Luncheon Guest (uncredited)
Jackie McGee	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
John Meredith	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Hermina Milar	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Thomas Mizer	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Edmund Mortimer	...	Luncheon Guest (uncredited)
John T. Murray	...	Clark - Jones Family Member (uncredited)
Henry Norton	...	Luncheon Guest (uncredited)
Jane Novak	...	Miss Benson (uncredited)
Joe O'Brien	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
George Offerman Jr.	...	New York Globe Copy Boy (uncredited)
Lawrence Osman	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Hilda Plowright	...	Miss Pimm (uncredited)
Thomas Pogue	...	Airplane Passenger (uncredited)
Jack Rice	...	Donald (uncredited)
Ronald R. Rondell	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Loulette Sablon	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Harry Semels	...	Sidewalk Crowd Extra (uncredited)
Raymond Severn	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Frederick Sewell	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Ernie Stanton	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
William Stelling	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Donald Stuart	...	Eric - Skittish Girl's Escort in Tower of Westminister Cathedral (uncredited)
Paul Sutton	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Ferris Taylor	...	Jones' Father (uncredited)
Dorothy Vaughan	...	Jones' Mother (uncredited)
Jack Voglin	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Hans von Morhart	...	Dutch Policeman (uncredited)
Larry Wheat	...	Luncheon Guest (uncredited)
Bert White	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
William Yetter Sr.	...	Dutch Motor Policeman (uncredited)
Mary Young	...	Auntie Maude (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Charles Bennett		(screenplay) &
Joan Harrison		(screenplay)
James Hilton		(dialogue) &
Robert Benchley		(dialogue)
Ben Hecht		uncredited

Original Music by
Alfred Newman		(music by)

Cinematography by
Rudolph Maté		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Alexander Golitzen		(art direction)

Makeup Department
Carmen Dirigo	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Norman Pringle	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
James Dent	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edmond F. Bernoudy	....	assistant director (as E.F. Bernoudy)
Marty Moss	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Julia Heron	....	interior decoration
Richard Irvine	....	associate art direction
Oscar Brodin	....	constructor (uncredited)

Sound Department
Frank Maher	....	sound
James T. Moulton	....	sound effects (uncredited)
Walter Reynolds	....	sound film cutter (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Louis R. Loeffler	....	special effects cutter (uncredited)
Paul Wtuliska	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Lee Zavitz	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Paul Eagler	....	special photographic effects
Ray Binger	....	process photography (uncredited)

Stunts
Ted Mapes	....	stunt double: Joel McCrea (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Osmond Borradaile	....	photographer: Europe (uncredited)
Frank Bucholtz	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Ellis W. Carter	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Tom Dowling	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Paul Eagler	....	photographer: second unit (uncredited)
Norman Freed	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Burnett Guffey	....	camera operator (uncredited)
James V. King	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Roy F. Overbaugh	....	additional photographer (uncredited)
William Walling	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Otho Lovering	....	supervising editor

Other crew
William Cameron Menzies	....	special production effects
Walter Wanger	....	presents
Bob Burkhardt	....	unit publicity (uncredited)
Paul Mantz	....	pilot (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Walter Wanger Productions (presents) (as Walter Wanger)

Distributors

• United Artists (1940) (USA) (theatrical) (released through)
• Kleber Film (1948) (France) (theatrical)
• Masterpiece Productions (1948) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Masterpiece Productions (1950) (USA) (TV)
• Die Lupe (1961) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Suomi-Filmi (1952) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Beam Entertainment (1996) (Japan) (video) (laser disc)
• Castle Hill Productions (????) (USA) (TV) (presents)
• Continental Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Cosmic Publishing (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Editora D+T (Brazil) (DVD)
• First Trading (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Future Film (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Kinokuniya (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1983) (Finland) (TV)
• PSG (2005) (Japan) (DVD)
• Sonoro Filme (Portugal)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD) (5-disc The Hitchcock Collection: The Early Years)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (USA) (VHS) (re-release)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1962) (1970) (1976) (1993) (2009) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Western Electric  sound recording
• I. Magnin & Co.  costumes

Also Known As:

"Der Auslandskorrespondent" - Austria (TV title), West Germany (imdb display title)
"Mord" - Austria (cut version), West Germany (cut version)
"Agonia" - Greece (reissue title)
"Boszorkánykonyha" - Hungary
"Cet homme est un espion" - France (reissue title)
"Correspondant étranger" - Belgium (French title) (TV title)
"Correspondant 17" - France
"Correspondant pour l'étranger" - Belgium (French title)
"Correspondent voor het buitenland" - Belgium (Flemish title)
"Correspondente Estrangeiro" - Brazil
"Correspondente de Guerra" - Portugal
"Corresponsal a l'estranger" - Spain (Catalan title)
"Corresponsal extranjero" - Argentina
"Corrispondente 17" - Italy
"Enviado especial" - Spain
"Honba za sensací" - Czechoslovakia
"Il prigioniero di Amsterdam" - Italy
"O xenos antapokritis" - Greece (reissue title)
"Onze correspondent meldt..." - Netherlands (informal literal title)
"Prin apo tin thyella" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Strani dopisnik" - Yugoslavia (Serbian title) (literal title)
"Udenrigskorrespondenten" - Denmark
"Ulkomaankirjeenvaihtaja" - Finland
"Utanrikskorrespondenten" - Norway (TV title)
"Utrikes korrespondenten" - Finland (Swedish title) (imdb display title)
"Utrikeskorrespondenten" - Sweden
"Zagraniczny korespondent" - Poland

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 (nf) (cut version) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Australia:PG | Portugal:M/12 | UK:PG (DVD rating) | USA:TV-PG | 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:

In a 1972 interview with Dick Cavett, Alfred Hitchcock revealed that the plane crash scene was filmed by using footage shot from a stunt plane diving on the ocean, rear projected on rice paper in front of a cockpit set. Also behind the rice paper were two chutes aimed at the cockpit's windshield connected to large tanks of water. With the press of a button at the right moment, water came crashing through the rice paper, into the plane simulating the plane crashing into the sea from the cockpit view.

Goofs:

Continuity: Despite the explicit dialogue and written appearances of the name that make it clear that the character Scott ffolliott has no capital F, the name still appears as Ffolliott in the end credit cast list.

Quotes:

Stephen Fisher:It's really very exciting being present at the christening of an American newspaper correspondent. Shouldn't we break a bottle of champagne or something?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Destroy All Humans! (2005) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Roses from the South, Opus 388

Entertaining, Exciting, and Masterfully Constructed

While not as well-known today as some of his later films, Alfred Hitchcock's spy thriller "Foreign Correspondent" is entertaining, exciting, and masterfully constructed. Though lacking the star power of some of the great director's more famous movies, the cast is very good, the settings are wonderfully conceived, and the story and writing keep the viewer's attention at all times. It has everything we hope for from Hitchcock: action, suspense, and a good dose of humor.

The plot is a complicated one, beginning when American reporter Johnny Jones (Joel McCrea) is sent to Europe just before the outbreak of World War II. Expected to send back news about the possibility of war, Jones stumbles across an espionage ring that is using kidnapping and murder in an attempt to get important government secrets for use in the coming war. The action goes from England to Holland and back to England, with Jones constantly escaping from danger as he tries to get the details of the spy plot for his newspaper. It does take some effort to follow everything that is happening, but there are many action sequences and a lot of good writing - with many fine touches of humor - that make it easy to pay attention.

In the lead role, McCrea performs with the easy-going understatement that typifies the heroes of Hitchcock's earlier films. Laraine Day is pleasant if unspectacular as McCrea's romantic interest, whose father (played nicely by Herbert Marshall) is also one of the key figures on the international scene. The supporting cast also has some fine actors. George Sanders for once gets to play a good guy, Robert Benchley is very funny as McCrea's fellow foreign correspondent, and Albert Basserman is touching as an old diplomat who has seen too much of the world's troubles.

But it is the action sequences and the settings that really make the film. Hitchcock's expert hand can be seen in almost every setting, and he displays a wealth of creative ideas here equal to any of his films. Particularly good are the memorable windmill scenes and the exciting climactic sequence in mid-ocean. This final sequence is not only thrilling, it also perfectly completes all of the film's action and themes.

"Foreign Correspondent" contains plenty of excitement, humor, and suspense, along with some of Hitchcock's best set pieces. It is highly recommended.