Foreign Correspondent (1940)
Runtime: 2 hrs
Synopsis: Set after the start of World War II, FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT avoids almost all the trappings of a war movie and focuses on the type of murky intrigue that is Hitchcock's signature. Joel McCrea plays Johnny Jones, a reporter sent overseas when his newspaper demands some firsthand news. Jones is a... Set after the start of World War II, FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT avoids almost all the trappings of a war movie and focuses on the type of murky intrigue that is Hitchcock's signature. Joel McCrea plays Johnny Jones, a reporter sent overseas when his newspaper demands some firsthand news. Jones is a New Yorker out of his element in Europe, but when he stumbles upon a massive conspiracy headed by peace advocate Stephen Fisher (Herbert Marshall), his instincts drive him to pursue the story and confront the web of intrigue, but he'll need help and finds it in the lovely Carol (Laraine Day). The rain-soaked assassination sequence that kicks off the intrigue has a raw, haunting quality that plays on the spareness of newsreel footage. [More]
Genre: Action/Adventure
Starring: Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall, George Sanders, Albert Basserman
Screenwriter: Charles Bennett, Joan Harrison, James Hilton, Robert Benchley
Producer: Walter Wanger
Composer: Alfred Newman
DVD Info
Release:
Sep 7, 2004
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Full Frame - 1.37
Audio:
- Mono 1.0 - English
Additional Release Material:
- Documentaries - 1. PERSONAL HISTORY: FOREIGN HITCHCOCK
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Due to the rapidly changing political context, more writers worked on the script than on any Hitchcock thriller, but end result is satisfying (if not credible), and even Nazi Propaganda Minister Goebbels acknowledged the movie was a masterpiece.
Into it Director Alfred Hitchcock, whose unmistakable stamp the picture bears, has packed about as much romantic action, melodramatic hullabaloo, comical diversion and illusion of momentous consequence as the liveliest imagination could conceive.
Funny on purpose and that, obviously, makes all the difference in the world.
The film includes some of Hitchcock's finest set-pieces, including a secret hideout inside a windmill, a murder in broad daylight and a plane crash, even if the romantic subplot tends to slow things down a bit.
strength of this film lies with Hitchcock's incredible narrative ability and cinematic vision
Foreign Correspondent works best for what it was designed for: Propaganda.
Apesar de politicamente relevante para sua época (mérito de Hitchcock), a urgência da trama se perdeu com o passar das décadas, e seus erros tornaram-se mais óbvios, como o forçado romance entre o par principal.


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