Foreign Correspondent

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Foreign Correspondent

1940

1h 59m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Crime reporter John Jones (Joel McCrea) is turning in nothing but dull copy. His editor, unhappy with his work, hopes a change of scenery will be the thing Jones needs to get back on track. Re-assigned to Europe as a foreign correspondent, Jones is very much out of his element. When he stumbles on a spy ring, he feels ill-equipped to unravel the truth alone, and he seeks help from a beautiful politician's daughter (Laraine Day) and an urbane English journalist (George Sanders).

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Critics Consensus

Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent features a winning combination of international intrigue, comic relief, and some of the legendary director's most memorable set pieces.

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Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

Nov 3, 2020

4/5

Heavy-handed but still poignant patriotism in this Hitchcock thriller.

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Keith Phipps

The Dissolve

Feb 20, 2014

4.5/5

It's such an entertaining film that it's almost possible to forget its didactic agenda, which is certainly part of the point.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Mar 27, 2009

This film contains one of Hitchcock's most famous set pieces -- an assassination in the rain -- but otherwise remains a second-rate effort, as immensely enjoyable as it is.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 11, 2025

3.5/4

While Albert Bassermann earned an Oscar nomination for a somewhat hammy turn, the best performance comes from George Sanders, atypically cast as a fearless and resourceful hero rather than the cads and scoundrels he generally played.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jan 6, 2024

This is Hitch doing a fleet, action-packed thriller. His love of set-pieces and landmarks makes the most of London and Holland, where the windmills become a natural location for dangerous business.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Mar 5, 2022

4/4

The film can be seen as more than simply escapism but an entrenched anti-Nazi statement by a seemingly apolitical filmmaker.

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Nathan Y

@NathanYatesDouglass Oct 1, 2026

Hitchcock keeps this moving, light and breezy, until it gets dead serious. Very moving and brilliantly acted all around.

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Bill T.

@btreakle Feb 13, 2026

“Foreign Correspondent”This film starring Joel Mcrea and Lorraine Day Is a film about espionage and secret agents during the beginning of World War 2. Joel McRae plays that reporter and goes overseas to Europe to root out the traders and conspiracy surrounding the events of World War 2 and all that that entails. Great cinematography good quality black and white film with decent audio no subtitles. This is another Alfred Hitchcock movie and one that I highly recommend.

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Horror fan 4

@Horrorfan4life Jan 10, 2026

An excellent spy thriller. Laraine Day and joel mccrea were great together. Definitely worth a Oscar nomination for best picture. Tim Treakle

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Alain E

@AlainE Nov 11, 2025

Early Hitchcock, not that great compared to his better later work. I guess people are willing to grade the movie on a sliding scale, but if we give 5 stars here then Frenzy or Rear window will get eight? The scene with the plane crash in sea is quite advanced for the time that it was shot.

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Paula M

@RT71863083 Jul 25, 2025

I love this movie. I have watched it many times and the actors are great, and there are a number of subtle visuals. There is a scene when the main character, Johnny Jones, is sneaking down the staircase in an old windmill…you can see a light and shadow outline of Hitler’s face. Of course there is the great assassination scene in the rain in Amsterdam which was amazing. But, to me, it is the story of a person of conviction making a difference by never compromising his belief in uncovering untruths while facing personal, social and political denials. An old trope but one we need to remember.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jun 2, 2025

A spy movie success story in 1 hour and 49 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Joel McCrea

John Jones

Laraine Day

Carol Fisher

Herbert Marshall

Stephen Fisher

George Sanders

Scott Ffolliott

Albert Basserman

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Synopsis

Crime reporter John Jones (Joel McCrea) is turning in nothing but dull copy. His editor, unhappy with his work, hopes a change of scenery will be the thing Jones needs to get back on track. Re-assigned to Europe as a foreign correspondent, Jones is very much out of his element. When he stumbles on a spy ring, he feels ill-equipped to unravel the truth alone, and he seeks help from a beautiful politician's daughter (Laraine Day) and an urbane English journalist (George Sanders).

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter: Charles Bennett, Joan Harrison, Ben Hecht, Robert Benchley, James Hilton
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: Walter Wanger Productions, Inc.
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 16, 1940, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 19, 2016
Runtime: 1h 59m

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