
Foreign Correspondent
1940, Mystery & thriller, 1h 59m
43 Reviews 5,000+ RatingsWhat to know
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. Read critic reviews
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Where to watch
Foreign Correspondent Photos
Movie Info
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).
Cast & Crew
Joel McCrea
John Jones
John Jones
Laraine Day
Carol Fisher
Carol Fisher
Herbert Marshall
Stephen Fisher
Stephen Fisher
George Sanders
Scott ffolliott
Scott ffolliott
Albert Basserman
Van Meer
Van Meer
Robert Benchley
Stebbins
Stebbins
Critic Reviews for Foreign Correspondent
Audience Reviews for Foreign Correspondent
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Mar 02, 2021Joel McCrea leads this 1940 effort as a Yank reporter sent to get a feel for the precipitous European situation just prior to abrupt Nazi incursions - our eyes overseas as it were. It's a thin disguise for this real-time call for real American wartime involvement as Hitchcock uses his previous residency over there to lend an authentic European taste to the very-close-to-propaganda proceedings. The English players outright steal this from McCrea; Herbert Marshall, George Sanders, Edmund Gwenn, leaving McCrea to look like a bumbling newbie for most of this, only handsome, which might be why this film is often overlooked. And Hitch comes loaded for big bear, plenty of action sequences even for the most jaded modern viewer. Highly recommended, if only for the plane crash sequence at the end, but there's more than that here.Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
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Nov 27, 2018A spy thriller from Hitchcock which is fascinating in part because of its timing, with the world right on the cusp of war â" and in fact, it appeared in theaters in America just as the Battle of Britain began. Itâ(TM)s a propaganda film, and much as itâ(TM)s difficult to see those advocating peace or expressing optimism as being naïve, clearly it was on the right side of history. Itâ(TM)s a little awkward in some of its mechanics, melodramatic in its love story, and dubious on a central plot point, that thereâ(TM)s a secret clause in a treaty with vital national security information, not written down and only memorized by a single man on each side. You have to look past some of that to enjoy the film. There are several fantastic scenes, which (without spoiling them) include those on the steps leading to the conference and later inside a windmill in the Netherlands, at the top of Westminster Cathedral Tower, and in the airplane flying back to America towards the end. The film also has a strong cast, including Joel McCrea, Herbert Marshall, George Sanders, and Laraine Day.Antonius B Super Reviewer
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Sep 06, 2016Classic Hitchcock. Awesome film.Stephen S Super Reviewer
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Mar 28, 2016Amusing enough, with a great cinematography and memorable set pieces, this is a passable film even with those irritating flaws that have become now the worst types of clichés, like a forced romance and how no one believes the main character and thinks he is crazy for no reason.Carlos M Super Reviewer
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