On the eve of World War II, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London.On the eve of World War II, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London.On the eve of World War II, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London.
- Nominated for 6 Oscars
- 1 win & 6 nominations total
Albert Bassermann
- Van Meer
- (as Albert Basserman)
Eduardo Ciannelli
- Mr. Krug
- (as Eduardo Cianelli)
Eddie Conrad
- Latvian
- (as Edward Conrad)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaShooting was completed on May 29, 1940, after which Sir Alfred Hitchcock made a visit to England. He returned on July 3 with the word that the Germans were expected to start bombing at any time. Ben Hecht was hurriedly called in and wrote the tacked-on final scene set at a London radio station. It was filmed on July 5, and the real-life bombing started on July 10, 1940.
- GoofsAs the purser on the ship tells John and Carol that he has no more cabins, the right side of his fake moustache can be seen sliding down. He surreptitiously pushes back it in place, but as they turn back for a second try and he continues speaking, the moustache slides down again.
- Quotes
John Jones: I'm in love with you, and I want to marry you.
Carol Fisher: I'm in love with you, and I want to marry you.
John Jones: Hmm... that cuts down our love scene quite a bit, doesn't it?
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: To those intrepid ones who went across the seas to be the eyes and ears of America... To those forthright ones who early saw the clouds of war while many of us at home were seeing rainbows... To those clear-headed ones who now stand like recording angels among the dead and dying... To the Foreign Correspondents - this motion picture is dedicated.
- Alternate versionsDue to its political theme, no German distributor was willing to show the film until 1960. Then, after the huge success of Psycho (1960), Constantin Film released the film with a running time of ca. 98 Minutes; approximately 22 minutes were cut, mainly Nazi-sequences. ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen) showed the film in 1995 for the first time ever in Germany in a newly-dubbed uncut version.
- ConnectionsEdited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Le contrôle de l'univers (1999)
- SoundtracksRule Britannia
(1740) (uncredited)
Music by Thomas Augustine Arne
Background music played as a ship pulls out of the harbor
Featured review
This film is a true gem, that had all of the touches we have come to associate with films of the master. While "Rebecca" (from the same year) may have garnered more recognition, it was an extremely brooding film that lacked the trademark Hitchcock sense of humor.
"Foreign Correspondent" however, had it all. The suspense is unrelenting, building to a spectacular climax. It had many of those dazzling Hitchcock sequences: the assassination in Amsterdam, the scene in the cathedral tower and, especially, the sequence in the windmill, which is pure magic!
Of course, it also had that classic sense of humor and a slew of terrific character roles, including Edmund Gwenn as the most cherubic and cheerful hit man you've ever seen! The final scene was strictly American propaganda, but that can probably be forgiven considering the subject matter of the film and the time of it's release.
All in all, a wonderful example of the master at his best, that deserves to be dusted off and enjoyed alongside some of it's more celebrated cousins!
"Foreign Correspondent" however, had it all. The suspense is unrelenting, building to a spectacular climax. It had many of those dazzling Hitchcock sequences: the assassination in Amsterdam, the scene in the cathedral tower and, especially, the sequence in the windmill, which is pure magic!
Of course, it also had that classic sense of humor and a slew of terrific character roles, including Edmund Gwenn as the most cherubic and cheerful hit man you've ever seen! The final scene was strictly American propaganda, but that can probably be forgiven considering the subject matter of the film and the time of it's release.
All in all, a wonderful example of the master at his best, that deserves to be dusted off and enjoyed alongside some of it's more celebrated cousins!
- Jerry_Horne
- Jan 14, 2001
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Imposter
- Filming locations
- Amsterdam, Netherlands(Huntley Haverstock's hotel)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $782
- Runtime2 hours
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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