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Foreign Correspondent Overview:

Foreign Correspondent (1940) was a Mystery - Romance Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by Walter Wanger.

SYNOPSIS

Classic Hitchcock. It is 1939 and Johnny Jones, a naive police reporter, is sent by his even more naive boss to cover a "crime" story that's unfolding in Europe: the potential outbreak of a second world war. Unprepared for the dangerous political landscape he's entering, Johnny manages to land smack in the middle of a spy ring that is masquerading as a peace organization.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Academy Awards 1940 --- Ceremony Number 13 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Supporting ActorAlbert BassermanNominated
Best Art DirectionAlexander GolitzenNominated
Best CinematographyRudolph MatéNominated
Best PictureWalter Wanger (production company)Nominated
Best WritingCharles Bennett, Joan HarrisonNominated
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Foreign Correspondent BlogHub Articles:

Joel McCrea and Laraine Day in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Foreign Correspondent”

By Stephen Reginald on Apr 9, 2024 From Classic Movie Man

Joel McCrea and Laraine Day in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Foreign Correspondent” Foreign Correspondent (1940) is an American spy thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall, and George Sanders. The screenplay was written by Charles Be... Read full article

The Directors' Chair: Foreign Correspondent (1940)

By Theresa Brown on Jun 20, 2020 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

The Directors’ Chair: Foreign Correspondent FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940) What a nifty little spitfire of a movie Foreign Correspondent is. Joel McCrea stands in for America in this ‘thirty-seconds-before-WWII-begins’ thriller. A Dutch ambassador (poignantly played by Albert Ba... Read full article

Review: Foreign Correspondent (1940)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Apr 27, 2018 From 4 Star Films

If Alfred Hitchcock had any contribution to the war effort then Foreign Correspondent would no doubt be it. Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels was purported to have admired its qualities as a work of propaganda and that’s high praise coming from someone who was quite familiar with inf... Read full article

Quickie Review – Foreign Correspondent (1940)

By Michael on Jan 13, 2016 From Durnmoose Movie Musings

It’s a shame, really, when a director has to compete with himself for numerous Academy Awards, but that is exactly what happened in 1941, the year after Alfred Hitchcock released his first two Hollywood productions, Rebecca and Foreign Correspondent. The former was nominated for nine Oscars, a... Read full article

Foreign Correspondent (1940)

By Cameron on Jun 2, 2014 From The Blonde At The Film

via: http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/75400/Foreign-Correspondent/#tcmarcp-224345Unless otherwise noted, all images are my own This is my contribution to the Snoopathon: A Blogathon of Classic Spies, hosted by the fantastic blog Movies Silently. Be sure to visit all the great entries on spies from ol... Read full article

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Foreign Correspondent Quotes:

Mr. Powers: I don't want any more economists, sages, or oracles bombinating over our cables. I want a reporter. Somebody who doesn't know the difference between an ism and a kangaroo.
Stebbins: They love to cable from New York. It makes them think that you're working for them.
Carol Fisher: I think the world has been run long enough by well-meaning professionals. We might give the amateurs a chance now.
Carol Fisher: You never hear of circumstances out of our control rushing us into peace, have you?
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?
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Foreign Correspondent Facts
Shooting was completed on May 29, 1940, after which 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.
The ending with Joel McCrea delivering a propaganda broadcast as bombs fall on London was written (by Ben Hecht) and shot after the rest of the film was completed. It replaced a more sardonic ending in which Folliott (George Sanders) tells Haverstock (McCrea) how the Germans will likely cover up the incidents depicted in the main part of the film.
Walter Wanger bought the rights to Vincent Sheean's political memoir "Personal History" (New York: Doubleday, 1935) for $10,000 in 1935. After 16 writers and five years, the script became the basis for this film.
Alfred Hitchcock originally wanted Joan Fontaine for the female lead. But David O. Selznick refused to loan Joan Fontaine to Walter Wanger Productions for 'Foreign Correspondent'.
This was Alfred Hitchcock's second American film - he was hired out to producer Walter Wanger by David O. Selznick with whom he was contracted.
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