Review of Foreign Correspondent (1940) by Jacob M — 08 Sep 2013

After the release of Rebecca, Alfred Hitchcock became one of Hollywood's most acclaimed and greatest directors of all-time. For his follow-up, Hitchcock took a risky move. He made a film showing the early threats that eventually became WWII and turned it into a thriller about foreign correspondents. While it was overshadowed, and still does to this day, by Rebecca, which beat out this film for Best Picture, that doesn't mean Foreign Correspondent should be avoided. Thanks to Foreign Correspondent, the film would help lead to American involvement in the war (it came out a year before the Pearl Harbor attack). Today, while the propaganda scenes might seem corny in some cases, it didn't bother me, and I had a fun time experiencing this film.

Joel McCrea stars as Johnny Jones, an American journalist who is sent to Europe to look into the threats of upcoming war with Germany. When he witnesses a Dutch diplomat (Albert Basserman) murdered, Jones, under a disguised name, teams up with a peace activist named Carol Fisher (Laraine Day) and a British agent (George Sanders) to track the killers down before war begins.

The film also stars Herbert Marshall as the peace-loving father of Day, Edmund Gwenn, long before he played Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street, as a serial killer, and Hitchcock cameos in the first act walking past Joel McCrea in the London streets.

The film features loads of suspenseful sequences from the famed director, and might be some of his most memorable, including a car chase between McCrea and an assassin, an infiltration scene in an "alternating windmill", a tense sequence inside the top of a cathedral, and in the climax, a scene involving a plane crash. They don't call him the Master of Suspense for nothing.

Earlier, I said that this helped America enter WWII. Because of this, there are certain propaganda scenes in this film, especially towards the end. My belief in propaganda in movies is ignore things that seems forced in and if it works, always cheer for it. For Foreign Correspondent, this philosophy works. In the final scene, in a very moving speech, I felt proud to live in a country filled with (mostly) peace and safety. Call it cheesy or corny, but I thought these scenes were necessary for the story.

Alfred Newman provides the score for this Hitchcock film, and while it's not the most thrilling music from a Hitchcock film (the creepiest come from scores of Bernard Hermann, Vertigo, Marnie, Psycho), Newman at least makes it an enjoyable listen, and it didn't feel like an underuse.

As for the cast, it's mostly good. Joel McCrea, known for his roles in Preston Sturges comedies as Sullivan's Travels and The Palm Beach Story, is fantastic as the lead character. McCrea is strong in his fears of war and his final speech I mentioned earlier, very moving. Laraine Day was OK as the peace activist. She had the charisma and the charms alright, but when she and McCrea are together, the chemistry falls flat. I felt no emotional depth in the romantic passions and feelings for the two. Especially considering that Hitchcock perfected romantic tensions in Rebecca. Coming out of his strong role in Rebecca, George Sanders shines as the secret agent. Very memorable in every scene and is a scene-stealer for sure. I also thought Herbert Marshall was fascinating as the suspicious peace-keeper and I really enjoyed Edmund Gwenn as a serial killer. Who knew Kris Kringle was that violent?

While the film lacked romantic depth between the two leads, and there could be some who feel annoyed by scenes of American propaganda, Foreign Corresponding is an entertaining Hitchcock thriller and deserves to get more attention. It may not be a true masterpiece (unlike Rebecca, Vertigo, or North by Northwest), but at least it's a fun ride.