Review of Foreign Correspondent (1940) by Chris W — 09 Nov 2012

It's fascinating watching war time dramas made during that particular war time, especially when it's from the 40s.

Hitchcock once again delivers with this thrilling war story about an American journalist on assignment in Europe who stumbles upon a scoop that could really be THE story that cements his career. That particular scoop happens to be a group of spies humorously fronting as a pacifist organization.

I think the structure and pacing could have been reworked, as a pivotal assassination scene happens fairly early, when I felt it should have happened at the midpoint. And, for a two hour film, it does feel a little long and disjointed. However, the film is still engaging enough that this is not a major flaw, and more of a personal nitpick.

The two leads aren't the most compelling, for a Hitch film or otherwise, but they could probably be worse, and seem to be at least trying their best. Where the film really shines is in the other stuff, like the typically strong direction, the wonderful cinematography, and some impressive setpieces like the aforementioned assassination scene set amongst a sea of umbrellas, the super taut creeping around the windmill scene, and the awesome plane sequence.

It's all some great stuff, you know, typical Hitch, but it's worth seeing. Really solid, pretty fun, and something you should check out, despite the flaws.