Review of Foreign Correspondent (1940) by Agent Orange — 01 Mar 2009

Now this is more like it! I know that this flick isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I really enjoyed it. Hitchcock dazzles the mind with some unforgettable imagery here: the sea of umbrellas being jostled by an escaping assassin, the field of windmills where one windmill is circling backwards, the man falling from the tower, etc. The ending is just as memorable, as things on the airplane go suddenly downhill (literally) and the grand finale at the radio station.

The story follows a correspondent from a newspaper in America as he sets out to Britain to cover a peace meeting between the countries of Europe (a fictitious war may soon break loose). Our main man Johnny Jones (now under his pen name) finds this rather dull, until he witnesses an assassination of a famous politician and follows the hitman to his hideout . . . only to find out that the person he assassinated is still alive in well. Well, not well per say, but certainly alive.

This film was towards the beginning of Hitchcock's American career, and was the only other film aside from Rebecca to be nominated for Best Picture. Do I think it should have won? No, absolutely not, but this is still a fun ride of a movie.