← Back to Reviews
in
That's what newspaper editor Powers asks for, and that's what he gets with John Jones (Joel McCrea) when he sends him as "foreign correspondent" to Europe just before World War II starts. Jones is a no-nonsense crime reporter who approaches the task very much unlike his predecessor. This, in turn, puts him right in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy in this Hitchcock spy thriller.
This is my second watch of this film and I remember being quite impressed by it the first time. This time, it might have gone down a notch or two, but I still think it's a pretty good and thrilling film, and a showcase of Hitchcock's directing abilities. The whole sequence in the first act, starting with the shooting in the steps and ending at the windmill, is masterfully directed. And although it never goes back to that peak, all of the action setpieces are neatly handled and choreographed.
McCrea is a solid lead and Laraine Day is competent as Carol, the love interest, even if their sudden love relationship feels too forced and ultimately unnecessary. But George Sanders is the true scene stealer as Scott ffolliott (both small f's), a friend of Carol that helps them in their investigation. His performance is amazing, and I would've been happier watching a whole film only with him, and no McCrea or Day.
But again, McCrea does a fine job as we see him grow from a bit of a selfish reporter more interested in getting "paid expenses" to a more conscious and determined "hero". Sure, the bit at the end originally rang too blatant and in-your-face to me, but who knows? Maybe that's what Europe, and America, needed.
Grade:
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
(1940, Hitchcock)
Freebie
(1940, Hitchcock)
Freebie
"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. A good, honest crime reporter. That's what the Globe needs. That's what Europe needs! There's a crime hatching on that bedeviled continent."
That's what newspaper editor Powers asks for, and that's what he gets with John Jones (Joel McCrea) when he sends him as "foreign correspondent" to Europe just before World War II starts. Jones is a no-nonsense crime reporter who approaches the task very much unlike his predecessor. This, in turn, puts him right in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy in this Hitchcock spy thriller.
This is my second watch of this film and I remember being quite impressed by it the first time. This time, it might have gone down a notch or two, but I still think it's a pretty good and thrilling film, and a showcase of Hitchcock's directing abilities. The whole sequence in the first act, starting with the shooting in the steps and ending at the windmill, is masterfully directed. And although it never goes back to that peak, all of the action setpieces are neatly handled and choreographed.
McCrea is a solid lead and Laraine Day is competent as Carol, the love interest, even if their sudden love relationship feels too forced and ultimately unnecessary. But George Sanders is the true scene stealer as Scott ffolliott (both small f's), a friend of Carol that helps them in their investigation. His performance is amazing, and I would've been happier watching a whole film only with him, and no McCrea or Day.
But again, McCrea does a fine job as we see him grow from a bit of a selfish reporter more interested in getting "paid expenses" to a more conscious and determined "hero". Sure, the bit at the end originally rang too blatant and in-your-face to me, but who knows? Maybe that's what Europe, and America, needed.
Grade: