Foreign Correspondent

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Foreign Correspondent

Released Aug 16, 1940

1h 59m

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

95%

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43 Reviews

81%

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5,000+ Ratings

Crime reporter John Jones (Joel McCrea) is turning in nothing but dull copy. His editor, unhappy with his work, hopes a change of scenery will be the thing Jones needs to get back on track. Re-assigned to Europe as a foreign correspondent, Jones is very much out of his element. When he stumbles on a spy ring, he feels ill-equipped to unravel the truth alone and he seeks help from a beautiful politician's daughter (Laraine Day) and an urbane English journalist (George Sanders).

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Critics Consensus

Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent features a winning combination of international intrigue, comic relief, and some of the legendary director's most memorable set pieces.

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Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

Heavy-handed but still poignant patriotism in this Hitchcock thriller.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 3, 2020

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Keith Phipps

The Dissolve

It's such an entertaining film that it's almost possible to forget its didactic agenda, which is certainly part of the point.

Rated: 4.5/5

Feb 20, 2014

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

This film contains one of Hitchcock's most famous set pieces -- an assassination in the rain -- but otherwise remains a second-rate effort, as immensely enjoyable as it is.

Mar 27, 2009

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

This is Hitch doing a fleet, action-packed thriller. His love of set-pieces and landmarks makes the most of London and Holland, where the windmills become a natural location for dangerous business.

Jan 6, 2024

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The film can be seen as more than simply escapism but an entrenched anti-Nazi statement by a seemingly apolitical filmmaker.

Rated: 4/4

Mar 5, 2022

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Though suffering from the effect of too many cooks in the writing kitchen, it's a title as filled with plot twists as it is wit, as well as Hitchcock's signature elaborate set pieces.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 12, 2020

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Will G

A great Alfred Hitchcock film. It’s about a man who’s a newspaper reporter. Who goes to Europe to cover the news there. There is some suspense and a man gets pushed off a tall building. It was neat to see Holland in the movie.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/25

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David S

I love this film- one of my 3 favorite Hitchcock films.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/28/24

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Daniel C. M

Great suspense and direction as expected from Hitchcock; alongside some nice comedy. Unfortunaly, it has many flaws in it's script and drags itself for way too long; making it a pretty boring, formulaic and cliche picture. The acting is ok. Rebecca -- which came out in the same year also by Sir Alfred -- is 10 minutes longer -- making it up for 2 hours and 10 minutes total -- and feels like not even 90 minutes.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/30/24

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Audience Member

I always remember when watching movies from the distant past, what my father would say to me about the '30s and '40s; one can never really understand how those times were for people, unless you went through it. It's easy to underestimate the level of anxiety and desperation.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/13/24

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Georgan G

I adore Alfred Hitchcock's movies. Had not seen this one in many years. Great Hollywood sets for plane crashes, falls from high buildings and romance amid the beginning of WWII.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/05/24

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Lee C

Hitchcock was ahead of his time, especially when it came to timing. This moves along at a fast pace, each shot lasting only a few seconds, many of them very artfully composed, as well. The special effects are also very impressive for a movie from 1940. And the story is pretty good, too!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/27/24

Full Review

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Alfred Hitchcock

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Synopsis

Crime reporter John Jones (Joel McCrea) is turning in nothing but dull copy. His editor, unhappy with his work, hopes a change of scenery will be the thing Jones needs to get back on track. Re-assigned to Europe as a foreign correspondent, Jones is very much out of his element. When he stumbles on a spy ring, he feels ill-equipped to unravel the truth alone and he seeks help from a beautiful politician's daughter (Laraine Day) and an urbane English journalist (George Sanders).

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter: Charles Bennett, Joan Harrison, Ben Hecht, Robert Benchley, James Hilton
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: Walter Wanger Productions, Inc.
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 16, 1940, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 19, 2016
Runtime: 1h 59m

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