Foreign Correspondent Overview:

Foreign Correspondent (1940) was a Mystery - Romance Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by Walter Wanger.

SYNOPSIS

Classic Hitchcock. It is 1939 and Johnny Jones, a naive police reporter, is sent by his even more naive boss to cover a "crime" story that's unfolding in Europe: the potential outbreak of a second world war. Unprepared for the dangerous political landscape he's entering, Johnny manages to land smack in the middle of a spy ring that is masquerading as a peace organization.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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Academy Awards 1940 --- Ceremony Number 13 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Supporting ActorAlbert BassermanNominated
Best Art DirectionAlexander GolitzenNominated
Best CinematographyRudolph MatéNominated
Best PictureWalter Wanger (production company)Nominated
Best WritingCharles Bennett, Joan HarrisonNominated
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BlogHub Articles:

Blu-ray Review: Foreign Correspondent

By Devon Powell on Feb 22, 2026 From Hitchcock Master

Imprint # 520 Distributor: Via Vision Entertainment Release Date: January 07, 2026 Region: Region Free Length: 02:00:18 Video: 1080P (MPEG-4, AVC) Main Audio: 2.0 English Mono Linear PCM Audio Subtitles: English HOH Ratio: 1.33:1 Notes: This Blu-ray is available as part of the??Hitchcock: The Early ... Read full article


Joel McCrea and Laraine Day in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Foreign Correspondent”

By Stephen Reginald on Apr 9, 2024 From Classic Movie Man

Joel McCrea and Laraine Day in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Foreign Correspondent” Foreign Correspondent (1940) is an American spy thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall, and George Sanders. The screenplay was written by Charles Be... Read full article


The Directors' Chair: Foreign Correspondent (1940)

By Theresa Brown on Jun 20, 2020 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

The Directors? Chair: Foreign Correspondent FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940) What a nifty little spitfire of a movie Foreign Correspondent is. Joel McCrea stands in for America in this ?thirty-seconds-before-WWII-begins? thriller. A Dutch ambassador (poignantly played by Albert Basserma... Read full article


Review: Foreign Correspondent (1940)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Apr 27, 2018 From 4 Star Films

If Alfred Hitchcock had any contribution to the war effort then Foreign Correspondent would no doubt be it. Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels was purported to have admired its qualities as a work of propaganda and that’s high praise coming from someone who was quite familiar with inf... Read full article


Quickie Review – Foreign Correspondent (1940)

By Michael on Jan 13, 2016 From Durnmoose Movie Musings

It’s a shame, really, when a director has to compete with himself for numerous Academy Awards, but that is exactly what happened in 1941, the year after Alfred Hitchcock released his first two Hollywood productions, Rebecca and Foreign Correspondent. The former was nominated for nine Oscars, a... Read full article


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Quotes from

Carol Fisher: I think the world has been run long enough by well-meaning professionals. We might give the amateurs a chance now.


Mr. Powers: 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.


Carol Fisher: You never hear of circumstances out of our control rushing us into peace, have you?


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Facts about

Shooting was completed on May 29, 1940, after which Alfred Hitchcock made a visit to England. He returned on July 3 with the word that the Germans were expected to start bombing at any time. Ben Hecht was hurriedly called in and wrote the tacked-on final scene set at a London radio station. It was filmed on July 5, and the real-life bombing started on July 10, 1940.
When this movie was made, America was not part of World War II. At this time, a number of Hollywood studios were pro-American involvement in the war. This movie is one of a number of films made during the late 1930s and early 1940s that represented pro-American intervention in the war. These films include: A Yank in the R.A.F., Man Hunt, Foreign Correspondent, The Mortal Storm, Confessions of a Nazi Spy and Sergeant York.
Robert Benchley was allowed to write his own lines.
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Best Picture Oscar 1940











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Also directed by Alfred Hitchcock




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