Foreign Correspondent (1940)

My Review

“Foreign Correspondent” is an exciting spy thriller from the Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchchock. It tells the story of an America reporter who uncovers an enemy conspiracy in Europe just before World War II. The sterling screenplay was penned by Charles Bennett and Joan Harrison.

The cast includes Joel McCrea, Loraine Day, Herbert Marshall, George Sanders, Edmund Gwenn, Robert Benchley, Eduardo Ciannelli, Harry Davenport, Albert Bassermann, Frances Carson, Ian Wolfe, and Joan Leslie. “Foreign Correspondent” made a modest profit at the box office for producer Walter Wanger and United Artists.

It was filmed at the Samuel Goldwyn Studios in Hollywood, and received six Academy Awards nods with zero wins – Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Bassermann), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography (Rudolph Mate), Best Art Direction, and Best Visual Effects. The winner for Best Picture was “Rebecca,” also directed by Hitch.