Foreign Correspondent is Sheer Fun
One of my most delightful discoveries of recent movie watching is that Foreign Correspondent is one of Hitchcock’s most fun blasts of excitement and humor. It would be an overstatement to call Foreign Correspondent overlooked, but it is somewhat less renowned than Hitchcock’s biggest films. Made the same year as Rebecca—which is still the better film for its hazy, lurid darkness—it packs all the familiar Hitchcock components, but it does so with a thrilling quality that’s only matched by his best. I wouldn’t put it above Rear Window, Vertigo, or Psycho, but it’s every part the equal of North by Northwest.
When a New York newspaper needs a correspondent in Europe to track rumors of war and peace talks, they elect to send John Jones, newly christened as Huntley Haverstock (Joel McCrea). John’s on the edge of being fired, so a foreign assignment is about the best he can hope for. As his boss notes, he’s even in trouble with the law. “Beat up a police officer, eh? Sounds ideal.”
Jones travels to London to meet with Van Meer (Albert Bassermann), a Dutch leader who recently signed a peace treaty. Meeting Van Meer also introduces John to Stephen and Carole Fisher (Herbert Marshall and Laraine Day), father and daughter leaders of a peace organization. It’s not long, however, before Van Meer is assassinated right in front of Jones’ eyes.
We can expect where this goes from here. An unsuspecting man thrust into international intrigue. Betrayals. Idealism up against fanatic schemes. Bumbling assassination attempts. No matter how familiar this path may be, it’s always fun to watch Hitchcock chart his course at the top of his game.
While it can’t quite match the size and spectacle of North by Northwest, there’s no lack of twisty set pieces. The standouts here involve sneaking around Dutch windmills and assassinations attempts at London landmarks. There’s always a lack of sympathy in some of Hitchcock’s earlier films, a harshness that doesn’t feel present in many of his biggest Hollywood hits. Being a bystander in North by Northwest didn’t carry much risk, but in Foreign Correspondent, being near the action means you’re likely to become the victim of a stray bullet. (Likewise, Hitchcock had no issue blowing up a young boy in a trolley car in Sabotage). That’s a quality that I appreciate, even as it always takes me by surprise. It gives the tension a real edge.
Beyond the set pieces and ratcheting tension, Foreign Correspondent is also one of Hitchcock’s funniest films. It leans more into screwball dialogue than most Hitchcock, with the cast deftly parrying and attacking with quips. The central leads (McCrea and Day) are capable, if less charismatic than Grant, Olivier, Kelly, and Bergman; but the supporting cast is stellar. George Sanders’ fellow reporter Scott ffolliott—an all-timer of a cad with an all-timer of a name—eviscerates everyone around him with snide composure. Watching Sander’s wield a script like a rapier is always a guilty pleasure, whether he ultimately lands on the side of the heroes or villains. Herbert Marshall provokes both sympathy and disgust as Carol’s duplicitous father.
While it lacks the biggest spectacle or most dazzling stars, Foreign Correspondent keeps a up a quickened pace with its crisp dialogue and striking visuals. The late stage of the movie even tilts into German Expressionism, as Van Meer raves like a mad prophet foretelling destruction.
That scene also serves as the thesis of Hitchcock’s film: “You cry peace, peace, when there is only war.” Foreign Correspondent abounds in fears of war and world fracturing. As one character laments, “I feel old and sad and helpless.” Like some of his other early works, this one shades heavy-handed in its ethics. The only pacing misstep comes right at the end, with an impassioned broadcast reporting on the bombing of London. It’s an understandable plea from Hitchcock, but it does fumble the plot tension a bit.
