Foreign Correspondent

Play trailer

Foreign Correspondent

1940

1h 59m

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

43 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

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).

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

11/03/2020

4/5

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

Go to Full Review

Keith Phipps

The Dissolve

02/20/2014

4.5/5

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

Go to Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

03/27/2009

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.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 11

3.5/4

While Albert Bassermann earned an Oscar nomination for a somewhat hammy turn, the best performance comes from George Sanders, atypically cast as a fearless and resourceful hero rather than the cads and scoundrels he generally played.

Go to Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

01/06/2024

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.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

03/05/2022

4/4

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

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Bill T.

@btreakle Feb 13

“Foreign Correspondent”This film starring Joel Mcrea and Lorraine Day Is a film about espionage and secret agents during the beginning of World War 2. Joel McRae plays that reporter and goes overseas to Europe to root out the traders and conspiracy surrounding the events of World War 2 and all that that entails. Great cinematography good quality black and white film with decent audio no subtitles. This is another Alfred Hitchcock movie and one that I highly recommend.

See more

Horror fan 4

@Horrorfan4life Jan 10

An excellent spy thriller. Laraine Day and joel mccrea were great together. Definitely worth a Oscar nomination for best picture. Tim Treakle

See more

Alain E

@AlainE Nov 11

Early Hitchcock, not that great compared to his better later work. I guess people are willing to grade the movie on a sliding scale, but if we give 5 stars here then Frenzy or Rear window will get eight? The scene with the plane crash in sea is quite advanced for the time that it was shot.

See more

Paula M

@RT71863083 07/25/2025

I love this movie. I have watched it many times and the actors are great, and there are a number of subtle visuals. There is a scene when the main character, Johnny Jones, is sneaking down the staircase in an old windmill…you can see a light and shadow outline of Hitler’s face. Of course there is the great assassination scene in the rain in Amsterdam which was amazing. But, to me, it is the story of a person of conviction making a difference by never compromising his belief in uncovering untruths while facing personal, social and political denials. An old trope but one we need to remember.

See more

Stephen C

@bob25009 06/02/2025

A spy movie success story in 1 hour and 49 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See more

Will G

@Wgoodeve 02/11/2025

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.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Joel McCrea

John Jones

Laraine Day

Carol Fisher

Herbert Marshall

Stephen Fisher

George Sanders

Scott Ffolliott

Albert Basserman

Van Meer

Young and Innocent

100%

62%

Young and Innocent

Watchlist

Saboteur

81%

72%

Saboteur

Watchlist

The 39 Steps

96%

85%

The 39 Steps

Watchlist

Suspicion

97%

77%

Suspicion

Watchlist

The Woman Alone

91%

70%

The Woman Alone

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings