Foreign Correspondent [Blu-ray]

This is my most favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie. This is a Romantic - Thriller - Mystery movie. This isn't a scary movie, or a horror movie, as are several of Alfred Hitchcock's movies. One of the best aspects of "Foreign Correspondent" is the use of light and the cinematography in general. This is a pre-war black and white film. "Foreign Correspondent" is a very artistic and evocative film; it often seems surreal. The sound also is crafted to pull the viewer into the scene, usually with great subtlety. "Foreign Correspondent" is a wonderful thriller. The story follows a young and brave, first time abroad, first time "Foreign Correspondent" for a New York newspaper. This occupation being that of a "news" agent in a distant place to get the story "first hand" instead of relying on reports published by other news agencies in that country or region. The hero gets his name changed by his bosses, has to wear silly hats to be "in fashion" with the European crowd, is confronted by persons speaking un-recognizable languages, lands in the middle of a complex and rapidly changing political environment, within a couple of days is targeted for assassination, has no idea who or what or why; and while dealing with all that, falls for a girl who the circumstances forbid him to be in love with. Wow! There are very solid and intransient reasons for the continuing popularity of the movies of Alfred Hitchcock. My favorite Alfred Hitchcock movies: 1 Foreign Correspondent (1940) Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, George Sanders (Notice the amazing use of 'light' in this film.) 2 Lifeboat (1944) (Many top stars, super movie entertainment.) 3 Saboteur (1942) Bob Cummings, Priscilla Lane (Glendale, CA - Boulder Dam - Rockefeller Center - Statue of Liberty; Wow!) 4 The Trouble with Harry (1955) (A wonderful, quirky, dark & intriguingly romantic comedy, with a very young Shirley MacLaine) 5 To Catch a Thief (1955) Cary Grant, Grace Kelly (Wonderful 'cat burglar' romance & thrills on the French Rivera) 6 North by Northwest (1959) Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint (They have the wrong man, but they won't believe it.) 7 The Birds (1963) (Amazing story! Tippi Hedren is gorgeous! And how'd they get those birds to do that in 1963?) 8 The Wrong Man (1956) Henry Fonda (Wow, what this guy goes through. The legal system isn't much better today.) 9 Notorious (1946) Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman (Can he rescue her, get out of so much trouble, she & the bad guy; How is this going to end?) Others I like: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) Jimmy Stewart, Doris Day (What a terrible vacation.) The Paradine Case (1947) Gregory Peck (Did Anna poison her rich older husband? Or was it the butler?) Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) Carole Lombard, Robert Montgomery (A screwball romantic comedy.) Torn Curtain (1966) Paul Newman, Julie Andrews (Keep in mind how extreme things were after the "Iron Curtain" fell.) Other Hitchcock Movies that I Hate! (Sorry): Psycho (Yuck! Creepy factor a mile high!) Strangers on a Train (A terrible, disgusting, "thing.") Vertigo Marnie Frenzy I'd also recommend: Witness for the Prosecution (1957) by Billy Wilder. (This Hitchcock 'like' film is intriguing, suspenseful, full of twists and irony.) "All the best movies, have already been made!"

I won't spend time telling you the plot of "Foreign Correspondent." Chances are, if you're here, you are already aware of the film. I will say that I've always felt it was a bit underrated. Regardless of director, it's a suspenseful and very well-made espionage thriller, one that holds up very well today (despite a few dated elements). For fans of the film, or Hitchcock in general, the Criterion release is a cause for celebration. Although the previous Warner Bros. DVD release looked fine, it doesn't really compare to the new 2K digital restoration that has been done here. The phrase "looks like it was filmed yesterday" gets thrown around a bit too often when reviewing HD transfers of classic films, but I can't really think of a better description. The umbrella assassination scene, to pick a well-known passage from the film, is every bit as sharp and vibrant as a new movie. Bonus features: There's a terrific (19 min.) documentary on the film's incredible special effects. You'll never look at that plane crash the same way again. Even more revealing are the glimpses at scenes (such as the "Hot Europe" gag) that involved a lot more effects works than you may have realized. "Hollywood Propaganda and World War II" (28 min.) offers a look at how the U.S. Government encouraged movie studios to rally behind the war effort. I confess that politics doesn't really interest me, but the documentary was very engaging. Of special interest to long-time Alfred Hitchcock fans will be the hour-long segment of the "Dick Cavett Show," in which the host chats at length with the director. An audio-only bonus is a 1946 radio adaptation of the film, starring Joseph Cotten (this did not interest me, so I can't comment on the quality). Rounding out the supplements are the film's theatrical trailer, and a Hitchcock-directed "photo drama" composed of still pictures done for Life magazine. All features are included both on the Blu-ray disc, and the two DVD's included. And while some hardcore Blu-ray fans are complaining that the DVD's are not necessary, I always appreciate combo packs. Affordable portable Blu-ray players have yet to surface as of this writing, so I'm happy to have the extra copies to take along on trips, or maybe take to friends who haven't upgraded to Blu-ray. All in all, this is a first-rate and fully-loaded presentation of a great (if often overlooked) classic entry in the Hitchcock filmography. Certainly, it's a must-have for fans. And the bonus features plus flawless restoration make it worth an upgrade if you have the Warner DVD.

If my entire home media collection was Criterion, I'd be broke, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have a few features from the collection if you are a true film nerd, who believes there to be value in the presentation and special features included with your home video. Foreign Correspondent definitely deserves the classic film nerd, niche audience treatment it gets. It is an underappreciated early Hollywood-Era Hitchcock film that clearly encapsulates his transition from early British success to the blockbuster icon he would become. One of two acclaimed Hitchcock features from the year 1940, Foreign Correspondent is a quintessential espionage thriller, featuring lots of the master's signature suspense. In style it is the apparent middle point between the two "Man Who Knew Too Much" films. Ultimately it was the other Hitchcock film of 1940, Rebecca, which won his only Best Picture award, however, Foreign Correspondent is more instantly recognizable as having the director's legendary style. The Criterion packaging of this DVD is exceptional, and includes a very informative insert. The special features in the DVD are numerous and entertaining. Also, for a DVD the picture and audio quality are top notch, obviously pushing the higher end of the more dated home media.

A fast-paced, excellent World War II film about a newspaperman -- hard-boiled crime writer for an American newspaper -- who is sent to Europe to get the real facts of what is going on just before England enters World War II. McCrea's title character starts out a little naive but quickly realizes something is very wrong when a man he wants to interview is assassinated before his very eyes by a "photographer." He chases the killer, but loses him. No one believes him -- at first. Laraine Day's character, the daughter of British diplomat Herbert Marshall's character finally sees the truth and agrees to help McCrea. George Sanders comes along for the ride -- literally -- and also adds a bit of comic relief. More comic relief is performed by Robert Benchly as a somewhat inept and foolish foreign correspondent who spends most of his time taking his girlfriend to lunch. Edmund Gwenn (Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street) plays a bad guy sent to kill McCrea once the Nazi sympathizers feel he is a threat. McCrea turns out to be pretty clever and uses his wits to foil the bad guys and save the day. This film -- like many others made at the time -- has an ending sympathetic to the Allied cause. It has a dramatic scene in a passenger airplane which has been mistakenly -- or not -- shot down over the Atlantic by a German ship -- end up clinging to a wing of the downed plane. (Sort of a re-enactment of the World War I sinking of the Lusitania by the Germans.) Like many films of its day, the pacing is good and the film is not too long -- it holds your attention and is definitely worth watching.

Alfred Hitchcocks movie is great. Along with 39 Steps also a Hitchcock movie are two of my favorites.

Great, timeless Hitchcock film. Bought to reaplace an old DVD copy that deteriorated...

Joel McCrea stars in this thriler in which he is a foreign correspondent charged with going to Europe to find out what is going on just before World War Two is declared. A dignitary with knowledge of information about a treaty that could cause the war to begin is kidnapped by the Nazis and replaced with a duplicate who is shot. McCrea is launched deep into the drama when he tries to track down the people who committed the misdeed while he, in turn, is the target of the Nazis. There is great scene at a Holland Windmill where McCrea sees the Nazis drugging the real dignatary, who ultimately takes him elsewhere to grill him about the details of the secret language of the treaty that he knows about. The real twist in the movie is the fact that, after meeting and following in love with a woman who is working with her father in a Peace Movement, her father turns out to be a Nazi collaborator. McCtrea must expose him, but because of his love for the daughter, he is reluctant to do so. There are great dramatic scenes in this movie. The Nazis surround Cummings and his girl friend at a society function and he uses brilliant cleverness and boldness to escape. He is lured onto a top of a building in England when the Nazis find out he knows too much, and is targeted to be thrown off of the building. The climax of the movie has Cummings, the Nazi collaborator, and the daughter hanging onto the wing of an airplane shot down by the enemy. This movie's lesson can be applied in today's environment. Cummings ends the movie by saying to all of America broadcasting from an England studio as bombs fall all around in London from a Nazi attack. He basically says, " Bombs are falling all around. It is too late here to do anything. The lights have been knocked out and darkness is all around. But, America, are you listening? You are the only light shining. Keep the lights burning in America. Build weapons, ships, bombs. You are the only hope left in the world." It seems nothing has changed today as evil is all around and there are those who call for peace talks and disarmament, while the enemy prepares for our destruction. America, wake up and learn from history. Vigilance is the price of freedom, and peace can only come through strength and defeat of an enemy that wants to destroy one's freedoms.

Alfred Hitchcock made so many masterpieces in his long illustrious career that sometimes a gem like "Foreign Correspondent" tends to get lost in the general analysis of the master's overall work. Like in all Hitchcock movies there are some classic set pieces and in this film you can marvel at such scenes as: the assassination in a rain-soaked Amsterdam and the escape under the umbrellas, the windmill sails which turn against the wind and the incredible suspense when Joel McCrea discovers what's actually going on in the windmill, the murder attempt off the top of Westminster Cathedral, and of course, the climactic spectacular plane crash. There's some quite wonderful supporting performances especially by "gentleman" spy Herbert Marshall along with his more evil companions Eduardo Ciannelli, Edmund Gwenn and Martin Kosleck and among the "goodies", Albert Basserman, George Sanders in one of his lighter and more likeable roles and Robert Benchley who adds a nice touch of humor. As with all Hitchcock movies, so much to treasure and appreciate! And as you would expect, this Criterion Collection edition has been beautifully put together and boasts loads of extras. Included is a Mark Harris item on Hollywood Propaganda and World War II, a radio version with Joseph Cotten, a special effects featurette by Craig Barron and best of all, a more than one hour Dick Cavett Show interview with a droll and laid back Hitch matching wits with an often perplexed host.