Admittedly, partly due to the presence of Joel McCrea, this is one of my favorite Hitchcock films. As with "Saboteur," Hitchcock wanted Gary Cooper (and in this case, Joan Fontaine - he wanted Barbara Stanwyck for "Saboteur) but couldn't get them. Cooper turned down the role of Johnny Jones and lived to regret it.

Today, "Foreign Correspondent" can be seen as a fierce call to bring America into the war. It's amazing today how long America stayed out. In the film, Johnny Jones, writing under the pen name of Huntley Haverstock, is given the assignment of going to Europe and digging around for information about the impending war - and particularly to have a conversation with Professor Van Meer, who may be one of the men who can help keep the peace. Johnny witnesses Van Meer being killed right in front of him, and chasing the perpetrators, he winds up searching a windmill, in one of the many remarkable scenes in the film. While on assignment, he falls in love with Carol Fisher, whose father is the head of a peace-making movement.

The film is striking for its underlying humor and lightness despite the seriousness and shock value of the events. It's also remarkable for some against type casting, i.e., George Sanders is a newsman and a good guy for a change, and Edmund Gwenn - Santa Claus! - is a killer. That's another remarkable scene.

There are several spectacular moments. The rainy scene on the steps when Van Meer is killed is one; when Jones looks for the perpetrator, all he can see is a sea of same-colored umbrellas. The windmills are another - claustrophobic inside, a peaceful picture outside. There is a marvelous shot of Johnny escaping from killers by slipping out of his hotel bathroom window and walking along the ledge. The lit-up sign HOTEL EUROPE can plainly be seen, and Jones breaks one of the lights as he goes by. Best of all is the airplane crash into the ocean which is fantastic and looks both agonizing and real. The final scene of the film, a radio broadcast, was added some time later - five days before the Germans started bombing, in fact.

Shot in black and white, "Foreign Correspondent" is loaded with atmosphere and the tension of the coming war. Joel McCrea, a very likable, easygoing actor in the same vein as Cooper, though maybe a bit livelier, is excellent in his role here as a gentle but adventurous man caught up in bizarre circumstances. Laraine Day, never used much by her own studio (MGM) and often loaned out, is great as the pretty, intelligent, and principled Carol. As Scott ffolliott, Sanders is charming and plays beautifully with Day and McCrea. Herbert Marshall has a slightly different role for him and is very effective.

Though many may not agree, I consider this one of Hitchock's best films and totally underrated. Why did Gary Cooper turn it down? It was a thriller, which in those days was considered a B-class genre. After "Foreign Correspondent," this was no longer true.

In 1939, the editor of the New York Globe invites the tough reporter John Jones (Joel McCrea) to be the substitute for the inefficient Stebbins (Robert Benchley) as foreign correspondent in London. His first assignment is to interview the Dutch leader Mr. Van Meer (Albert Basseman) in his lecture for peace in London to know about the possibility of a declaration of war against Germany. Johnny meets Stephen Fisher (Herbert Marshall),the leader of the organization Universal Peace Party that promotes peace, and his beautiful daughter Carol Fisher (Laraine Day),and he has a crush on Carol. When Van Meer is apparently murdered in Amsterdam, Johnny follows the assassin with Carol and the journalist Scott ffolliett (George Sanders) through the countryside and discovers that Van Meer has been abducted indeed. However, nobody believes on the truth and he tangle with an international conspiracy.

"Foreign Correspondent" is a highly entertaining adventure, with a suspenseful story of espionage and an enjoyable romance, with Joel McCrea and Laraine Day showing a perfect chemistry. But the greatest attraction is the plot based on the beginning of the World War II in 1939 practically in real time. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Correspondente Estrangeiro" ("Foreign Correspondent")

This film is in some ways very conventional for an Alfred Hitchcock film because it is essentially a WWII propaganda film. While the US was not yet officially in the war, it sure appeared as if this would soon change and public opinion was turning against the Nazis. Having Joel McCrea in the role of a typical American who learns just how menacing and evil the Nazis really are was an excellent casting decision, as he was very likable and effective in the role.

In many ways, the film is very, very reminiscent of a later Hitchcock film, NORTH BY NORTHWEST. Both feature a main character that stumbles into a conspiracy but no one believes them. They also hook up with a pretty young lady who helps them. And throughout the film, attempt after attempt is made on their lives but they somehow are able to rise above all this and become true heroes.

While the plot is interesting and very watchable, what really stands out in my mind is the spectacular ending where McCrea and his friends are aboard an airplane that is shot down by a German ship. Up until then, the war all seemed rather vague and distant--as the movie concerned spies, not actual combat. However, when they are hit, the sequence is handled masterfully--being one of the more terrifying sequences in history. Not only do you see the ship very slowly heading into the sea, but you see it from the viewpoint of those inside the plane. And, once it hits, you see as the plane fills up with water and people begin to drown before your very eyes! It's very chilling and I really noticed how tense I was watching it. The camera-work and composition of the scene was incredible.

Overall, this is not one of Hitchcock's more famous films, but I liked it more than most. In fact, other than NORTH BY NORTHWEST and perhaps THE REAR WINDOW, it's probably the most watchable and exciting film he made. Excellent and exciting from start to finish.