As my good friend Colin (AKA Livius) of the Riding the High Country blog, states about an under appreciated film,
“… this may not be one of Hitchcock’s better known movies it would be unfair to call it a minor work. It’s an incredibly stylish example of filmmaking that’s visually rich and just plain fun throughout.”
I’m reblogging and recommending his post of today, here.
There’s something very attractive about movies involving or based around journalists, at least I think so anyway. Classic era Hollywood generally played up the positive, virtuous side of the profession, with a few exceptions of course, which isn’t altogether surprising given the number of writers who had a background in journalism. Alfred Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent (1940) follows in that tradition; it paints a heroic portrait of the newsman and his craft, though it’s not above slipping in the odd sly dig at the less ethical practices of reporters. Of course, it’s also an early wartime propaganda piece and a very effective one, never allowing the message to overwhelm or overtake the necessity of telling a good yarn. This success comes down to a happy blend of inventive direction, strong writing and memorable performances. If it’s not one of Hitchcock’s best known films that may well be due to the fact that it…
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That’s very kind of you, and very much appreciated.
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Happy to do it, Colin. I really enjoyed how you gave this Hitchcock film its due.
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What surprised me about “Foreign Correspondent” is that starts off as a somewhat tame, light-hearted film about a reporter who relies more on his charm than actually doing any work, but then gets deeper and deeper into the intrigue, to be topped off by a very shocking plane crash that was done extraordinarily well. In fact, it was very realistic, especially considering when the film was made. I definitely didn’t see where the plot was going with this film, and is a great example of why Hitchcock was the master.
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Oh, yeah. It really is an underrated film for just the reasons you state, Jamie. I hope new viewers will continue to find it. And with those like Colin writing about the film, they will. Many thanks.
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