"That's a nice-a donut."
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Foreign Correspondent
Foreign Correspondent was one of director Alfred Hitchcock's very first American-made films. The Americanized Hitchcock is quite evident in some scenes in the movie, no thanks in part to the (necessary) disease known as the Hollywood studio. But I digress; this came out the same year as his first and only film to win the Academy Award for best picture, Rebecca. Foreign Correspondent was also nominated for best picture, as well as in five other categories, although it took home no statues.
The year is 1939, and Europe is one the eve of a massive world war against the Germans. A newspaper in New York is dissatisfied with uninteresting news reports from its foreign correspondent in Europe, so a young reporter named Johnny Jones (Joel McCrea) is volunteered to go and begin reporting on the volatile situation. He is asked to use a different name so he will be better respected, so he becomes Huntley Haverstock. Right from the beginning Huntley is reporting about a peace organization headed by Mr. Fisher. At the same time, he meets a statesman named Van Meer who is involved with negotiating a treaty between a couple countries. While Huntley tries to interview him, Van Meer is shot. Huntley chases after the assassin and we soon have a good old game of cat-and-mouse. Amidst his investigation, Huntley learns that Fisher may not be who he seems, and also becomes involved with Fisher's daughter.
McCrea is very likeable in the lead. He is quick witted and suave, and just seems like he's having a good time. While watching the movie, I wondered why I had never really heard of McCrea before; he seemed like an actor who could have been a big star. As it turns out, he was a star but mostly in Westerns. Huntley may have been an atypical role for him, but even so I thought of George Clooney while watching him work.
There are a couple action scenes in the movie that seem way ahead of their time. One is what must be one of cinema's first realistic car chases and another is an impressive plane crash. A scene in a windmill is very suspenseful, are foreshadows similar camera work and style that Hitchcock later used in classics like Notorious. There is a generally "dark" tone near the film's payoff, which is very reminiscent in style to many Hollywood movies post-1980 or so. (Now, whether that is a good thing or not, I'll leave to you to decide.) There is also the typical celluloid love story, which veers from them being angry one minute to in love the next.
The movie has a relatively complex and deliberate story; it requires very careful attention to all details, which can get tiring. It also doesn't build up any innate dislike or disdain for Fisher as it should. But in the end, you leave filling rather satisfied. This isn't Hitchcock's best, but it is good for what it is.
The Verdict: B.
Michael Bentley 2:06 PM
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