The "Forgotten" Masterpiece: Why Foreign Correspondent (1940) Deserves Your Attention
While 1940 is often remembered as the year Alfred Hitchcock conquered Hollywood with the gothic romance Rebecca , he actually released a second film that same year—one that many critics argue is even better. is a high-octane spy thriller that served as a blueprint for Hitchcock's later globe-trotting adventures like North by Northwest . A Thriller with a Mission
Unlike many of Hitchcock’s "wrong man" thrillers, this film was born from a sense of urgent reality. Released just as the Battle of Britain was beginning, the story follows Johnny Jones (Joel McCrea), an American crime reporter sent to Europe to cover the "hatching" war.