026 - Foreign Correspondent, 1940, United States; Dir. Alfred Hitchcock.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

026 - Foreign Correspondent, 1940, United States. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock.

Alfred Hitchcock's film Foreign Correspondent was nominated for six Academy Awards.

But Alfred Hitchcock lost.

To Alfred Hitchcock.

The same year his film Rebecca was nominated for eleven Academy Awards.

And won.

For Best Picture and Best Cinematography--Black & White (George Barnes).

Alfred Hitchcock is the king of cinema, the Master of Suspense.  He directed movies from the 1920s to the 1970s.

He began at age 20 in England as a title card designer for silent films.  He then worked as an Art Director, Set Decorator, Production Designer, and Assistant Director.

After attempting to direct a failed project at age 22 and directing a short film at 23, he directed his first feature-length film, The Pleasure Garden, at age 25.  He made his 54th and last feature, Family Plot, at 76.

Foreign Correspondent was his second film made in the United States.  Rebecca was his first.  So with his first two films in his new country he was nominated for a combined 17 Academy Awards.  You might call that an auspicious beginning.

Hitchcock knows how to tell a story.  With the help of his wife, Alma Reville, who co-wrote about 18 of his screenplays, he knows how to create tension and suspense and keep the viewer on the edge of his seat.  He knows where to place a camera and how to edit.  He uses highly visual set-pieces, highly dramatic musical scores, and finely detailed storyboards.  He would say that the film was already made before he started directing it.  By then, all he had to do was shoot it.

Foreign Correspondent takes place just before the beginning of World War 2.

Johnny Jones works for the New York Globe.  He is sent undercover, as Huntley Haverstock, to England to meet a Dutchman, "Holland's strong man," named Mr. Van Meer and find out what is going on.  He is assigned to the British Stephen Fisher to help him.  They move on to Holland.

He falls for Fisher's daughter Carol.

He watches as Van Meer is shot on the steps of the building.

It is raining and everyone on both sides of the steps stands beneath black umbrellas.  The image reminds us of Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, 1964, and Jacques Tati's Trafic, 1971, which we discussed on January 10.  (Here in 1940, this one came first!)  The assassin escapes beneath the umbrellas, creating an entertaining visual image.

He chases the assassin and winds up in the car of Scott ffolliott--the man with that delicious last name beginning with two lower-case ffs and with two lls and two tts.

Those familiar with Agathie Christie's novel or play Murder on the Nile may remember the character of Miss Helen ffoliot-ffoulkes (one l, one t, but two names with two lower-case ffs!).

Scott ffolliott is played by the wonderful British character actor George Sanders, who also played in Hitchcock's other movie that year, Rebecca.  You may also remember him from his Oscar-winning performance as the venomous Addison DeWitt opposite Bette Davis in All About Eve.  Here he will prove to be a loyal comrade of Johnny Jones, aka Huntley Haverstock.

They chase the getaway car to the windmills.  It disappears!

He climbs inside a windmill.  There are bad guys in there.  He has to hide.  He could get caught in the giant gears.  He finds . . . someone.  They climb the stairs.  He could get caught! 

Fisher hires a body guard for him, a man named Rowley.  Rowley is played by Edmund Gwenn.  You know him as Kris Kringle from Miracle on 34th Street.  He does not wear a white beard here.  He looks younger.

They go to the top tower of Westminster Cathedral.  Someone falls off.

Scott and Johnny decide to kidnap Carol.

They get on a sea plane.  They are shot at.  They are shot down.  Will they be rescued?  Or will they drown?

Foreign Correspondent contains the ingredients that made Hitchcock so great--unforgettable visual set-pieces, tension and suspense, humor, taught writing, and economy of storytelling.

Its star Johnny Jones (Huntley Haverstock) is played by Joel McCrea, whom we will see later in two Preston Sturges films.

And it ends with a call to support the War effort.

Hello, America.  Hang on to your lights.  They're the only lights left in the world.