Foreign Correspondent (1940)

I think this is the best of the two Alfred Hitchcock directed films released in 1940, which is saying something given the fact that the other won the Oscar. Not only does it have terrific set pieces (an old Dutch windmill, a transatlantic clipper, etc.) but it contains standout performances by Joel McCrea (Hitch had wanted Gary Cooper, who turned down the role), Herbert Marshall (his best acting?) and George Sanders (one of many cynical characters he played to perfection). McCrea plays a reporter assigned to investigate the chances of an outbreak of war in Europe immediately prior to World War II. It does, and there's lots of suspense & intrigue including a kidnapping (of Albert Bassermann's character). Laraine Day, Robert Benchley, Edmund Gwenn, Eduardo Ciannelli, Harry Davenport, Ian Wolfe, Charles Halton, and Emory Parnell (among others) also appear. The end of the film is a virtual advertisement (pure propaganda) urging the U.S. to join Britain in the war against Germany. The film received six Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Bassermann, his only), B&W Art Direction & Cinematography, Special Effects, and Original Screenplay - Charles Bennett's only; Joan Harrison earned her only other nomination that same year for the director's other film, Rebecca (1940).

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