On the eve of World War II, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London.On the eve of World War II, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London.On the eve of World War II, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London.
- Nominated for 6 Oscars
- 1 win & 6 nominations total
Albert Bassermann
- Van Meer
- (as Albert Basserman)
Eduardo Ciannelli
- Mr. Krug
- (as Eduardo Cianelli)
Eddie Conrad
- Latvian
- (as Edward Conrad)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaShooting was completed on May 29, 1940, after which Sir Alfred Hitchcock made a visit to England. He returned on July 3 with the word that the Germans were expected to start bombing at any time. Ben Hecht was hurriedly called in and wrote the tacked-on final scene set at a London radio station. It was filmed on July 5, and the real-life bombing started on July 10, 1940.
- GoofsAs the purser on the ship tells John and Carol that he has no more cabins, the right side of his fake moustache can be seen sliding down. He surreptitiously pushes back it in place, but as they turn back for a second try and he continues speaking, the moustache slides down again.
- Quotes
John Jones: I'm in love with you, and I want to marry you.
Carol Fisher: I'm in love with you, and I want to marry you.
John Jones: Hmm... that cuts down our love scene quite a bit, doesn't it?
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: To those intrepid ones who went across the seas to be the eyes and ears of America... To those forthright ones who early saw the clouds of war while many of us at home were seeing rainbows... To those clear-headed ones who now stand like recording angels among the dead and dying... To the Foreign Correspondents - this motion picture is dedicated.
- Alternate versionsDue to its political theme, no German distributor was willing to show the film until 1960. Then, after the huge success of Psycho (1960), Constantin Film released the film with a running time of ca. 98 Minutes; approximately 22 minutes were cut, mainly Nazi-sequences. ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen) showed the film in 1995 for the first time ever in Germany in a newly-dubbed uncut version.
- ConnectionsEdited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Le contrôle de l'univers (1999)
- SoundtracksRule Britannia
(1740) (uncredited)
Music by Thomas Augustine Arne
Background music played as a ship pulls out of the harbor
Featured review
Never pauses for breath...
What a movie!
I literally could not believe how great this movie was once I'd seen it for the first time. After a short intro we are thrust directly into the action and from there on in, it's one thrilling set-piece after another.
We go from kidnapping to assassination, to car chase, to discovery of plot, to escape from a hotel, to a twist regarding the leader of the enemy, to a wonderful sequence with a hired bodyguard who is in fact an assassin, to a fake kidnapping set up by the heroes, to torture scene, to rescue, to plane crash at sea...
It's dizzying that this was all intended for one film and when the end credits rolled you really felt like you'd got your money's worth. If I'd have watched this movie when it came out in the forties, I would have praised Hitchcock all night for giving me ten superb movies in one for my dollar.
In short (although you can hardly call these ramblings short) check this movie out. If you're a fan of escapist, thrilling adventures populated by superb characters (see George Sanders as ffolliot, and Robert Benchley as Stebbins) you will be delighted. This is one of Hitch's lesser seen gems and deserves to be rediscovered without delay
I literally could not believe how great this movie was once I'd seen it for the first time. After a short intro we are thrust directly into the action and from there on in, it's one thrilling set-piece after another.
We go from kidnapping to assassination, to car chase, to discovery of plot, to escape from a hotel, to a twist regarding the leader of the enemy, to a wonderful sequence with a hired bodyguard who is in fact an assassin, to a fake kidnapping set up by the heroes, to torture scene, to rescue, to plane crash at sea...
It's dizzying that this was all intended for one film and when the end credits rolled you really felt like you'd got your money's worth. If I'd have watched this movie when it came out in the forties, I would have praised Hitchcock all night for giving me ten superb movies in one for my dollar.
In short (although you can hardly call these ramblings short) check this movie out. If you're a fan of escapist, thrilling adventures populated by superb characters (see George Sanders as ffolliot, and Robert Benchley as Stebbins) you will be delighted. This is one of Hitch's lesser seen gems and deserves to be rediscovered without delay
helpful•10520
- adishavinfun
- Oct 5, 2004
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Imposter
- Filming locations
- Amsterdam, Netherlands(Huntley Haverstock's hotel)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $782
- Runtime2 hours
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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