- Given that he doesn't seem to know much about international politics, John Jones (Joel McCrea) isn't an obvious candidate for the job of foreign correspondent to Europe. In fact, Jones is a crime reporter whose only qualifications for foreign work, according to his boss, are that he has a "fresh, unused mind" and that he once punched a policeman. Hardly the sort of things that appear on one's resume. Another problem with Jones is that boring name of his. "Huntley Haverstock" sounds much more intriguing, don't you think?
- Once Haverstock reaches Europe, his first assignment is to report on a party being thrown in honor of the Dutch diplomat, Van Meer (Albert Bassermann). Haverstock has the good fortune to encounter the gentle, old diplomat on the way to the event, so he's naturally surprised when Van Meer doesn't show up for his own party. He's even more surprised, however, when the substitute speaker is the woman to whom he's been passing humorously suggestive love notes all day (example: "How do you feel about big families?"). As it happens, the lovely Carol Fisher (Laraine Day) is none other than the daughter of Stephen Fisher (Herbert Marshall), the leader of the Universal Peace Party. Maybe Haverstock could get used to this foreign correspondent stuff, after all.
- When Haverstock tracks Van Meer to a conference in Amsterdam, however, he is shocked to witness the diplomat's assassination. In a beautiful sequence of chase scenes, Haverstock pursues the killer through a maze of umbrellas and streetcars, finally spying the getaway car. Haverstock doesn't hesitate to leap into the nearest vehicle that, as luck would have it, contains Miss Fisher and the absurdly named British reporter, Scott ffolliott (George Sanders). The three of them follow the killer to an isolated windmill, one of the most beautifully realized set pieces in the film. It turns out that there are plenty of places to hide in a windmill, but that most of them are rather perilous. Of course, the biggest surprise of all is that Van Meer is still alive, being kept prisoner by the sinister Mr. Krug (Eduardo Ciannelli).
- So who would kidnap Van Meer and why? Well, the real criminal mastermind is none other than Mr. Fisher, whose smooth British accent masks some rather nefarious plans. In a memorably ambiguous speech, Fisher describes the international criminal conspiracy as "cunning, unscrupulous, and...inspired," and we detect more than a hint of pride in his voice. Although Haverstock initially gives Fisher the benefit of the doubt, his near-fatal encounter with the bodyguard Rowley (Edmund Gwenn) finally persuades him of Fisher's guilt. While the remainder of the story is less compelling than what preceded it, rest assured that the international cabal is eventually overthrown and that there is a very impressive plane crash involved. The final scene is a foreboding depiction of "death coming to London" in the form of an air raid. The scene itself is obviously an afterthought, but it's also a good reminder that what the British and Americans might have considered a continental conflict was already spreading overseas.
- I spotted Hitchcock walking in front of a building.
- Apparently, the film's primary shooting was finished before the Battle of Britain began, but Hitchcock had Ben Hecht write the last scene once the bombing had started.
