Alfred Hitchcock's second foray into Hollywood, ``Foreign Correspondent,'' is unusually entertaining.

Three scenes incorporating innovative ideas and methods

There are three memorable scenes in the film that you definitely can't miss. First, in the pouring rain, an elderly politician is assassinated in front of a conference center in Amsterdam. A suspicious cameraman approaches, flashes his camera, and fires his gun. The Journalist notices something strange and pursues the culprit. This is depicted from a bird's-eye view, but the umbrellas of the crowded crowd sway in two ripples, representing those fleeing and those pursuing, creating a truly unforgettable image.

Next, I would like to mention the scene with the windmills. In this scene, the protagonist finds a windmill that rotates against the wind and when he looks inside, he discovers that it is the hideout of a group of spies. When Hitchcock was thinking of what comes to mind when he thinks of Holland, he first thought of windmills, and that's how he came up with this scene. In the book "Film Techniques," he also said, "If this film had been in color, I could have used bright red tulips to depict a murder scene with blood splattering everywhere" (p.124).

How was the legendary crash scene filmed?

The highlight of the film is the plane crash, the highlight of the film. I am convinced that this sequence has enough dramatic value to be worth two or three other films. So what is so amazing about it? First, the camera slowly approaches a passenger plane flying in the sky, peers through the window to see what's inside, and then suddenly slips through the window and into the passenger cabin in one shot (or so it seems). It's a stylish film, and it's a very groundbreaking technique that seems likely to still be used today.

From there, several dramas unfold in the cabin, but soon the German forces on the sea begin mercilessly firing on the plane, and the cabin plunges into a state of panic. In the end, the power unit is damaged, and despite desperate attempts to control the plane, it plunges headfirst into the sea. This film depicts this scene with extraordinary excitement. It's truly amazing. From the cockpit's perspective, the sea surface steadily approaches, and with a tremendous impact, water crashes through the windshield and pours in with great force. It all happens in an instant, so it's hard to grasp what on earth happened or how it was filmed.

"Foreign Correspondent" (c)1940 STUDIOCANAL

The book " Eigajutsu " has a description of this crash scene, which says that it was shot in one take without any special effects such as compositing.

Let's take a look at it step by step. First, the actors were positioned in the cockpit set. Then, a paper screen was set up in the area that represented the ocean below, and the looming surface of the sea was projected in detail.

Behind the screen there is a tank of water, and at the moment the aircraft is about to plunge headfirst into the sea, with the push of a button, a tremendous amount of water from the tank will break through the screen and rush towards you with great force.

It must have been quite dangerous to shoot with the actors in the room. It must have been a gamble to see if the water would break through the screen. The fact that he tried to portray such a fleeting moment, yet such a decisive moment that it could affect the quality of the film, with such passion gives us a glimpse of the incredible vitality and creativity of Hitchcock as a man. It's a wonderful scene that I never get tired of, no matter how many times I watch it.

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