Journey into Fear (1943 film)

Journey into Fear
Theatrical release poster by William Rose
Directed byNorman Foster
Screenplay byJoseph Cotten
Orson Welles (uncredited in some versions)
Based onJourney into Fear
by Eric Ambler
Produced byOrson Welles (uncredited)
StarringJoseph Cotten
Dolores del Río
Ruth Warrick
Orson Welles
CinematographyKarl Struss
Edited byMark Robson
Music byRoy Webb
Production
company
Distributed byRKO Pictures
Release date
  • February 12, 1943 (1943-02-12) (U.S.)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Journey into Fear is a 1943 American spy film noir directed by Norman Foster, based on the 1940 novel by Eric Ambler .[1] The film broadly follows the plot of the book, but the protagonist was changed to an American engineer, and the destination of his journey changed from France to the Soviet Union—reflecting the changes in the war situation since the original Ambler book was written (France was occupied, the US and Soviet Union joined the war and became allies).[2] The RKO Pictures release stars Joseph Cotten, who also wrote the screenplay with Orson Welles. The Mercury Production was also produced by Welles, again uncredited.

In 2005, an alternate cut was shown at a Welles film retrospective at the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland. It was the original European release print, lacking the narration and ending of the US version but including about six minutes of footage deleted by RKO Pictures.

  1. ^ "The 100 Best Film Noirs of All Time". Paste. July 5, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Journey Into Fear at IMDb.