Journey into Fear

Journey into Fear is a 1943 American spy film noir directed by Norman Foster, based on the 1940 British novel of the same name by Eric Ambler. The film adaptation broadly follows the plot of the book, but the protagonist was changed to an American engineer. The destination of his journey was changed from France to the Soviet Union—reflecting the changes in the war situation since the original Ambler book was written. (France was occupied by German troops, and the US and Soviet Union had joined the war and become allies). The RKO Pictures release stars Joseph Cotten, who co-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.