Journey into Fear is an American spy film based on the Eric Ambler novel of the same name. The 1943 film broadly follows the plot of the book, but the protagonist was changed to an American engineer. In addition to acting in and producing the film, Orson Welles was to direct, but had to leave that aspect to Norman Foster due to other commitments. Many of Welles' Mercury Theatre associates were cast, including Joseph Cotten, who played the lead role and also co-wrote the screenplay. 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 U.S. version but including about six minutes of footage deleted by RKO. Naive American engineer Howard Graham is taken by a fellow employee to an Istanbul nightclub, where he becomes attracted to dancer Josette Martel . An attempt to murder him results in the death of an unfortunate magician instead.
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