Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

Rating:
Summary: Immature Hitchcockism
Review: This film is well-made, and rather interesting, but for one who has seen both versions of that film (the second from 1956 starring James Stewart and Dorris Day), this film contains all the symptoms of lack of experience as a director that Hitchcock tried to avoid when he chose do remake it. The famous climax scene (during a concert in the Royal Albert Hall) is too short to fulfill the tension and horror that the main actress, Edna Best, experiences. Also the attempts to save the child that has been kidnapped, by firing at Peter Lorre, the bad guy, and eventually the success in invincing him, are mediocrately put. It seems that Hitchcock has left the ending as it is just to show the spectators that everything is back to normal. He could have cut the last 20 minutes, and thus leave us with a "gout d'encore".