The Man Who Knew Too Much

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Summary: The Man Who Know To Much
Review: One of his best! This movie along with Rear Window and Phycho were prime exanples of why Hitchcook will live on forever as one of the best directors in the history of film.

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Summary: Great performances all round
Review: This is a very fine film. OK --we know this is definitely from the 50's and we can tell Stewart and Day are sitting in a studio wagon surrounded by artificial backgrounds etc. etc. But the drama is palpable and characters are great, all the acting fine from the leads down to just about every character actor.
Jimmy Stewart is his usual believable, natural self as an ordinary American tourist typical of that era (rather well off but, as usual, the everyman).
Don't believe that Doris Day doesn't do a wonderful job too. So it's annoyinig that she is weepy -- how would YOU react if spies (or today's terms -- international terrorists) kidnapped your only child? I find it far, far more unbelievable when movie heroes (and heroines) react as if they are not human, only slightly stressed, never faultering, never too emotional, never fumbling or irrational in the middle of incredibly extreme situations. I found her entirely believable and normal.
Judging the scene where she is at the back of the hall (Royal Albert Hall) but doesn't run to tell someone, consider the situation -- anything she did could have repercussions against her son. You are frozen with fear and horror, and there is no clear-minded, cool solution that would also guarantee your son's life. The scream is a simple reaction of horror to something she did not know how to stop.
The person who commented about the actor portraying Mr. Drayton was spot-on, too. He seems to transform himself throughout the movie. I also like the humor that manages to assert itself here and there. My only reservation is with the end -- it is unsettling. You have been along for the long suspenseful ride and then are thrown out of the car. Seems rather quirky. ...

Rating:
Summary: Classic Hitchcock touch in well thoughtout thriller
Review: I always enjoy Alfred Hitchcock's work and when he casts actresses against their normal "type" the results are usually very pleasing. It is never more evident than in his casting "against type" of Doris Day in one of my favourite later films by this legendary director, "The Man Who Knew Too Much". Hitchcock's 1956 remake of his own 1934 feature was a way for him to right some of the supposed short falls that he felt remained in the original which he was never totally happy with. Here he has updated the story and while not his best work it makes an engrossing and thrilling film to watch with its many twists and turns and unexpected red herrings thrown in.

The casting of James Stewart and Doris Day in the leads was inspired and while some reviewers have complained about Doris Day being miscast in this role I believe she does an excellent job and in her career had often played women under a great deal of distress as seen in films like "Julie", and "Midnight Lace". "The Man Who Knew Too Much", relates the story of an American couple holidaying in Morocco after the doctor husband has attended a medical conference inParis. Once there they find themselves unknowingly involved in an elaborate assassination attempt to take place at a later date in London. Learning more than they want to about those involved, they find themselves the helpless targets of those wishing them to keep quiet about what they now know which results in their son being kidnapped and taken off to London to ensure the couples silence or else. The story climaxes in London where the two have gone in a desperate effort to uncover where their son is being held. The London sequences build to the climax to the story whereby it is revealed that the assassination attempt will take place during a performance at Royal Albert Hall and it becomes a race against time for the harrassed couple to save the targeted diplomat while still ensuring the safety of their captive son. The climax that takes place during the performance which is performed without any dialogue at all really is riverting Hitchcock at his very best and is one of Doris Day's finest moments as an actress.

The chemistry between James Stewart and Doris Day is wonderful and they make a very believable couple both in the beginning when they are ordinary tourists and then when the action shifts to where they find themselves hunting down the kidnappers and trying to foil the assassin. Doris indeed has a field day in the role as the anguished mother not knowing who she can trust, and her signature tune of "Que Sera Sera", also was especially created for this film. It figures importantly in the plot during the sequences when they are rescuing their son. Doris Day originally was very unimpressed with the lyrics of this song and wanted something else used in the story but as she admitted herself in her wonderful autobiography "Doris Day: Her Own Story", she was never more wrong about anything in her life and it not only became her signature tune but went on to win the Academy Award for best song that year.

The supporting cast help also to add weight to the dramatic proceedings and first and foremost the mysterious Drayton couple played by Brenda de Banzie and especially Bernard Miles are superb. Miles becomes a master of disguise throughtout the story turning from jovial tourist, to preacher, to accomplise to an assassin to great effect. It succeeds in keeping not only the worried parents but also us as the viewers wondering just who is to be trusted, what is actually real, and what will possibly happen next to surprise us. These twists and turns are the earmarks of a good thriller and here as the action accelerates Hitchcock does not disappoint us. Another strength in this story are the wonderful visuals provided by great on location photography in both Morocco and London. According to reports it was not an easy shoot for any members of the crew in particular during the Morocco sequences. The effort however was worth it as these locations add tremendously to the overall sense of mystery and danger in the story resulting in the interest in what is happening never letting up.

This Hitchcock thriller provides a very non-traditional role for Doris Day to tackle but it's one of her more appealing pieces of work in my opinion. Made just prior to her great success in the "bedroom comedies" such as the classic "Pillow Talk" it showed her dramatic talents like no other film has. If you love a good mystery with good acting, strong direction and eye popping locales then you can't go past Alfred Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much".

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Summary: Hitchcock at his best!
Review: I have seen many of Alfred Hitchcock's movies and this is my all-time favorite! It is very suspenseful and I would definitely recommend it!

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Summary: A great song
Review: The man who knew too much is the one film that was directed two times. This film is the second version. The story is slightly different form the first version. James Stewart and Doris Day are very good. The story is very simple but also so effective. The song titled "Che Sera Sera" is very very good. Do not hesitate to see this film.

Rating:
Summary: Never Too Much
Review: Hitchcock excels in this remake of The Man That Knew Too Much. In classic Alfred Hitchcock style, the film takes us to Africa and Europe while keeping us hot on trail. Suspense, glamour, star quality, and depth all make up this great sleeper.

Rating:
Summary: An Overshadowed Hitchcock Thriller
Review: Alfred Hitchcock has made so many superior films that have revolutionized cinema. Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, The 39 Steps and my personal favorites North By Northwest and Rebecca. The Man Who Knew Too Much somewhat falls behind in light of these exceptional films. This movie remains a Hitchcock thriller to a tee. Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day are great, suspense and twists are well filmed and plotted. And by the way anything Hitchcock has made is far superior to almost any film every film made in the past 25 years. It's well-worth everyone's time to discover the genious of Alfred Hitchcock.

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Summary: A Man Revisited
Review: It isn't often that directors have the chance to remake/update a film that they themselves made. Such is the case with Alfred Hitchcock's THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. The director first made the film in 1934. Some 21 years later, he decided to make it again, because he was never fully satisfied with the way the original turned out...

The film is very typical for a Hitchcock motion picture. There's humor, suspense, and a solid script by screenwriter John Michael Hayes. Stewart and Day give fine performances. Doris Day not only gets to test her acting skills in a dramatic role, she also sings one of her signature tunes, "Que, Sera, Sera", for the first time as well. The climax of the film is a shot for shot recreation of the 1934 film and remains a classic. Hitchcock preferred this version, over the original, saying that "the first film was made by an amatuer, while the remake was made by a professional"

The DVD has a great retrospective documentary that looks at the film with crew interviews. There's a publicity and production photo gallery, production notes, cast and crew bios, and vintage theatrical trailers, the make up the extras on the disc. A must for any Hitchcock fan. The film may not be as talked about as some of the other movies by the director, but it's still a good flick

Rating:
Summary: Hitchcock's Second Act
Review: Alfred Hitchcock's remake of his own "The Man Who Knew Too Much" has much to recommend it. Although some may miss the swift pacing of the 1934 original, this version provides the viewer with the leisure to absorb the gorgeous Moroccan locations, and the opportunity to get further inside the lives of the desperate parents. Although Stewart gives a strong performance, Doris Day dominates the picture. Abandoning all her quirky, comic mannerisms, Day turns in startlingly grounded performance as the frightened mother. She never gave a stronger performance.

In all fairness, the film runs too long, and although the tension mounts and subsides at all the proper moments, the family's plight never fully engages the viewer. The famous Albert Hall sequence provides more than enough suspense, but, until the day I die, I will never accept that any theatre would allow a ticketless woman displaying severe signs of mental disturbance to stand in the rear of the auditorium during any performance- let alone one attended by a head of State.

Rating:
Summary: HEART RENDERING HIRCHCOCK
Review: 1956'S THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is Hitchcock's effective remake of his own 1934 version. An American couple (James Stewart and Doris Day) visiting Morocco have their young son kidnapped as part of an international murder plot which they can not help but be drawn into. Doris Day's performance is brilliant as the mother whose son has been taken from her. Her initial reaction to the news is almost unbearable to watch. This film is very suspenseful and disturbing, as the odds against the family regaining their boy seem insurmountable as the film progresses. This is reinforced by Bernard Herrmann's almost minimal score, which adds an undercurrent of discomfort to the psyche of the viewer. There are some very memorable scenes such as when James Stewart is followed by echoing footsteps in the empty London streets on his way to finding Ambrose Chappell. The suspenseful Albert Hall assassination scenes are brilliantly filmed and edited. The face of Reggie Nalder as Rien the Assassin is unforgettable. Brenda de Banzie turns in a complex performance as Mrs. Drayton. Bernard Miles as Mr. Drayton also gives an effective performance through the various identities he goes through. And that is one of the strengths of this film: people and places are not exactly as they seem. Characters constantly evolve. Some grow in strength while others are mere shadows of virtue.