Rating: 
Summary: Middle-of-the-road Hitch, with a few moments of glory
Review: With Hitchcock at the helm, no film can be truly awful, but despite some fine sequences, this offering is a little disappointing. The first section of the movie is played like a marital comedy, with some light banter between Stewart and Day, and a musical number thrown in to showcase Day's singing talents. It is mostly banal, though little by little, a few cracks begin to appear as we see that there are tensions in their marriage. Soon, however, an opportunity arises for Stewart to resolve the tensions by proving his virility: like the true man he feels he ought to be, he sets off in search of kidnapped son, Hank, after the pair find themselves entangled in international espionage and an assassination plot. It is here that the awaited suspense and thrills begin after a rather slow and humdrum start.The middle section of the film is the most successful, exhibiting all the flair we have come to expect from Hitchcock. The twenty or so minutes either side of the suspense, however, are merely tedious. The last reel prolongs the film unnecessarily, far beyond what seems like the natural climax (the Albert Hall sequence). By then we are anxiously tapping our feet, waiting for it all to be over. Nevertheless, the REAL finale (appearing some twenty minutes before the end) is one of Hitchcock's finest and most glorious moments. Filmed on location at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the suspense is palpable, and the effect, quite breathtaking. The entire sequence is a brilliantly articulate combination of editing (George Tomasini), camerawork (Robert Burks) and music (from the 1934 version by Arthur Benjamin, though conducted live on film by Bernard Herrmann, who composed the rest of the score, in a unique cameo). Even the dreadfully miscast Doris Day's overacting does not reduce the overall impact. How can I not recommend this film? It is not all it could be, but it is certainly worth watching the whole for a few stretches of style between the moments of mediocrity.
Rating: 
Summary: Some Parts Don't Add Up, Though...
Review: ...even though on the whole, it's a good movie. The part that doesn't make sense to me is the plot device of wife Doris Day's having been a singing star before her marriage to James Stewart. Yet when we first encounter her in the bus with Stewart and afterwards, she seems only like a doctor's wife. Then comes the info that before she tied the knot, she was known throughout Europe. Well, how realistic is that? How many singing stars just chuck it all to marry a doc from Indianapolis and then go on about how her trip to Morocco was paid for by an appendectomy? It just wouldn't ever have happened, period. I think (and this doesn't spoil anything for those who haven't seen the movie; they can just hold this idea in their mind) a better way to have worked this was that she IS a singing star still, but her doctor husband is a RICH doctor, not some country bumpkin type. Because she's not travelling under her stage name, that's why the secret agent makes his initial mistake about the two couples. Everything else that hinges upon her singing can fall into place neatly after that. Otherwise, "The Man Who Knew Too Much" has lots of suspenseful moments, very much in the vein of "North by Northwest". Yet, it is not as good as that movie, because it seems more episodic, less like a single thread. Really, the movie is one big chase scene, as Doris and Jimmy track down the kidnappers of their son from Morocco to the Albert Hall and beyond. I will say, though, that the movie really is Doris'. The husband could've been played by anyone--all the intensity is contained within her. She is quite excellent in the scene when he tells her that the child has been kidnapped. I guess she can be considered yet another talent not fully utilized in Hollywood, acting-wise. She got to be hysterical again in "Midnight Lace", but I'm sure she could move beyond hysteria into something else--although I thought she did a poor job in "Love Me or Leave Me" with another James, James Cagney. Closing remark: Should've been "The Woman Who Found Out Too Much", but still entertaining.
Rating: 
Summary: A teriffic movie that should be a masterpiece!
Review: This movie is very suspensful, has a good plot, and has a good amount of action. I loved the rol of Dorris Day and Jim Stewart, and all the others. Also, this movie is quite scary at times, but still it can't be turned down, no matter how scary. Well, I don't want to spoil this teriffic Hitchcock, so you'll have to experience "The Essential Hitchcock" yourself. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Hitchcock Sleeper Classic now on WIDESCREEN DVD!!!!
Review: The 1956 Widescreen Color "The Man Who Knew Too Much" is a remake of Hitch's 1934 Standard Screen Black & White British version. (Hitch didn't come to the United States until 1939). As he stated, "the 1934 version was directed by an amateur and the 1956 version by a professional." This was to be the second of 5 brilliant films made from 1954 - 1960. (the others are; Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959) & Psycho (1960)). This was Hitchcock at his best, in fact these last 4 were voted to AFI's (American Film Institute's) top 100 films in the last 100 years (1998). So you can see why "The Man Who Knew Too Much" was overlooked. A definite sleeper classic!!! Summary: James Stewart, wife Doris Day and son are on a vacation in Morocco. They are accidently swept up in an assassination plot to occur in London. The assassin group kidnaps their son as insurance of their silence and hold him hostage. Doris Days rare dramatic role is outstanding and her singing the Oscar winning song, ("Que Sera, Sera") high light this brilliant spy thriller. Jimmy Stewarts natural acting ability (Hitchcocks favorite male actor) pulls off being Doris Days husband. The Anamorphic Widescreen Color presentation is excellent. The "Making of - with Patricia Hitchocks (Hitch's daughter) comments is very interesting & informative.
Rating:
Summary: Should be placed on par with Hitchcock's other greats
Review: Although not always tauted as heavily as films like Vertigo, Psycho, Rear Window, North By Northwest, etc. this movie is every bit as stunning. You will not be disappointed. Hitch uses the music aspect directly in the plot to add a very original flair. Stewart is amazing, as usual, navigating a simple but highly effective plot. The restoration/dvd transfer looks quite good.
Rating:
Summary: My Favoirte Hitchcock Film
Review: "The Man Who Knew Too Much" is another of those classic Hitchcock thrillers. It has all the ingredients: a suspenseful plot, first-class acting, dramatic scenes, even great locations and an award-winning song. With all this going for it, though, it just doesn't have quite the impact (in my opinion, anyway) of films like "Psycho", Rear Window", "Vertigo" or "North By Northwest". Perhaps, as somebody else has pointed out, it's because of the "weepy" character portrayed by Doris Day. Sometimes you want to just give her a good shake and tell her to pull herself together. But, who's to say how weepy a woman should be whose child has been kidnapped by terrorists. Perhaps it's because the assasins seem, when all is said and done, a little less ruthless than they ought to be. Still, this is an excellent movie. The scene in the Royal Albert Hall, leading up to the assasination attempt, is justifiably famous and a great example of Hitchcock's ability to draw out a key scene for maximum dramatic impact. He had truly mastered his craft by this point in his career. While I don't consider this film quite the equal of Hitchcock's greatest movies (for example, the four listed above), it is still nmuch better than the average flick. Maybe just a hair short of a full five stars. Say, five minus, but not enough to drop it down to four plus.
Rating:
Summary: One of few remakes that surpass the original...
Review: I am a great fan of this film. I feel that it is truly one of Hitchcock's best films (I do prefer Vertigo and Notorious, for sure though). It's hugely entertaining and exceptionally involving. The film begins almost as a travelogue, and lulls you into a relative ease as you get to know the average American family that makes up the picture's leads. By the time the suspense begins, you're truly involved in the plot. Doris Day gives an exceptionally convincing performance. The plot merely connects together a string of set pieces, but those sequences are masterfully done. The film is scored well and looks great (making you wonder why Technicolor ever went out of style). I give it my highest reccomendation, and think it would appeal to nearly anyone.
Rating:
Summary: fun, but dated
Review: I was surprised by how weak the story was, for a suspense classic. James Stewart was very entertaining but not especially sympathetic as the loud-mouthed, confrontational, trouble-making stereotype of 1950s American self-righteousness. The much-lauded Albert Hall scene is a flop, suspenseful only because it pointlessly and artlessly postpones its climax. Still, it's a fun movie for all its flaws, and worth checking out.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Suspense.
Review: The plot is great and so much better than Hitchcock's original. Doris Day is great and James Stewart is too, as usual. For some reason, it seems like his characters are always the same in his films with Hitchcock.
Rating:
Summary: A proper restoration is urgently needed for this masterpiece
Review: THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is one of the rare films that Hitchcock started to shoot without a finished script (please read the book by Bill Krohn, HITCHCOCK at WORK), and he allowed James Stewart and Doris Day to improvise certain scenes. The reslut is amaizing, and proves the tremendous talent of those two actors. The scene in which Stewart tells Day about the kidnapping of their son is a perfect example; Stewart who plays a doctor gives her tranquilizer pills before breaking the news! These rich details permit Hitchcock to go more deeper than a very well made thriller which the original 1930's version was. The subtle tension between the couple makes them more believable, real and likable, and makes this film more engaging and ultimately more rich and emotional, because you believe in them inspite of the extraorodinary situations they are in. It's one of the most perfect Hitchcock film. In the making-of documentary of REAR WINDOW, restorationists Robert Harris and James Katz warn us about the horrible condition THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. I guess they're right. While the transfer of this DVD is quite descent, the film elements from which this DVD is made are not in the best of condition. It looks like everything that can be done on electronic-digital domain is done to make the film look as beautiful as possible, but certain things could be done only by working on the film elements themselves. Alreday in the credit sequence, you would notice that the yellow on the letters are practically gone. More problems occurs on the composite shot done by back projection. They simply look, well, composite images, because they have badly faded. Now, Hitch and his regular cinematographer Bob Burks were masters of this illusionary technic. They would have not allowed the screen-processed scenes look as bad as this. Their magic of combining location footage (here, a lot of great shots from Morocco and London) hurts terribly because of the time that has passed. Judging from the opening logo which is an Universal one, it is obvious that this transfer was created from the early 80's re-release version. Originally, the film should have a Paramanount logo followed by the VistaVision logo (which itself looks great; I love that). I only hope that the original camera negatives and other film elements stay in a much better shape than this. And I do hope that Universal would ask Harris and Katz or somebody to do something about resucuing this masterpiece from being completely lost. For those who love the music of Bernard Herrmann as much as the films of his best partner Hitchcock, you can see the great master realising the dream of his life---to become a concert conductor; he is the conductor at the climatic Albert hall concert scenes.
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