The Man Who Knew Too Much

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was very disappointed with this movie, having seen several other Hitchcock movies and enjoying them thoroughly. Doris Day was annoyingly weepy and helpless throughout this movie. The Albert Hall scene especially annoyed me for two main reasons. First, Doris Day standing and weeping for 5+ minutes straight instead of telling someone who could protect the target. The second thing was that while both the music and the shots of the musicians were wonderfully dramatic, they were not in sync. There is a prolonged shot of the timpani player playing what appears to be a dramatic cadential ending, yet the soundtrack has no audible timpani at that point, certainly nothing as marked as what the timpanist is shown playing.

Rating:
Summary: One of Hitchcock's best
Review: This is one of the best Hitchcock films, though not as well known as Rear Window and Vertigo. I highly recommend it and think you'll want to add it to your own collection. The thing that I find most interesting is how wonderful Jimmy Stewart is. He can play anything from a sweet Frank Capra movie to a bizarre Hitchcock flick like this.

Get this: Stewart plays a pharmacist who drugs his own wife just to shut her up - but we still care about him because it's Jimmy!

Rating:
Summary: Among Hitch's most popular, but...
Review: It proves the rule of remakes; the remake isn't as good as the original.

Some will no doubt find this surprising, but "The Man Who Knew Too Much" was first a Brit film, also directed by Hitchcock. No "Que Sara Sara" here, as excellent a song as it is. This movie ended with a gun battle, and while it seems slow by today's standards, it still holds up remarkably well.

To be fair, this movie is pretty good as well, but it's hardly his best. This is Hitchcock you can watch with Grandma; for his better stuff, check out "Rear Window" and, of course, "Psycho."

Rating:
Summary: I could never understand . . .
Review: why so many movie "critics" feel the first version is superior to this terrific, entertaining, exciting color version. Besides the suspenseful Albert Hall sequence, there are so many truly Hitchcock moments: the dark make-up coming off the man's face onto Stewart's hands symbolizing, if you wish, transferrence of the dangerous and burdensome secret that is whispered for Stewart's ears only (but the audience gets to hear); the search for Ernest Chapel; and the climactic sequence in the embassy that echoes the staircase climax in "Notorious". As Doris Day sings louder and louder for her young son to hear the song that he loved to hear her sing as she put him to bed (and that's the reason for the song initially, to set up this climax!) her voice gets farther and farther away as Hitch's camera cuts (not moves, as in "Frenzy") up the staircase and through the halls as we get closer to the boy and his captor(s). I used to wait until this film was shown on TV (even in B&W) and then take the phone off the hook so as not to be disturbed. Then I got my copy on tape and then laser, all of which were very good. And there is no disappontment in the DVD. Excellent Hitchcock, and even he prefers the re-make over the original, they say!

Rating:
Summary: HITCHCOCK'S "MAN" A "MASTER"PIECE
Review: The "Master of Suspense", Alfred Hitchcock, hits another bullseye with his 1956 production of "The Man Who Knew Too Much". Purists have been known to complain that they prefer Hitchcock's original 1934 version of the story to the lavish, widescreen, color version starring James Stewart and Doris Day, but if viewed side by side, both films stand on their own as classic Hitchcock.

The 1956 "Man" unfolds like a beautiful book, methodically, deliberately, and compellingly. Stewart plays an American doctor and Day is his wife, a retired singer. They are vacationing with their young son, Hank, in Morocco, when they become embroiled in an International incident involving a planned assasination. Their son is kidnapped and taken to London. Day and Stewart follow, where they attempt to get some answers and to locate their son, on their own, without the help offered by Scotland Yard. The film reaches it's exciting climax during a concert at Albert Hall in which Day suddenly realizes what is about to occur.

Without giving away some of the intricate plot twists and turns, "The Man Who Knew Too Much" is like a breathtaking ride on a state of the art rollercoaster. You cannot help but get caught up in the plight of Stewart and Day.

James Stewart and Doris Day seem like a real married couple, so easy and comfortable is their onscreen chemistry. They banter and interact convincingly but there is also a strong indication that there may be some tensions lurking beneath the outer veneer. Both actors play their roles with expertise and Day, in particular, shows range and versatility in her performance, being especially memorable in the justly celebrated Albert Hall scene and in an earlier scene when Stewart informs her that their son has been kidnapped. The growing realization as to what he is telling her is reflected in Day's facial reactions.

Hitchcock has once again assembled a first-rate cast of supporting players including his long time musical collaborator, Bernard Herrmann, who appears onscreen for the first time, playing himself while conducting an original piece of music during the Albert Hall sequence. The team of Livingston and Evans composed a song for Day to sing to her son as part of the plot. The tune, "Whatever Will Be, Will Be"(Que Sera, Sera), became a megahit, selling millions of records, winning an Oscar as best song and becoming one of Day's signature tunes. It plays an intricate role in the storyline, being introduced naturally and being reprised as part of the picture's denouement.

The queues that formed at box-offices all over the world when "The Man Who Knew Too Much" opened in the summer of 1956, were a tribute to the talents of Hitchcock, Day, and Stewart, and to the public's continuing fascination with quality entertainment. To this day, the film remains one of Hitchcock's best films from his 1950's period. A movie that is well worth viewing.

Rating:
Summary: A Fine Hitchcock Thriller!
Review: On vacation in Africa, a young couple (played by James Stewart & Doris Day) witness a murder. A man who they met a day earlier lies near death at their feet, but before he goes he whispers one thing to them, one thing they wish they never heard: "A man, a states man, will be assinated, soon, very soon, London, London"

With their son kidnapped, they have no choice but to go to London & find him. With the 'edge of your seat' assination scene, to the bueatiful acadamy award winning song of "Que Sera, Sera" this film has to be credited as one of Hitchcock's finest thrillers, along with 'Rear Window,' 'Wait Until Dark,' & 'Shadow of a Doubt.'

Rating:
Summary: I love Hitchcock, but...
Review: I can't believe some of the other reviewers are saying (presumably with a straight face) that this movie is "Hitchcock's finest?" Obviously they have not seen his masterpieces like "Rear Window" or "North by Northwest." This is a fairly pleasant movie with virtually no suspense and the last thirty minutes drag dreadfully. The sets are ridiculously phony... how about some location shots, Hitch?

Jimmy Stewart was a brilliant actor, but he's virtually wasted here. Doris Day was cute and sang a couple of nice songs but never for a moment was she believable in this role. What about the inconsistencies in the plot? If your little boy was kidnapped, would you *not* go to the police? What about the couple who kidnapped him who later turned out to be a Vicar and his wife in some parish church in England? How in the world do you explain that?

Would a world-class hired assassin miss? Never mind that an assassin would never attempt to kil his victim in a public theatre. John Wilkes Booth at least fired directly behind Lincoln, he wasn't three balconies away.

There are just too many such ridiculous elements in this movie to make it anything more than average.

Rating:
Summary: I loved this movie
Review: I loved this movie because it's supencefull and I love Hitchcock.This is highly recamended for a hitchcock fan.On a scale of 1 to 10 The Man Who Knew To Much gets a 10.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest thrillers ever made
Review: The movie offers a unique opportunity to see Stewart and Day in an tense, suspenseful setting. The action and intrigue begins very early in the movie and keep the viewer on the edge of his seat until the dramatic end. The acting is superb and Hitchcock's directing is flawless.

Rating:
Summary: Very Suspenseful
Review: I think that The Man Who Knew Too Much is one of Hitchcock's most suspenseful movies he has ever made. Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day give fine performances as the couple in the movie. The best part of the movie is when the assasination is about to happen. I was on the edge of my seat. The Man Who Knew Too Much is a great Hitchcock thriller, and I would definently recommened it!