Customer Reviews

The Man Who Knew Too Much (Widescreen)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Definatly not his best of the period. Easily rivaled by "To Catch a Thief" and "North By Northwest". However it can't be denied that Jimmy Stewarts staitforward charm is, as always, enjoyable. Watch the original (1934) for a real treat. Peter Lorre as the villian rivals anything seen in this movie.

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.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Format: Color
Studio: Universal Studios
Video Release Date: August 3, 1999

Cast:

James Stewart ... Dr. Ben McKenna
Doris Day ... Jo McKenna
Brenda De Banzie ... Lucy Drayton
Bernard Miles ... Edward Drayton
Ralph Truman ... Buchanan
Daniel Gélin ... Louis Bernard
Mogens Wieth ... Ambassador
Alan Mowbray ... Val Parnell
Hillary Brooke ... Jan Peterson
Christopher Olsen ... Hank McKenna
Reggie Nalder ... The assassin
Richard Wattis ... Assistant manager
Noel Willman ... Woburn
Alix Talton ... Helen Parnell
Yves Brainville ... Police inspector
Carolyn Jones ... Cindy Fontaine
Harry Fine ... Edington
Alex Frazer ... Man
Wolf Frees ... Aide to the foreign Prime Minister
Milton Frome ... Guard
Leo Gordon ... Chauffer
Walter Gotell ... Guard
Frank Atkinson ... Taxidermist
Bernard Herrmann ... Himself (conductor)
Alfred Hitchcock ... Man in Morocco marketplace
George Howe ... Ambrose Chappell Sr

Harold Kasket ... Butler
Barry Keegan ... Patterson
Lou Krugman ... Arab
Lloyd Lamble ... General manager of Albert Hall
Donald Lawton ... Desk clerk
Mayne Lynton ... Taxidermist
John Barrard ... Taxidermist
Edward Manouk ... French waiter
Richard Marner ... Aide to the foreign Prime Minister
John Marshall ... Butler
Lewis Martin ... Detective
Louis Mercier ... French policeman
Ralph Neff ... Henchman
Leslie Newport ... Inspector at Albert Hall
John O'Malley ... Uniformed attendant
Liddell Peddieson ... Taxidermist
Arthur Ridley ... Ticket collector
Patrick Aherne ... Handyman
Eric Snowden ... Special Branch officer
Alexi Bobrinskoy ... Foreign Prime Minister
Guy Verney ... Footman
Anthony Warde ... French policewoman
Patrick Whyte ... Special Branch officer
Peter Williams ... Police sergeant
Richard Wordsworth ... Ambrose Chappell Jr
Allen Zeidman ... Assistant manager
Clifford Buckton ... Sir Kenneth Clarke
Peter Camlin ... Headwaiter
Abdelhaq Chraibi ... Arab
Gladys Holland ... Bernard's girlfriend
Barbara Howitt ... Soloist in Albert Hall sequence
Enid Lindsey ... Lady Clarke
Janet Macfarlane ... Lady in audience
Betty Bascomb ... Edna
Elsa Palmer ... Cook
Mahin S. Shahrivar ... Arab woman
Alma Taylor ... Box office woman
Janet Bruce ... Box office woman
Naida Buckingham ... Lady in audience
Barbara Burke ... Assassin's girlfriend
Pauline Farr ... Ambassador's wife
Bess Flowers ... Woman in Hotel Lobby

On vacation in Marrakech, Morocco, Dr. Ben McKenna (James Stewart), his wife Jo (Doris Day) and their son Hank (Chrisopher Olson), meet a secret agent, Louis Bernard (Daniel Gélin) who is killed because he is in possession of a secret: a statesman is about to be assassinated in London. Before he dies, he confides in McKenna some of the details. To keep the doctor quiet, the
bad guys grab his son, Hank, and threaten his life.

This is the story as it unfolds. Hitchcock does his usual fine job of keeping up the tension, and of course Stewart and Day do their usual excellent job of acting. This is a superb thriller, and endlessly entertaining.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

When this film was made, people were confused at the choice of Doris Day as the mother whose son is kidnapped. However, Doris Day is outstanding in this, and very convincing. She is more than just 'funny girl' actor who appeared in so many comedies.

The film does however suffer from being very dated. It starts off well, but goes pair-shaped halfway through. I'm not a fan of James Stewart, and wonder why Hitchcock used him so often. Didn't he realise that there were other actors around? He acted the same in all his films. Yawn!

The DVD is features packed. There's a "Making Of," Trailors and nice anamorphic transfer. Some reviews have criticised the transfer, but i actually think it is much cleaner than the supposedly restored "Vertigo" withDVD.

Alfred Hitchcock did a wonderful job on this 1935 remake of The Man Who Know Too Much. Dr. Ben McKenna, played by James Stewart, his wife, Jo (Doris Day), and their son are vacationing in French Morocco. They meet up with many suspicious charaters, but they befriend one man, played by Daniel Gelin. Their friend was a detective and was shot in front of many people while in the midst of trying to solve a case. Then the McKenna's son is kidnapped by some other "friends". The police aren't helping with the case so Ben decides to figure out who the kidnappers are by himself. This is the only Alfred Hitchcock film in which a song is sung. The song "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" won an Acadamey Award. Doris Day's acting is brilliant. She really got me to feel like I was her. That my son had just been kidnapped and I could not go on living. The movie was so good that I cried because I was deeply affected by the charaters feelings and emotions. This is one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock thirllers and one of my favorite Doris Day films.

Alfred Hitchcock remade his own 1934 motion picture. The black & white 75 minute version was good. But now we have this glorious Technicolor 1956 version with a new cast and is 2 hours long. Doris Day and James Stewart are traveling to Marrakech with their son, Hank (Christopher Olsen). Aboard the bus, their son accidentially had removed the black veil (absolutly forbidden) of a native woman. A Mr. Louis Bernard (Daniel Gelin) steps in to save the boy and his parents from disaster. Mr. Bernard turns out to be a kind man from France and helps the family on their vacation. There first stop is in Morocco. Doris is very suspicious of Mr. Bernard because he asks so many questions. Her husband assures his wife it's just small conversation. While the couple goes to dinner without Mr. Bernard, who had a sudden matter to attend to, they meet a couple at dinner who befriends them and helps with dinner etiquette and shopping at the Trade
Market Place. Ultimatly, the couple gets involved in a murder mystery.
This is an excellent Alfred Hitchcock motion picture. Very serious. Doris Day ofers a fine dramatic performance. She also debuts the tune, "Que Sera Sera", which plays a very key role in the film. Christopher Olsen was also in "I'll See You In My Dreams" (1951) and is the brother of Susan Olsen of "The Brady Bunch" tv series.

Jo McKenna (Doris Day), and her husband Dr. Ben McKenna (James Stewart), and their little son Hank McKenna (Christopher Olson) go on holiday to a small mid eastern country! While their they get tied up in a fight for right full of intrigue, kidnapping, murder! Their they meet a detective that is on the tail of an American Family supposedly going to be bombing the British Royalty He first expects the McKenna family but then he is mysteriously murdered! They then find out that their dear friends that they make are actually the people who are planning the nasty deed! Well they kidnap Hank and Jo and Ben follow them to London this movie has a touching ending! Jo is playing Que Sera Sera at a big party in London at Buckingham Palace and Hank hears it and Hank's captors wife tells him to whistel the tune and he does it and Ben hears it and follows the tune up to find his son! Great classic movie and Tear Jerker! I highly suggest it to everyone!

'The Man Who Knew too Much' is supposed to be one of Alfred Hitchcock' best films, but I don't remember being too impressed by it. Watch it for the sake of seeing James Stewart on the screen. It is always a pleasure to see him up there.

The McKenna's are on vacation in Europe and they have decided on visiting the lively north African country Morocco where Dr. Ben McKenna (James Stewart) once was stationed during World War II. On the trip to the city of Marrakech the family meets Louis Bernard through an accident caused by Hank, their son. Louis seems to be very interested in the who they are and what do. Jo (Doris Day), Bens wife, thinks it seems odd that a man wants to know so much, but do not disclose anything about himself. Later on the McKenna's meet another British couple who they spend the day with, and during the day in a large marketplace Louis appears dying from a stab wound. Before Louis dies he reveals for Ben through a whisper that a murder is about to take place in London. However, someone kidnaps Hank, so Ben and Jo have to approach the dangerous situation with caution. The Man Who Knew Too Much provides suspense that is built up slowly, but done so with shrewd awareness of what the audience expects. This leaves the audience with a noteworthy cinematic experience, however, the film is still far from Hitchcock's best creations.

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.