Other Titles • The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) • Der Mann, der zuviel wußte (1956)
Synopses for The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
1.
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is Alfred Hitchcock's remake of his 1935 movie of the same name. While vacationing in French Morocco, an American family becomes accidentally involved in a series of international incidents after the father overhears an assassination plot. Compared with its predecessor, this version is lavish, with a larger budget and a much bigger cast. While maintaining Hitchcock's fascination with an average Joe caught up in menacing events, the characters portrayed by Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day put a spin on the story that highlights the 1950s sensibilities that influenced the remake.
Ben McKenna (Stewart), an American doctor, and his family stumble into the middle of an assassination plot while vacationing in Marrakech. When his son is kidnapped by the conspirators, McKenna must race against the clock to stop the murder and save his son's life. Stewart, as one might expect, gives a seamless performance as the average man thrown into exceptional circumstances. Day brings a bit of levity and performs the only musical number to appear in a Hitchcock film. (The song, "Que Sera, Sera," would win an Oscar and become a popular hit.) This later version of Hitchcock's suspenseful film also features the masterful Albert Hall sequence, arguably almost the equal of the renowned plane sequence in NORTH BY NORTHWEST.
(15 votes)
2.
American doctor Ben McKenna (James Stewart), his wife Jo (Doris Day) and their son Hank are on a holiday in Africa when a man they met the day before is stabbed and collapses at their feet. With his last words he tells Ben of an assassination plot to take place in London. Fearing their plan will be revealed, the terrorists kidnap Hank to keep the McKennas silent and carry him off to England--with Ben and Jo in pursuit. Alfred Hitchcock directed this color remake of his own 1934 original.
(15 votes)
3.
Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 remake of his own 1934 spy thriller is an exciting event in its own right, with several justifiably famous sequences. James Stewart and Doris Day play American tourists who discover more than they wanted to know about an assassination plot. When their son is kidnapped to keep them quiet, they are caught between concern for him and the terrible secret they hold. When asked about the difference between this version of the story and the one he made 22 years earlier, Hitchcock always said the first was the work of a talented amateur while the second was the act of a seasoned professional. Indeed, several extraordinary moments in this update represent consummate film-making, particularly a relentlessly exciting Albert Hall scene, with a blaring symphony, an assassin's gun, and Doris Day's scream. Along with Hitchcock's other films from the mid-1950s to 1960 (including Vertigo, Rear Window, and Psycho), The Man Who Knew Too Much is the work of a master in his prime. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
(15 votes)
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