The Man Who Knew Too Much [PG]

Whilst vacationing in Morocco with his wife Jo and son Hank, Dr. Ben McKenna becomes entangled in a plot of international espionage when a Frenchman they met on a bus the day before is murdered and, before he dies, whispers to Ben of an assassination plot to take place in London. Unsure what to do with the information, the McKenna’s holiday takes yet a further turn when Hank is kidnapped so as to ensure Ben withholds his knowledge from the authorities. Before long, Ben and Jo are heading to London determined to save their boy, unaware that they are entangled in a plot bigger than they realise. 

It’s rare to hear of a director who remakes one of his own films, indeed this is the first time I’ve ever seen it, but Hitchcock’s 1956 remake of his 1934 classic stands as a lavish and delicious course in the smorgasbord that make up the Master of Suspense’s repertoire. Injected with the perfect amounts of intrigue, drama, suspense, and comedy, The Man Who Knew Too Much is a wonderful film that had me withholding breath, laughing at the inside-gags, and clapping happily throughout. 

Whilst vacationing in Morocco with his wife Jo and son Hank, Dr. Ben McKenna becomes entangled in a plot of international espionage when a Frenchman they met on a bus the day before is murdered and, before he dies, whispers to Ben of an assassination plot to take place in London. Unsure what to do with the information, the McKenna’s holiday takes yet a further turn when Hank is kidnapped so as to ensure Ben withholds his knowledge from the authorities. Before long, Ben and Jo are heading to London determined to save their boy, unaware that they are entangled in a plot bigger than they realise. 

Whilst the original film sits strong with its wit, suspense, and memorable performances, the remake stands up and peacockly struts its lavish colour, grandiose soundtrack, and subtle jab at the gender implications that stem from the title. What’s most in-cheek funny is the fact that Ben McKenna is a man who knows too much – or at least thinks he does – when it is in fact his wife that sets them on the trail to finding their son whilst Ben’s theories lead him on wild goose chases, which at least he had to courtesy to go on alone. 

There are some highly memorable Hitchcockian shots that keep the film elevated within the realm of genius including a marvellously suspenseful shot from the point of view of the cymbalist: blinkered by the two large cymbals, all we can see is the conductor (funnily enough played by composer Bernard Herrmann) wielding his baton in a fantastic streamlined view. Cunning close-ups and slow-moving shots really round out the suspense and you find yourself grinning with absolute anticipation! Both 

James Stewart and Doris Day deliver wonderful performances as Ben and Jo McKenna with Doris being a true mother, dancing with her little boy as the two of them sing Que Sera Sera (this by the way is the film where that song comes from). Her hysteria scenes are great and she and Stewart really play well off each other. Stewart delivers the comedic lines with grace and impeccable timing and the climactic scene where both he and Day are having a heated conveyance of the assassination plot just before it happens is particularly brilliant because all the hysteria is muted and all we can hear is the choir and orchestra. Brilliant! 

Starring Brenda De Banzie, Bernard Miles, Ralph Truman, Daniel Gelin, Mogens Wieth, Alan Mowbray, Hillary Brooke, Christopher Olsen, Reggie Nalder, Richard Wattis, Noel Willman, Alix Talton, and Yves Brainville, The Man Who Knew Too Much is a wonderful film filled with action, drama, murder, mystery, suspense, and comedy. It’s another classic in the Hitchcock canon and I absolutely loved it!