Big Screen Peter: The Man Who Knew Too Much

Editor’s note: Peter Lewis has agreed to use whatever it is you call his writing style to provide some measure of analysis to those folks who still go to a theater to see a movie. Enjoy.

review by Peter Lewis

Alfred Hitchcock is without a doubt one of the greatest directors in film history. His oeuvre is littered with classics. Even those that don’t quite make the "classic" grade are undeniably great. Throughout his productive career, there are very few turkeys. While this is certainly effusive praise, it’s by no means novel. That the Academy Awards failed to ever award Hitchcock with a Best Director win is a grave mistake.

While films like “Psycho” or “Vertigo” (justifiably) garner the most recognition, there are countless gems that slip unnoticed by many casual fans. The 1956 remake of “The Man Who Knew Too Much” is one of those gems.

Set in Morocco, the film features James Stewart and Doris Day as the vacationing Dr. and Mrs. Ben McKenna. They are accompanied by their son, Hank on their travels. Like many Hitchcock films, the initial premise is basic. In this case, a dying stranger imparts a cryptic message regarding an assassination attempt in London.

While the plot itself may be simple, the unfolding story is expertly laid out. Within the first few minutes of the film, the personalities of the individual characters are easily realized. Hank is precocious and endearingly humorous; Ben is affable and intelligent, yet somehow blissfully unaware in social situations. Thanks to her former career as a vocalist, Jo is more urbane and thus slightly more suspicious of the world. Together they constitute a heady grouping of genuine affection necessary to make the film a success.

Hitchcock earned the "master of suspense” sobriquet through his innovative cinematography and masterful grasp of storytelling and human emotion. The camera work on Hitchcock films resonates beyond the simple viewing. The closing scenes in “Vertigo” and “Notorious,” Cary Grant running from the crop dusting plane in “North By Northwest,” and of course the shower scene in “Psycho” — these are all remembered and revered by audiences. Hitchcock was tireless in his search for greatness and we are all beneficiaries as a result.

This particular film grants viewers no shortage of masterful shots (i.e. the shot of a rousing Day through a small mirror) and suspenseful framings. As the film tensely creeps towards its finish, the fate of those involved hangs in the balance. That the possible outcome is even in question is a mighty testament to the director and his uncompromising style.

It’s rare for a sequel to surpass an original. This is in large part due to the associations people have with a film. One is accustomed to a certain production and it becomes the benchmark. Living up to it is damned impossible. In the case of this remake, the second edition is much, much better.

As an audience we can thank this inspired casting decisions. No doubt, Peter Lorre, Edna Best, and Leslie Banks are fine players, but the first film lacked a certain joie de vivre that the second has in spades. There is greatness in the cinematography, but with Hitchcock, that greatness is expected. His innovative shots are so essential to his productions that they are often overlooked in a casual viewing. Thus one is left with the performances of those captured on screen.

From the loving nature of Day and the beautiful use of her voice, to the frantic behavior of a frightened father and the comedic relief of unexpected visitors, “The Man Who Knew Too Much” overflows with classic portrayals of striking characters.

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