Film Review: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

over 1 year ago (Edited)

(source: tmdb.org

Here is the text proofread in British English with appropriate changes:

Remakes are the least liked films among hardcore cinephiles, because they more often than not show lack of creativity, originality and similar qualities. Yet, even the greatest among the filmmakers were having remakes in their filmographies. That included even Alfred Hitchcock, the great Master of Suspense who not only directed a remake but actually remade his own work. The reason why might be found if someone is to watch his 1934 film The Man Who Knew Too Much.

The plot begins in the Swiss ski resort of St. Moritz, where the protagonist Bob Lawrence (played by Leslie Banks) came from London with his wife Jill (played by Edna Best) and adolescent daughter Betty (played by Nova Pilbeam) to spend holidays. The Lawrences befriend the charming Frenchman Louis Bernard (played by Pierre Fresnay) while Jill loses a clay pigeon shooting contest with the mysterious sharpshooter Ramon Levine (played by Frank Vosper). Louis is later killed by a sniper, but, before dying tells Jill about secret messages hidden in his room that must be given to the British consul. Bob finds it, but before he is able to provide the information to the authorities, learns that someone has abducted Betty and threatens her life in exchange for their silence. The Lawrences rush back to London where they are informed that Louis was actually a secret British agent on the trail of assassins that want to murder an important European diplomat. Bob and Jill decide to locate their daughter by themselves, with the help of their cousin Clive. During their quest, they encounter many bizarre characters led by the sinister-looking Abbott (played by Peter Lorre).

Directed by Hitchcock while he was still working in his native Britain, The Man Who Knew Too Much is often considered to be the most important if not the finest of the works from his early period. Originally devised as a film about the fictional gentleman adventurer Bulldog Drummond, this script was, due to issues with film rights, later adapted by Charles Bennett and D. B. Wyndham-Lewis. That allowed for The Man Who Knew Too Much to have an ordinary protagonist and Bob Lawrence perfectly fits into the Hitchcockian formula of "the ordinary man in an extraordinary situation". Hitchcock also employs lots of suspense, foreshadowing and even some humour, especially in the scenes that take place in the dentist's office. But Hitchcock's work is somewhat rough around the edges, and pales in comparison with his 1950s Hollywood triumphs. That is especially the case with the beginning that takes place in Switzerland and the somewhat overlong finale featuring the villains' shoot-out with the London police, clearly inspired by the real-life 1911 Siege of Sidney Street. Even the assassination scene, which is supposed to be the climax of the film, looks underwhelming despite Hitchcock trying to match his shots with Arthur Benjamin's cantata specifically composed for this film. The acting is, on the other hand, very good, especially in the case of Peter Lorre, the Austrian actor whose oozes creepiness and who, even without associations with the child-killing character in Lang's M, makes this film look disturbing in scenes when Abbott is with Betty. Despite its flaws, it is still a good film and it was recognised as such by the public which led to box office success and allowed Hitchcock, until then known mainly in his native Britain, to become famous on the international level. Hitchcock, however, wasn't happy with his film and in 1956 directed a better known Hollywood remake starring James Stewart and Doris Day.

RATING: 6/10 (++)