Film Review: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

The practice of Hollywood remaking the works of grand masters of cinema is a topic frowned upon by hardcore cinephiles. However, it is a slightly different matter when such grandmasters are those who have done the remaking themselves. Alfred Hitchcock is a notable example with The Man Who Knew Too Much, a 1934 thriller made in his native Britain. Nearly two decades later, in 1956, he remade it at the peak of his Hollywood career.

The nominal protagonist, played by James Stewart, is Dr. Benjamin “Ben” McKenna, an American physician who uses the opportunity to vacation in Morocco with his wife, former singer Josephine “Jo” Conway McKenna (played by Doris Day), and their young son Henry “Hank” McKenna (played by Christopher Olsen). On the way to Marrakesh, they meet a charming but enigmatic Frenchman named Louis Bernard (played by Daniel Gelin). This is the start of strange events that culminate with Bernard being stabbed to death on the street. Before dying, he gives Ben a cryptic message about an upcoming assassination in London. Before the McKennas can convey this information to the authorities, Hank is abducted, and they are told to keep their mouths shut. Ben concludes that the abduction was conducted by Lucy (played by Brenda De Banzie) and Edward Drayton (played by Bernard Miles), an English couple that they had met. They travel to London and get in touch with Scotland Yard but ultimately decide to look for Hank themselves.

The Man Who Knew Too Much isn't among Hitchcock's top thrillers, but it is definitely better than the earlier version, at least in strictly technical terms. Armed with a much bigger budget, Hitchcock employs Technicolor and VistaVision widescreen format, which, together with authentic Moroccan locations, makes the film visually very appealing.

The bigger budget also meant that Hitchcock could use big Hollywood stars like his old associate James Stewart. He is partnered by Doris Day, an actress and singer who was at the top of her popularity at the time. In order to utilize her talents, Hitchcock had the script by John Michael Hays make Jo's character a singer. This allowed Day to sing "Que Serra, Serra," a song that would become the biggest and most recognizable hit of her entire career and later win an Oscar for Best Original Song.

"Que Serra, Serra" is more than fan service, and it actually plays an important part in the final segments of the film. Actually, much of the film is built around the music, including a scene of a concert at Royal Albert Hall, exactly as in the 1934 version. The scene used Arthur Benjamin's cantata, which was made for the previous film. Legendary composer and Hitchcock's associate Bernard Herrmann provides a very atmospheric soundtrack and appears himself as conductor in the concert scene.

The Man Who Knew Too Much was a big success at the box office, while the critics were somewhat less enthusiastic, with some claiming that the 1934 film was better. There are some valid arguments for that; the 1956 version has issues with pacing, especially during the sections that take place in Morocco and during the concert scene, which contributes to its two-hour running time. Another issue where the 1934 film looks slightly superior is the relative lack of black humour, especially in the second part of the film.

Despite these flaws, and despite the general pro-family and conservative tone that makes this version of The Man Who Knew Too Much somewhat less “Hitchcockian” than usual, it is still a very good film, albeit not among Hitchcock's best works. Hitchcock himself, during the famous interview by Truffaut, described the old version as “a work of a talented amateur and the second as a work of professional.” Today's viewers, who are likely to be as thrilled and entertained as the audience many decades ago, are likely to agree with that assessment.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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