The Man Who Knew Too Much [DVD] [1956]

For a mere mortal to write a review of any of Hitchcock's masterpieces feels embarrassingly presumptuous and inappropriate; suffice it to say that none of the above five stars was awarded idly.Nearly everything this man directed is worth a look. Yes, there are a few mis-firing “Hitch” pictures: the lackluster Topaz and the one-joke Trouble With Harry (oddly, the latter was one of the master's favorites) but this picture belongs to Div. I of the American period. It's a remake of one of his earliest black-and-white talkies, and features a classic Jimmy Stewart performance. (He plays opposite Doris Day, pictured.)Here, as so often, Stewart plays a man with a lot of surface confidence who is liable to fall to pieces (à la Vertigo) under mental strain. That is supplied in plenty as a child gets kidnapped and spies seem smarter than the local coppers in two different continents.Brilliant stuff, with one of the few (if not the only) on-screen appearances by Bernard Herrmann, the director's middle-to-late period composer (North by Northwest; Psycho). Oddly the most important part of the score is supplied not by Herrmann but by the Australian Arthur Benjamin (with lyrics by D.B. Wyndham-Lewis). The performance of this piece, the Storm Cloud Sonata, provides the basis for one of Hitchcock's most audacious, theatrical, funny and terrifying set-pieces.A must-see.

This film has a timely relevance in the terrorist atmosphere of 2017. Only the flippant ending jars with the carefully plotted story of a naive American family getting mixed up in a terrorist ring in 1950s Marrakesh. The two stars, James Stewart and Doris Day, bring surprising gravitas to their roles and the whole concoction does not seem as far fetched as it did in the fifties when it was made. The award-winning song Que Sera Sera has a crucial role in the plot development which only Hitchcock could manage so grippingly and so entertainingly. The DVD transfer was serviceable but not as vibrant as an old video version I have.

I am a fan of Hitchcock, but this film is complete rubbish. A silly plot combined with hammy acting from some characters made it nonsensical. If there had been a NO Star rating, that's what I would have given it. I could have better spent the time viewing it by going into my garden and watching the grass grow.I urge people not to waste their money buying this film.

What more do you want?James Stewart and Doris Day as husband and wife.The VistaVision ™ and colour is a joy.Bernard Miles.An unamed mysterious country.Bonus?"Que Sera Sera whatever will be will be"!Bernard Hermann a large orchestra and the Albert Hall!An amusing scene involving taxidermy.Criticism? No.However I'm our sophisticated (sic) age of cgi the green screen back projection may grate a little.

Alfred Hitchcock made quite a few remakes of his earlier films- for Saboteur see North by Northwest for example- but in film title he only did it once. And that was this 1954 effort The Man who Knew too Much. James Stewart and Doris Day shine here as a wealthy travelling American family in Morocco whose son is kidnapped. Let the adventure begin. This is much more polished and mature than Hitchcock's original 30s film.The climax at London's Royal Albert Hall has been hailed as one of Hitchcock's greatest scenes, but as a Hitch devotee I found it dragged out- and does not have the same impact it perhaps had back in the 50s.A very good movie nonetheless- but Stewart would do far better for Hitchcock, with Vertigo and Rear Window.

Superb thriller which still stands up today . James Stewart & Doris Day both excellent . The near climax at the Albert Hall was great as was the denouement at the French embassy .

Why Hitchcock is held in such high esteem I'll never know.. unless it's a case of the emperors new clothes. Well acted, but the script both the dialogue and the story line were so amateurish it was laughable.

The story was gripping, and the acting and singing by Doris Day was truly wonderful. James Stewart was also excellent playing alongside Doris Day. They do not act like that today! My only negative was the ending, which was somewhat abrupt.