Man Who Knew Too Much [DVD] [1956] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

This is my favourite Hitchcock movie - for many reasons really.
The casting is superb for a start - Hitchcock regular Jimmy Stewart is just the right choice for the unlikely hero whilst Doris Day (who may seem like an odd choice to some) is just delightful as Stewart's wife. Doris Day, in my view, steals the movie.
The storyline itself is deep and exciting - never lets up for a moment. The locations make the movie rich and colourful - ranging from Morrocco to London. The camerwork is superb - resulting in some truly suspenseful scenes and beautifully shot moments. Oddly, my favourite scene is the Moroccan restaurant scene where Stewart almost has to wrestle his dinner off the table! Delightful stuff.
OK - to the storyline then: husband and wife (Stewart - a doctor, and Day - a retired stage musical actress) go on holiday to Morocco with their son Hank. Whilst there, they are befriended by a mysterious Frenchman who is rather nosy about their identities. The next day, the Frenchman (disguised as a Moroccon) stumbles through a crowded markeplace and collapses into Stewart's arms - whispering something before he dies of a stab wound.
What he whispered is deadly news - so deadly it results in the couple's son being kidnapped and held to ransom. The ransom? That the couple DO NOT REVEAL TO ANYONE what was whispered by the dying Frenchman, or Hank will die.
The chase moves to London and to Stewart and Day hunting down the kidnappers and going all out to foil the kidnapper's ultimate plan.
Exciting, endearing and entertaining throughout. This is a classic to grace your DVD collection for life.

A couple on holiday witness a murder and are entrusted with information regarding a planned assasination. In order to prevent them passing the information to the authorities their child is kidnapped - they return to England and attempt to recover the child. This is the basic plot this remake shares with Hitchcock's classic 1935 original of this movie - the differences account for the very distinct nature of this excellent version.
The most important shift is in the casting - gone are the urbane English couple to be replaced with Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day as the all American applepie family (for once Hitchcock is not casting against type), and the emotional cataclysm of the kidnapping more forcefully brought home in this movie as Hitchcock allows himself time to develop the family relationships. He has also switched from the father-daughter relationship to a mother-son. Emotional depth is earned at the price of pace ( this version is much longer than the original).
The shifting of the opening scene from a studio mock-up of Switzerland to real life Morocco says a great deal about the production values of this version - and it certainly looks good. The London scenes too benefit from location shooting.The famous Albert Hall scene is much improved in this version with Hitchcock ratcheting up the tension in his usual style. So far so brilliant.
After the Albert Hall scene, however, the movie parts from its original, jettisoning the brilliant siege, and introducing a rather silly musical finale in the embassy. Lovers of Doris Day will relish her 'Que Sera Sera' (I prefer the Sly and the Family Stone version), but I do feel the movie tails off slightly.
It is, however, a very entertaining film with a flavour of its own - falling short of the original perhaps, but only by a whisker.

This film is Alfred Hitchcock's only remake, out of his 53 films. An excellent choice in my opinion. Bernard Herrmann's score is phenomenal as always, be sure to pay attention to the overature at the opening credits of the film, this will prove useful during the film's extrodinary Albert Hall sequence, in which Hitchcock uses no dialogue for 15 minutes (a feat few filmmakers are capable of since the advent of sound). Jimmy Steward's acting is near flawless, much like his other Hitchcock films "Rear Window" and "Vertigo." Doris Day, although not Hitch's best or most famous blonde, sings an award winning song that is compelling. Overall a great film, and a must own for all Hitchcock fans.

This is one of my favorite films from childhood: a family - not exactly normal because Doris Day is an internationally famous singer - on vacation get embroiled in a caper that is unusual and complex. It starts in Morocco, where they meet a friendly if circumspect Frenchman, who wheedles his way into their room for a drink. Thus starts an outlandish adventure that is completely believable while you are watching it, leading them back into Europe and into international intrigue.

I was a bit afraid that this wouldn't stand up to my memories, but it was as fun, even as moving, as I remembered it. James Stewart is an irascible surgeon - intelligent, controlling, and competent, perhaps over-confident. Doris Day, with her Que Sera song, is a rather hysterical housewife, who when confronted with the situation gets sedated, faints, and then steels herself to the task of finding her abducted son. They have real chemistry on the screen, even their fights exude an affection and respect for the other. I think they are one of the best couples in any Hitchcock film. Their fear and desperation are completely believable as they decide to avoid the authorities and attempt to solve the mystery and face the dangers on their own. OK, the kid is basically a kid, but he is cute.

Seeing it now, there were a few loose ends that I had hoped would be filled and weren't, including the political motivations of the conspirators. These are minor quibbles, however: this is a film of Hitch at the height of his powers, a masterpiece of craftsmanship that should be in the library of every collector.