- For the remake starring Jimmy Stewart, see The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)
| The Man Who Knew Too Much | |
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| Directed by | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Produced by | Michael Balcon (uncredited} |
| Written by | Charles Bennett D. B. Wyndham-Lewis Edwin Greenwood and A.R. Rawlinson (scenario) |
| Starring | Leslie Banks Edna Best Peter Lorre Nova Pilbeam Frank Vosper |
| Music by | Arthur Benjamin |
| Distributed by | Gaumont British Distributors Ltd. |
| Release date(s) | December 1934 UK release March 22, 1935 U.S. release |
| Running time | 75 min |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £40,000 (estimated) |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Man Who Knew Too Much is a 1934 suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and released by Gaumont British. It was one of the most successful and critically acclaimed films of Hitchcock's British period, and was an important step in paving the way for his move to America. Hitchcock remade the film in 1956 for Paramount Pictures.
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Synopsis
The plot concerns a British couple on vacation in Switzerland, who witness the assassination of a spy. Before dying, the spy passes on to them some vital information. In order to maintain their silence, a group kidnaps their daughter. After following a series of leads, the couple discovers that the group intends to assassinate a European ambassador during a concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
Production
Peter Lorre was unable to speak English at the time of filming (a Jew, he had fled from Nazi Germany only recently), and learned his lines phonetically.[1] The shootout at the end of the film was based on the Sidney Street Siege, a real-life incident which took place in London on 3 January 1911.[2] [3] [4] Hitchcock hired composer Arthur Benjamin to write a piece of music especially for the climactic scene at Royal Albert Hall. The music, known as the Storm Clouds cantata, is used in both the 1934 and 1956 versions.
Remake
The Man Who Knew Too Much is the only one of Hitchcock's films that he remade. The remake is in color and stars Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day. In his book-length interview with François Truffaut, Hitchcock/Truffaut (1967) Hitchcock said he considered his remake to be superior, saying that the 1934 version was the work of a talented amateur, while the 1956 version was the work of a professional.
Production crew
- Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
- Written by Charles Bennett and D. B. Wyndham-Lewis
- Associate Producer: Ivor Montagu
- Photography: Curt Courant
- Editor: H St. C.J. Stewart
- Music: Arthur Benjamin
Cast
- Leslie Banks as Lawrence
- Edna Best as Jill
- Peter Lorre as Abbott
- Frank Vosper as Ramon
- Hugh Wakefield as Clive
- Nova Pilbeam as Betty Lawrence
- Pierre Fresnay as Louis
- Cicely Oates as Nurse Agnes
- B.A. Clarke Smith as Binstead
- George Curzon as Gibson
Trivia
- Alfred Hitchcock cameo: A signature occurrence in almost all of Hitchcock's films, he can be seen walking across the screen in a dark trench coat, with his back to the camera, at about 30 minutes into the film.
References
- ^ Classic Film Guide: "his first English-speaking role (learned phonetically)"
- ^ TimeOut Review: "shootout re-enacting the Sidney Street siege"
- ^ Screenonline.org Review: "modelled on the notorious Sidney Street siege of 1911"
- ^ Britmovie.co.uk Review: "based on the Sidney street siege"
Further reading
- Youngkin, Stephen D. (2005). The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-813-12360-7. -- Contains interviews with Alfred Hitchcock and a discussion on the making of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934).
External links
- The Man Who Knew Too Much at the Internet Movie Database
- The Man Who Knew Too Much at Google Video
- The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) at the AFI/Turner Classic Movies database
- Download the 1934 version from the Internet Archive
