44-400: The Man Who Knew Too Much may refer to: Films and television [ edit ] The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film) , a film by Alfred Hitchcock starring Leslie Banks and Edna Best The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film) , a film by Alfred Hitchcock starring James Stewart and Doris Day "The Man Who Knew Too Much" ( 2point4 children ) ,
88-414: A 1967 episode of The Avengers " The Dad Who Knew Too Little ", a 2003 episode of The Simpsons The Boy Who Knew Too Much (disambiguation) The Girl Who Knew Too Much (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title The Man Who Knew Too Much . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
132-554: A 1996 Vanity Fair article by Marie Brenner about Jeffrey Wigand The Man Who Knew Too Much: Alan Turing and the Invention of the Computer , a 2005 book by David Leavitt See also [ edit ] "The Man That Knew Too Much", a 2007 song by Silverchair from Young Modern The Man Who Knew Too Little , a 1997 film " The Man Who Grew Too Much ", a 2014 episode of The Simpsons " The Bird Who Knew Too Much ",
176-435: A 1996 episode of British TV series 2point4 Children , season six, #5 "The Man Who Knew Too Much", a 2011 episode of American TV series Supernatural , season six, #22 Books and magazines [ edit ] The Man Who Knew Too Much (book) , a 1922 collection of detective stories by G. K. Chesterton The Man Who Knew Too Much , a 1994 children's book by Julius Lester "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (article) ,
220-557: A preference for the 1934 original. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote: "James Stewart tops his job in Rear Window as the man who knows too much, and Doris Day is surprisingly effective as the mother who is frantic about her child ... Even in mammoth VistaVision , the old Hitchcock thriller-stuff has punch." Variety wrote that, while Hitchcock draws "the footage out a bit long at 119 minutes, he still keeps suspense working at all times and gets strong performances from
264-428: A quite entertaining thriller, with some characteristically shrewd and caustic Hitchcock touches, it is likely to disappoint devotees of the first film. It lacks the earlier pace and excitement; the peculiarly English charm of the original has been exchanged for a vague VistaVision and Technicolor cosmopolitanism; the dentist episode and the siege climax are unhappily missing." C. A. Lejeune of The Observer wrote that
308-507: Is a 1934 British spy thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock , featuring Leslie Banks and Peter Lorre , and released by Gaumont British . It was one of the most successful and critically acclaimed films of Hitchcock's British period. The film is Hitchcock's first film using this title and was followed later with his own 1956 film using the same name featuring a significantly different plot and script with some modifications. The second film featured James Stewart and Doris Day , and
352-423: Is a 1956 American mystery thriller film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock , starring James Stewart and Doris Day . It is Hitchcock's second film using this title, following his own 1934 film of the same name but featuring a significantly altered plot and script. In the book-length interview Hitchcock/Truffaut (1966), in response to fellow filmmaker François Truffaut 's assertion that aspects of
396-536: Is a place, and the McKennas arrive at the chapel to find Edward leading a service. Jo leaves the chapel to call the police. After Edward sends his congregation home, Ben confronts him and is knocked out and locked inside. Jo arrives with the police, but they cannot enter without a warrant . Jo learns that Buchanan has gone to a concert at the Royal Albert Hall , and asks the police to take her there. Once
440-458: Is a signature occurrence in most of his films. In The Man Who Knew Too Much , he can be seen 25:42 into the film, in the lower left corner, watching acrobats in the Moroccan market, with his back to the camera, wearing a light gray suit, and putting his hands into his pockets, just before the spy is killed. Bernard Herrmann , who wrote the film score, cameos as the conductor at Royal Albert Hall,
484-462: Is credited to Bennett and D. B. Wyndham Lewis . Bennett claimed that Lewis had been hired to write some dialogue that was never used and provided none of the story, though this account has been disputed. It was Peter Lorre 's second English-language film, following the multiple-language version of M (1931). But he was still unable to speak English, having only recently fled Nazi Germany , and learned his lines phonetically. The shoot-out at
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#1732801820284528-568: Is not approved for public viewing in Norway. The Man Who Knew Too Much is copyrighted worldwide but has been heavily bootlegged on home video. Despite this, various licensed, restored releases have appeared on DVD, Blu-ray and video on demand services from Network Distributing in the UK, Criterion in the US and many others. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film) The Man Who Knew Too Much
572-399: Is so close. Jill grabs the rifle and shoots Ramon, who falls off the roof. The police storm the building. Abbott, the criminal mastermind, is hiding inside but he is betrayed by the chiming of his watch. He shoots himself (shown by gunshot smoke) and dies. Betty is reunited with her parents. Before switching to the project, Hitchcock was reported to be working on Road House (1934), which
616-418: Is suspicious of his many questions and evasive answers. Bernard offers to take the McKennas to dinner, but cancels when a suspicious-looking man knocks at the McKennas' hotel-room door. At a restaurant, the McKennas meet friendly English couple Lucy and Edward Drayton. The McKennas are surprised to see Bernard arrive and sit elsewhere, apparently ignoring them. The next day, visiting the local marketplace with
660-444: Is used in both the 1934 version and the 1956 remake. Alfred Hitchcock's cameo appears 33 minutes into the film. He can be seen crossing the street from right to left in a black trenchcoat before Bob and Clive enter the chapel. Contemporary reviews were positive, with C.A. Lejeune of The Observer stating that she was "happy about this film [...] because of its very recklessness, its frank refusal to indulge in subtleties, to be
704-401: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval score of 88% based on 43 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Remaking his own 1934 film, Hitchcock imbues The Man Who Knew Too Much with picturesque locales and international intrigue, and is helped by a brilliantly befuddled performance from James Stewart." At Metacritic ,
748-441: The "background" film score ; however, the performance of Arthur Benjamin 's Storm Clouds Cantata , conducted by Herrmann, is used as source music for the climax of the film. Herrmann was given the option of composing a new cantata to be performed during the film's climax. However, he found Arthur Benjamin's cantata Storm Clouds from the original 1934 film to be so well suited to the film that he declined, although he did expand
792-556: The Draytons are from London, he decides he and Jo should go there and try to find them through Ambrose Chappell. In London, Scotland Yard 's Inspector Buchanan tells Jo and Ben that Bernard was in Morocco to uncover an assassination plot; they are instructed to contact him if they hear from the kidnappers. Leaving Jo's friends in their hotel suite, the McKennas search for a person named Ambrose Chappell. Jo realizes that "Ambrose Chapel"
836-504: The Draytons, the McKennas see a man chased by police. After being stabbed in the back, the man approaches Ben, who discovers he is Bernard in disguise. The dying Bernard whispers that a foreign statesman will be assassinated in London and that Ben must tell the authorities about "Ambrose Chappell". Lucy returns Hank to the hotel while Ben, Jo and Edward go to a police station for questioning about Bernard's death. An officer explains that Bernard
880-407: The balcony boxes for the killer, who is waiting for a cymbal crash to mask his gunshot. Just before the cymbals crash, Jo screams and the assassin misses his mark, only wounding his target. Ben struggles with the would-be killer, who falls to his death. Concluding that Hank is likely to be at the embassy, but that it is sovereign and exempt from an investigation, the McKennas secure an invitation from
924-513: The daily life of a musician who plays only one note in a symphony, similar to the cymbal player in the film. Screenwriter John Michael Hayes was hired on the condition that he would not watch the early version nor read its script, with all the plot details coming from a briefing with Hitchcock. Only the opening scenes of the script were ready when filming began, and Hayes had to send the subsequent script pages by airmail as he finished them. Hitchcock's frequent composer Bernard Herrmann wrote
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#1732801820284968-613: The end of the film was based on the Sidney Street Siege , a real-life incident that took place in London's East End (where Hitchcock grew up) on 3 January 1911. The shoot-out was not included in Hitchcock's 1956 remake . Hitchcock hired Australian composer Arthur Benjamin to write a piece of music especially for the set piece at the Royal Albert Hall . The music, known as the Storm Clouds Cantata ,
1012-662: The film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on ten critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. In 2004, American Film Institute included the song " Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) " as No. 48 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs . The Man Who Knew Too Much was kept out of re-release by Hitchcock until 1983 when it was acquired by Universal Pictures . The film has been released on home video by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment in VHS, Betamax, Laserdisc, DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Blu-Ray formats. A documentary on
1056-489: The film is a well-known, now retired, professional singer, and at two points in the film she sings the Livingston and Evans song " Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) ", a performance which won the 1956 Academy Award for Best Original Song . Day's recording of the song reached number two on the US pop charts. and number one in the UK. Reviews for the film were generally positive, although some critics expressed
1100-464: The final but loses to a male sharpshooter, Ramon Levine, because at the crucial moment she is distracted by a chiming watch belonging to a Mr. Abbott. That evening, Louis is shot as Jill dances with him. Before he dies, he tells Jill where to find a note intended for the British consul ; she in turn tells Bob. Bob reads the note, which warns of a planned international crime. The criminals involved in
1144-408: The grateful prime minister. The ambassador organized the plot to kill the prime minister, and blames the failed attempt on the Draytons. Knowing that Hank can testify against them, he orders the Draytons to kill the boy. The prime minister asks Jo to sing. She loudly performs " Que Sera, Sera ", so that Hank will hear her. Lucy, who is guarding Hank while Edward prepares to murder him, is distressed at
1188-432: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Man_Who_Knew_Too_Much&oldid=1256043073 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film) The Man Who Knew Too Much
1232-425: The making of the film was produced for the 2000 DVD, including interviews with Hitchcock's daughter Patricia Hitchcock and members of the production crew. It has been included on the later Blu-Ray and 4K Blu-Ray releases as well. For the 2023 4K Blu-Ray, the film was completely restored and the original theatrical Perspecta audio elements were discovered, allowing that early forerunner to stereo to be included with
1276-617: The most promising work that Hitchcock has produced since Blackmail ". The Daily Telegraph referred to it as a "striking come-back" for Hitchcock, while the Daily Mail stated that "Hitchcock leaps once again into the front rank of British directors." The New York Times praised the film as the "raciest melodrama of the new year", noting that it was "excitingly written" and an "excellently performed bit of story-telling". The review praised Hitchcock as "one of England's ablest and most imaginative film makers" and stated that Lorre "lacks
1320-469: The only time Herrmann appeared on-camera in a film. Alfred Hitchcock first considered an American remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1941, but only brought back the idea in 1956 to make a film that would fulfill a contractual demand from Paramount Pictures . The studio agreed it was a picture that could be well-adapted to the new decade. The Royal Albert Hall sequence drew some inspiration from H. M. Bateman 's comic "The One-Note Man", which followed
1364-480: The opportunity to be the one-man chamber of horrors that he was in [ M ]" but "is certainly something to be seen," comparing him favourably to actor Charles Laughton . The film has an approval rating of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 7.76/10. The film was banned in Norway in January 1935 without citing any reason other than issuing the following statement: The film above
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1408-577: The orchestration, and inserted several repeats to make the sequence longer. Herrmann can be seen conducting the London Symphony Orchestra with mezzo-soprano Barbara Howitt and chorus during the Royal Albert Hall scenes. The sequence in the Royal Albert Hall runs for 12 minutes without any dialogue from the beginning of Storm Clouds Cantata until the climax when Doris Day's character screams. Doris Day's character in
1452-423: The plot had "a tendency to meander" with "jokes that may have looked more humorous in typescript," concluding that the film was "strong" as long as it stuck to the main plot, "But the first Man Who Knew Too Much was stronger in every way." The film was a commercial success. Filmed on a budget of $ 1.2 million, it grossed $ 11,333,333 at the domestic box office, earning $ 4.1 million in US theatrical rentals . On
1496-462: The police and Jo leave, the Draytons take Hank to a foreign embassy. In the Royal Albert Hall lobby, Jo sees the man who came to her door in Marrakesh. When he threatens to harm Hank if she interferes, she realizes he is the assassin sent to kill the foreign prime minister. Ben escapes the chapel through its bell tower and reaches the Royal Albert Hall, where Jo points out the assassin. Ben searches
1540-402: The prospect of killing a child, so she encourages the boy to whistle along with the song. Ben finds Hank. Edward tries escaping with them at gunpoint, but when Ben hits him, he falls down the stairs to his death. The McKennas return to their hotel suite. Ben explains to Jo's now-sleeping friends, "I'm sorry we were gone so long, but we had to go over and pick up Hank." Alfred Hitchcock's cameo
1584-415: The remake was "unquestionably bigger and shinier than the original, it doesn't move along with anything like the agility of its predecessor. There can be no doubt, of course, that Mr. Hitchcock at one time was a master of celluloid suspense, but increasingly of late he has been turning out movies that are too overweight to indulge in the tricks of his salad days." The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Although
1628-765: The remake were by far superior, Hitchcock replied, "Let's say the first version is the work of a talented amateur and the second was made by a professional." The film won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for " Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) ", sung by Day. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on April 29, 1956. An American family – Dr. Benjamin "Ben" McKenna, his wife, popular singer Josephine "Jo" Conway McKenna, and their son Henry "Hank" McKenna – are vacationing in French Morocco . Traveling from Casablanca to Marrakesh , they meet Frenchman Louis Bernard. He seems friendly, but Jo
1672-442: The shooting kidnap Betty, and threaten to kill her if her parents tell anyone what they know. Unable to seek help from the police, Bob and Jill return to England, where they discover that the group, led by Abbott, have hired Ramon to shoot a European head of state during a concert at the Royal Albert Hall . Jill attends the concert and throws Ramon's aim off by screaming at the crucial moment. The criminals return to their lair behind
1716-471: The temple of a sun-worshipping cult. Bob had entered the temple searching for Betty, and both are being held prisoner in the adjoining house. The police surround the building and a gunfight ensues, resulting in a number of policemen being shot and killed. The criminals hold out until their ammunition runs low and most of them have been killed. Betty climbs up to the roof, fleeing from Ramon, who follows her. A police marksman dares not shoot at him because Betty
1760-413: The title in common with G. K. Chesterton 's 1922 book of the same name . Hitchcock decided to use the title because he held the film rights for some of the stories in the book. Bob and Jill Lawrence, a British couple on a trip to Switzerland with their daughter Betty, befriend Frenchman Louis Bernard, who is staying at their hotel. Jill is participating in a clay pigeon shooting contest. She reaches
1804-407: The two stars and other cast members." Harrison's Reports called the film a "highly exciting and entertaining suspense thriller" that "grips the audience from start to finish." Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post also liked the film, calling it "a dandy of its popular kind" if "a wee bit too leisurely." John McCarten of The New Yorker wrote in a negative review saying that that while
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1848-563: Was a French Intelligence agent. Ben receives a phone call at the police station; Hank has been kidnapped but will not be harmed if the McKennas say nothing to the police about Bernard's warning. Knowing Hank was left in Lucy's care, Ben dispatches Edward to locate him. When Ben and Jo return to the hotel, they discover Edward checked out. Ben realizes the Draytons are the couple Bernard was looking for and are involved in Hank's abduction. When he learns
1892-483: Was eventually directed by Maurice Elvey . The film started when Hitchcock and writer Charles Bennett tried to adapt a Bulldog Drummond story revolving around international conspiracies and the kidnapping of a baby; its original title was Bulldog Drummond's Baby . The deal for an adaptation fell through, and the frame of the plot was reused in the script for The Man Who Knew Too Much , the title itself taken from an unrelated G.K. Chesterton compilation. The story
1936-503: Was made for Paramount Pictures . The two films are very similar in tone. In the book-length interview Hitchcock/Truffaut (1967), in response to filmmaker François Truffaut 's assertion that aspects of the remake were by far superior, Hitchcock replied, "Let's say the first version is the work of a talented amateur and the second was made by a professional." However, some critics have concluded that Hitchcock's statement should not be taken at face value. The 1934 film has nothing except
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