The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

The Man Who Knew Too Much melee

This is terrible. I don’t think I have moaned so much at the screen as characters do the stupidest of things in the slowest way possible.

I love “Whatever Will Be” even though its exclusion is just silly and it is all because Doris Day was cast in this film that a good few of this film’s issues lead on from that and so all the good things in the original (not least the role that 1934’s Jill plays in that film’s climax) are removed so that instead of an exciting shootout and Bob working to rescue Betty and rooftop thrills we get a dawdling Ben rescuing Hank (Hank!) in a dull manner. Which brings me to the other reason this is awful, James Stewart was a big movie star and the film had to put him front and centre. And his character is patriarchal to a disturbing degree - I don’t think it would be possible for me to like a film that does what it does to Jo. The 1934 film wasn’t also not bothered about starry niceties so was happy to spread the focus around to the minor characters.

Hitchcock may well have said “Let’s say the first version is the work of a talented amateur and the second was made by a professional.” but he was talking nonsense unless by professional he means a man who works for money rather than love.

The back projection is as shoddy as usual - why is it so bad in Hitchcock’s films? He was so meticulous in all other aspects of his films that it is baffling.

I did like the Hitchcock melee in the taxidermists - I love a Hitchcock melee.