Review of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) by Anne F — 09 Jun 2009
I'll be honest: although I have issues with both versions of the film, I greatly prefer this to the more famous version with Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day. Gone is the bloat of the later version; pared down to a lean 75 minutes, this version moves like a rocket.
It's also a lot funnier; there's something quintessentially (stereotypically, some would say) British about early Hitchcock work, where the killers and conspirators are incredibly polite, even with those who are coming after them; in fact, the laid back approach to the final showdown is pretty hilarious on its own, whether its intended to be or not.
The one advantage the later version has is the growth in Hitchcock's talent for building suspense, but given that he's done it better in other films, I'll gladly take this as a light but enjoyable little thriller that brings a lot of humor and fun to the proceedings.
This review of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) was written by Anne F on 09 Jun 2009.
The Man Who Knew Too Much has generally received positive reviews.
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