SNMR 4.24: "The Man Who Knew Too Much"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956, PG, 120 minutes), starring James Stewart, Doris Day, Bernard Miles, Brenda De Banzie, Ralph Truman and Christopher Olsen. The film was directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

I went to the library a few months ago to look for some more Jimmy Stewart films that I had never seen before. There were so many choices. This was one of them.

PLOT SUMMARY: James Stewart and Doris Day, in a rare dramatic role, are superb in this brilliant suspense thriller from the undisputed master, Alfred Hitchcock. Stewart and Day play Ben and Jo MacKenna, innocent Americans vacationing in Morocco with their son, Hank. After a French spy dies in Ben's arms in the Marrakesh market, the couple discovers their son has been kidnapped and taken to England. Not knowing who they can trust, the MacKennas are caught up in a nightmare of international espionage, assassinations and terror. Soon, all of their lives hang in the balance as they draw closer to the truth and a chilling climactic moment in London's famous Royal Albert Hall.

MY OPINION: I thought this film was good but not great. It is definitely better than Hitchcock's original 1934 film of the same name. The script is decent and the story moves relatively quickly, but the story is predictable at times. Most of the film was shot on location in Morocco and London. Still, this is a very watchable film and is capably directed by Hitchcock and held together by the talents of Stewart and Day. I had never watched anything with Doris Day in it before that I was aware of. She's a decent actress with a remarkable singing voice.

Alfred Hitchcock makes his trademark cameo appearance in the Moroccan marketplace watching the acrobats with his back to the camera just before the murder.

*** out of *****