Man Who Knew Too Much, The (1934) (UK)

6 / 10
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Public Enemy No. 1 of all the world...
Certificate: U
Running Time: 72 mins
Retail Price: £9.99
Release Date:

Synopsis:
Bob Lawrence (Banks), is holidaying in Switzerland with his wife Jill (Best) and daughter Betty (Pilbeam). A Frenchman they have befriended is murdered in front of him, whispering about a planned assassination that will put the British government in jeopardy.

Betty is abducted to ensure Bob`s silence until after the assassin (Lorre) has carried out his grim task in the planned setting of the Albert Hall. How can Bob do his patriotic duty but at the same time keep his daughter out of danger?

Hitchcock enjoyed this thriller so much he remade it in Hollywood twenty years later. With an excellent cast, superb chase sequences and the terrible drama of an innocent man caught up in circumstances he cannot control, this however remains the superior version.

Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access

Video Tracks:
Standard 1.33:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital Mono English

Subtitle Tracks:
English

Directed By:
Alfred Hitchcock

Written By:





Starring:
Hugh Wakefield
Frank Vosper
Peter Lorre
Edna Best
Leslie Banks

Soundtrack By:
Arthur Benjamin

Director of Photography:
Curt Courant

Editor:
Hugh Stewart

Producer:
Ivor Montagu
Michael Balcon

Distributor:
Carlton

Your Opinions and Comments

6 / 10
I`m a very big fan of Hitchcock. However, I`m never blinded by the name itself and always judge the movie for what it`s worth.
This is the first time I`ve seen this movie, so to be fair, I gave it another chance and watched it again.
Simply put - this movie doesn`t work. It is anything but a thriller, or a drama or even a comedy. It`s just a bunch of scenes that don`t allow the story to develop.
The video transfer is very good for a movie almost 70 years old. There are quite a few scratches which are noticeable throughout the movie, but they are not distracting.
The DD 2.0 soundtrack is a mono track that is played through the 2 front speakers. The sound is quite flat but the dialog is clear and there is no hiss at all.
The menus are animated with sound.
The disk doesn`t have any extras at all.
Bottom line - a bad movie from the best director ever. Skip it.
posted by Zvi Josef on 23/1/2002 08:01