The Man Who Knew Too Much Details

This is *very* early Hitchcock, and though the film shows its age and is not as technically accomplished as much of his later work, it has all the hallmarks of a Hitchcock classic. It's remarkable to think how far film-making technique has come on since 1934 - the opening section of this film (in Switzerland) is quite confusing, with some awkwardly timed jump-cuts between scenes and shots, and some obviously painted backdrops that to our modern eyes look rather naff. Sometimes the cuts make it hard to work out who is who and what is going on. It also looks very 'stagey', with characters movements around the set looking unnatural and contrived, and the terribly quaint dialogue doesn't help - no-one says 'presently' any more! But once it gets going, it's not hard to be completely gripped by the suspense - the story is bona fide Hitchcock, with some wonderful black humour (the way Uncle Clive always ends up the fall guy is hilarious) and there's a quintessentially Hitchcockian twist in the end when the story comes full circle to revisit one of the opening scenes. Peter Lorre is the undoubted star of the film - he plays the part of Abbot, the chief baddy, with a combination of charm and utter malevolence. He apologises for hitting Mr Lawrence, even though you know he wouldn't think twice about murdering him if he had to. Overall, it may look dated, but you can't deny this film its classic status.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Take me to Hollywood

That might have been Hitchcock's plea and I don't think anyone would try to argue that, in general, the English films such as this, 'Secret Agent', '39 Steps', 'Lady Vanishes' are better films than most of his Hollywood output. His skills as a technician flourished in the American studios with bigger budgets and superior technical resources. If we so wish we can compare the English and American versions of this film. For me, this is perhaps the least interesting of the 1930's films and the American remake is one of the least interesting of the 1950's films. Admittedly, this was the decade that brought us 'Strangers on a Train', 'Vertigo', 'Rear Window' and 'North by Northwest'; all superb films that can be watched more than once. And, I suggest, all better than any of the 1930's English films.