Product Details

• Actors: Yves Brainville, Hillary Brooke, Naida Buckingham, Doris Day, Brenda De Banzie
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, NTSC
• Language: Arabic, English, French
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: August 3, 1999
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0783235593
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,162 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 remake of his own 1934 spy thriller is an exciting event in its own right, with several justifiably famous sequences. James Stewart and Doris Day play American tourists who discover more than they wanted to know about an assassination plot. When their son is kidnapped to keep them quiet, they are caught between concern for him and the terrible secret they hold. When asked about the difference between this version of the story and the one he made 22 years earlier, Hitchcock always said the first was the work of a talented amateur while the second was the act of a seasoned professional. Indeed, several extraordinary moments in this update represent consummate filmmaking, particularly a relentlessly exciting Albert Hall scene, with a blaring symphony, an assassin's gun, and Doris Day's scream. Along with Hitchcock's other films from the mid-1950s to 1960 (including Vertigo, Rear Window, and Psycho), The Man Who Knew Too Much is the work of a master in his prime. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HITCHCOCK'S "MAN" A "MASTER"PIECE, October 30, 2000

By	Paul Brogan (Portsmouth, NH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The "Master of Suspense", Alfred Hitchcock, hits another bullseye with his 1956 production of "The Man Who Knew Too Much". Purists have been known to complain that they prefer Hitchcock's original 1934 version of the story to the lavish, widescreen, color version starring James Stewart and Doris Day, but if viewed side by side, both films stand on their own as classic Hitchcock.

The 1956 "Man" unfolds like a beautiful book, methodically, deliberately, and compellingly. Stewart plays an American doctor and Day is his wife, a retired singer. They are vacationing with their young son, Hank, in Morocco, when they become embroiled in an International incident involving a planned assasination. Their son is kidnapped and taken to London. Day and Stewart follow, where they attempt to get some answers and to locate their son, on their own, without the help offered by Scotland Yard. The film reaches it's exciting climax during a concert at Albert Hall in which Day suddenly realizes what is about to occur.

Without giving away some of the intricate plot twists and turns, "The Man Who Knew Too Much" is like a breathtaking ride on a state of the art rollercoaster. You cannot help but get caught up in the plight of Stewart and Day.

James Stewart and Doris Day seem like a real married couple, so easy and comfortable is their onscreen chemistry. They banter and interact convincingly but there is also a strong indication that there may be some tensions lurking beneath the outer veneer. Both actors play their roles with expertise and Day, in particular, shows range and versatility in her performance, being especially memorable in the justly celebrated Albert Hall scene and in an earlier scene when Stewart informs her that their son has been kidnapped. The growing realization as to what he is telling her is reflected in Day's facial reactions.

Hitchcock has once again assembled a first-rate cast of supporting players including his long time musical collaborator, Bernard Herrmann, who appears onscreen for the first time, playing himself while conducting an original piece of music during the Albert Hall sequence. The team of Livingston and Evans composed a song for Day to sing to her son as part of the plot. The tune, "Whatever Will Be, Will Be"(Que Sera, Sera), became a megahit, selling millions of records, winning an Oscar as best song and becoming one of Day's signature tunes. It plays an intricate role in the storyline, being introduced naturally and being reprised as part of the picture's denouement.

The queues that formed at box-offices all over the world when "The Man Who Knew Too Much" opened in the summer of 1956, were a tribute to the talents of Hitchcock, Day, and Stewart, and to the public's continuing fascination with quality entertainment. To this day, the film remains one of Hitchcock's best films from his 1950's period. A movie that is well worth viewing.

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT DAY!, January 11, 2000

By	Edward Correll (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Alfred Hitchcock's second version of one of his favorite stories is one of the best, most dramatic suspense films of all. It stars James Stewart and Doris Day as an American couple vacationing in Morocco whose young son is kidnapped to insure their silence when they discover an assassination plot. Moving his film from Africa to England, Hitchcock dazzles American eyes with beautiful and exotic locales while employing his trademark policy of allowing the viewers to know more than the characters know in order to keep suspense at its height. Boy, does that work! I have seen the film more than a dozen times and still can't stay off the edge of the seat. One of the greatest casting coups in Hitchcock history has Doris Day playing the anguished mother and wife of the man who knew too much, and although the story's title names the man, it is the wife's story all the way. She is the emotional center of the story; it is her intuitions, her suspicions, her deductions that propel the narrative, and Doris Day plays the part to a fare-thee-well offering a performance which sizzles through a gamut of emotions from the lighthearted fun of dueting with her little boy (to the by now standard, "Whatever Will Be Will Be") to the anguish of having to decide to try to stop the assassination even though it may cost her son's life. Day never makes a false move; her hysteria on learning of her son's kidnapping is a masterpiece of acting control and her anguish during the concert in the Albert Hall where the assassination is to take place is palpable to the viewer even though it is communicated only visually. This film is perfect Hitchcock and an extraordinary revelation of Doris Day to those who know her only as a comedienne. I might add that when Queen Elizabeth knighted Sir Alfred, he chose the Albert Hall sequence from this film to be the capstone of the film excerpts presented at the ceremony.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hitch Masterpiece Remade....By Hitch, December 13, 2004

By	L. Shirley "Laurie's Boomer Views" (fountain valley, ca United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Man Who Knew Too Much (DVD)

This review refers to the Widescreen DVD(Universal) edition of "The Man Who Knew Too Much"(1955)...

A masterpiece is reworked an updated by Hitch, the result?... another masterpiece! "The Man Who Knew Too Much" is a magnificent remake of his earlier work from the 30's(The Man Who Knew Too Much). It stars Doris Day and Jimmy Stewart as parents desperate to get their child back from kidnappers, but must also prevent an assassination. Whew!, who else could handle that?

The film is pure Hitch. The edge of your seat suspense, the trademark staircase scene, the brillant camera angles, and all the special touches that make it definitive Hitch. The famous scene at the Albert Hall concert is one of the most chilling in film history. No matter how often it's viewed, your heart is in your throat waiting for the clash of those cymbals. Hitch has that way of always making the viewer want to warn the characters that something sinister is about to take place. You want to yell.."Now Doris..NOW!"

Doris sings her beautiful rendition of "Que Sera, Sera"(a wonderful treat), and the exotic location of French Morocco and Bernard Hermann's score also add greatly to this fine thriller.

Looking for Hitch: ... taking in the sights in Morocco. Be careful Hitch!... there's going to be a murder!

Universal has made a beautiful transfer of this classic and cherished work. It is presented in the original widescreen and the colors are brillant.The sound is in DD2.0(MONO), and is good but could be better in stereo. The DVD includes a documentary "The Making Of The Man Who Knew Too Much". There are captions in English and subtitles in Spanish. It may be viewed in English, French, and Spanish.

The film is perfection. Only the master himself could have made it even better then the original classic.

A must have for your Hitch collection....enjoy...Laurie

Here's the original with 3 other early greats:Alfred Hitchcock: 4 Tales of the Macabre - Secret Agent / The Lady Vanishes / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Sabotage

recommended reading:
Hitchcock's Notebooks: An Authorized and Illustrated Look Inside the C