Viewers have long been divided as to which version of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" is the better. I personally prefer the second. Though it doesn't measure up to the likes of "Rear Window", "Vertigo" and "North by Northwest", it is vintage Hitchcock at his best. In the 1934 original a British couple are on holiday in Switzerland, become privy to sensitive information and, as a consequence, their teenage daughter is kidnapped. In the 1956 remake Stewart and Day are Americans on holiday in Morocco, inadvertently learn of an assassination plot, and have their ten-year-old son taken from them. The overall plot is more sophisticated in the second version, and, of course, the use of colour cinematography lends a certain visual depth lacking in the earlier film. However, the second version is not in every way superior to the first: much of its playfulness is sacrificed in the remake, which takes itself a little too seriously.
Stewart is always a pleasure to watch in his films, and this one is no exception. Day is very good in her role as well, though she is hardly the cool blonde typical of Hitch's other films. In this respect Day's selection as female lead is perhaps a bit unexpected, although admittedly few other Hitchcock blondes are called upon to play the maternal role at which Day excels here. One can almost feel a mother's anguish when Day is told by Stewart that their son has been abducted. Her reaction is entirely believable. All the same, I was bothered to think that a trained physician would bribe his wife with tranquillizers before telling her the unpleasant news. This doesn't ring true.
This film marks Hitchcock's second collaborative effort with composer Bernard Herrmann, who actually appears as himself in the Albert Hall sequence. But insofar as "The Trouble with Harry" is not a typical Hitchcock offering, this film might justly be considered the first of the great suspense movies created by the gifted duo. Herrmann's score is not as integral a part of the plot as it is in, say, "Vertigo" or "Psycho"; here it definitely remains in the background. Nevertheless it lends itself perfectly to the feel of the story as a whole and hints at greater things to come in those later films.
I thought the shootout near the end of the 1934 film was heavy-handed and amateurish. It seemed like the work of someone stuck for a better way to resolve the plot. The comparable scene in this later version is more suspensefulafter all, there's no real suspense if you're already being shot at. But the use of Day singing what would soon become her trademark song at a foreign embassy is a questionable improvement. Both versions of this film should be seen. And then decide for yourself which is the better of the two.
Stewart is always a pleasure to watch in his films, and this one is no exception. Day is very good in her role as well, though she is hardly the cool blonde typical of Hitch's other films. In this respect Day's selection as female lead is perhaps a bit unexpected, although admittedly few other Hitchcock blondes are called upon to play the maternal role at which Day excels here. One can almost feel a mother's anguish when Day is told by Stewart that their son has been abducted. Her reaction is entirely believable. All the same, I was bothered to think that a trained physician would bribe his wife with tranquillizers before telling her the unpleasant news. This doesn't ring true.
This film marks Hitchcock's second collaborative effort with composer Bernard Herrmann, who actually appears as himself in the Albert Hall sequence. But insofar as "The Trouble with Harry" is not a typical Hitchcock offering, this film might justly be considered the first of the great suspense movies created by the gifted duo. Herrmann's score is not as integral a part of the plot as it is in, say, "Vertigo" or "Psycho"; here it definitely remains in the background. Nevertheless it lends itself perfectly to the feel of the story as a whole and hints at greater things to come in those later films.
I thought the shootout near the end of the 1934 film was heavy-handed and amateurish. It seemed like the work of someone stuck for a better way to resolve the plot. The comparable scene in this later version is more suspensefulafter all, there's no real suspense if you're already being shot at. But the use of Day singing what would soon become her trademark song at a foreign embassy is a questionable improvement. Both versions of this film should be seen. And then decide for yourself which is the better of the two.