Stars: Leslie Banks, Edna Best, Peter Lorre, Nova Pilbeam, Henry Oscar, Hugh Wakefield, Emlyn Williams, George Curzon, Pierre Fresnay

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Summary: Hitchcock's first and arguably superior production of the same story he retold in 1956 with James Stewart and Doris Day, and critics continue to argue the film's merits versus its successor. An English couple on holiday in Switzerland find themselves embroiled in an international plot to assassinate a foreign dignitary when the husband overhears the secret and their daughter is kidnapped. This taut, suspenseful thriller is aided by the director's wry wit and tight pacing.

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

Alfred Hitchcock himself called this 1934 British edition of his famous kidnapping story "the work of a talented amateur", while his 1956 Hollywood remake was the consummate act of a professional director. Be that as it may, this earlier movie still has its intense admirers who prefer it over the Jimmy Stewart--Doris Day version, and for some sound reasons. Tighter, wittier, more visually outrageous (back-screen projections of Swiss mountains, a whirly-facsimile of a fainting spell), the film even has a female protagonist (Edna Best in the mom part) unafraid to go after the bad guys herself with a gun. (Did Doris Day do that that? Uh-uh.) While the 1956 film has an intriguing undercurrent of unspoken tensions in nuclear family politics, the 1934 original has a crisp air of British optimism glummed up a bit when a married couple (Best and Leslie Banks) witness the murder of a spy and discover their daughter stolen away by the culprits. The chase leads to London and ultimately to the site of one of Hitch's most extraordinary pieces of suspense (though on this count, it must be said, the later version is superior). Take away distracting comparisons to the remake, and this Man Who Knew Too Much is a milestone in Hitchcock's early career. Peter Lorre makes his British debut as a scarred, scary villain. --Tom Keogh

Aspect Ratio:	4:3 Full Frame
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interactive Menus, Scene Access
Year:	1934
Release Date:	January 31, 2000
Runtime:	72 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	37115 00333
Label:	Silver Collection
Keywords:	Man, Who, General, Knew, Much, Withdrawn, Thriller
Genre:	Thriller