The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Charles Bennett (by) and
D.B. Wyndham-Lewis (by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 April 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Public Enemy No. 1 of all the world...

Plot:

A man and his wife receive a clue to an imminent assassination attempt, only to learn that their daughter has been kidnapped to keep them quiet.

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Dancing | Assassination Attempt | Shot To Death | Foreign Office

Cast

Leslie Banks	...	Bob Lawrence
Edna Best	...	Jill Lawrence
Peter Lorre	...	Abbott
Frank Vosper	...	Ramon
Hugh Wakefield	...	Clive
Nova Pilbeam	...	Betty Lawrence
Pierre Fresnay	...	Louis Bernard
Cicely Oates	...	Nurse Agnes
D.A. Clarke-Smith	...	Police Inspector Binstead (as D.A.Clarke Smith)
George Curzon	...	Gibson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Atkinson	...	Policeman Shot Behind Mattress (uncredited)
Betty Bascomb	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Tony De Lungo	...	Hotel Manager (uncredited)
Clare Greet	...	Mrs. Brockett (uncredited)
Joan Harrison	...	Secretary (uncredited)
James Knight	...	Police Inspector (uncredited)
Arnold Lucy	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Mitchelson-Hill	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Henry Oscar	...	George Barber - Dentist (uncredited)
Charles Paton	...	Shopkeeper (uncredited)
Frederick Piper	...	Policeman with Rifle (uncredited)
H.G. Stoker	...	Police Chief At Siege (uncredited)
Jack Vyvian	...	Baker - Policeman Shot At Front Door (uncredited)
Percy Walsh	...	Detective Inspector (uncredited)
Hal Walters	...	Postman (uncredited)
S.J. Warmington	...	Rawlings - Gang Member (uncredited)
Edward Wild	...	Minor Role (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Charles Bennett		(by) and
D.B. Wyndham-Lewis		(by) (as D.B.Wyndham Lewis)
Edwin Greenwood		(scenario) and
A.R. Rawlinson		(scenario)
Emlyn Williams		(additional dialogue)

Produced by
Ivor Montagu	....	associate producer
Michael Balcon	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Arthur Benjamin

Cinematography by
Curt Courant		(photography)

Film Editing by
Hugh Stewart		(as H.St.C.Stewart)

Art Direction by
Alfred Junge

Production Management
Richard Beville	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pen Tennyson	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Peter Proud	....	sets (uncredited)

Sound Department
F. McNally	....	sound recordist (as F.McNally)

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	miniatures assistant (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ted Lloyd	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Peter Sargent	....	clapper-boy (uncredited)

Music Department
Louis Levy	....	musical director

Production Companies

• Gaumont British Picture Corporation (presents) (as Gaumont British Picture Corpn. Ltd)

Distributors

• General Film Distributors (GFD) (1934) (UK) (theatrical) (controlled throughout United Kingdom & Eire by) (as General Film Distributors Ltd.)
• Gaumont British Picture Corporation of America (1935) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox Hills Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Nostalgia Merchant, The (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Take 2 Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Connoisseur / Meridian Films (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Timeless Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Castle Communications (1995) (Finland) (VHS)
• United American Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Delta Expedition (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Delta Music (1998) (UK) (VHS)
• Hollywood Classics (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Laserlight Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Eureka Video (1999) (UK) (VHS)
• Carlton Video (2000) (UK) (VHS)
• Ryko Distribution (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Laserlight Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Jef Films International (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• Video Film Express (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Future Film (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Filmes Luís Machado (Portugal)
• G.B. Prod. (France)
• G.B. Prod. (USA)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• LS Video (video)

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (British Acoustic Film Full Range Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:(Banned) (1935) | Finland:K-16 (1995) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #620) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | Sweden:(Banned) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) (1998)

Filming Locations:

Lime Grove Studios, Lime Grove, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK

Company:

Gaumont British Picture Corporation

Trivia:

Alfred Hitchcock was unaware that Peter Lorre, a Hungarian, had a very limited command of the English language at that time. Lorre learned much of his part phonetically.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene where the man is shot through the window, near the beginning of the film, just before he is shot, he turns to face another man. At that time, you can see the beginnings of a blood stain on his shirt next to his lapel...before he’s shot!

Quotes:

Abbott: You know, to a man with a heart as soft as mine, there's nothing sweeter than a touching scene.
Bob Lawrence: Such as?
Abbott: Such as a father saying goodbye to his child. Yeah, goodbye for the last time. What could be more touching than that?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: The Boy Who Knew Too Much (#5.20)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Storm Clouds

Peter Lorre - the Scene Stealer

I must confess that I rather like this earlier version more than the definitely more polished, bigger budgeted 1956 version. Don't get me wrong, that film is a fine film too, but the lower budget, the quick pace, and the presence of Peter Lorre make this one a gem. Alfred Hitchcock, the undeniable maser of suspense, shows his early skills as a director able to create suspense and engineer circumstances that affect individuals who would normally NOT be affected by them - a Hitchcock trademark. Here we have Leslie Banks and Edna Best playing the parents of a young teen girl who has been kidnapped because her parents were the last ones spoken to by a man(a friend) at a party in a European country. Intrigue abounds, the man tells Best who then tells Banks of a note in a brush handle that alerts them to some international incident that will occur in England. Well, the kidnappers alert them of what they have done and shut them up. But through parental devotion, once in England, the father begins to hunt for his daughter. This film has all those Hitchcock trademarks that we know Hitchcock for. We have the normal person(s) put into extremely difficult and complicated situations. We have expressive camera angles. We have humour amidst taut, tense action. We have good, all-around acting. Banks, just a year or so removed from his awesome portrayal of General Zaroff in The Most Dangerous Game, gives an incredibly low-key, convincing performance as a father trying to find his daughter no matter what. He is able to inject light touches of humour here and there to make his performance all the more real. Best is adequate although a bit wooden. Hugh Wakefield as the uncle is a real hoot. Cicely Oates as a nurse is also very convincing. Peter Lorre; however, solidifies his English/American career as a heavy. Coming from a Hungarian background and not able to speak English yet, Lorre learns his part phonetically - which is all the more impressive when you see his performance as a killer with little scruples yet a generous sense of humour. Lorre conveys menace in his ever-alert eyes and his almost sugary voice. Hitchcock knows just how to use him and the climatic scene really is pulled off rather well. This movie is not very long and it is a tad creaky. It has little budget as well, but it conveys lots of action and suspense and has some very good performances. The air of conspiracy, another director's trademark touch, pervades the film almost from beginning to end.