The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

John Michael Hayes (screenplay)
Charles Bennett (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

1 June 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

A little knowledge can be a deadly thing!

Plot:

A family vacationing in Morocco accidentally stumble on to an assassination plot and the conspirators are determined to prevent them from interfering.

Plot Keywords:

Assassination | Morocco | American | Restaurant | Bus

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

James Stewart	...	Dr. Benjamin 'Ben' McKenna
Doris Day	...	Josephine Conway 'Jo' McKenna
Brenda De Banzie	...	Lucy Drayton (as Brenda de Banzie)
Bernard Miles	...	Edward Drayton
Ralph Truman	...	Inspector Buchanan
Daniel Gélin	...	Louis Bernard (as Daniel Gelin)
Mogens Wieth	...	Ambassador
Alan Mowbray	...	Val Parnell
Hillary Brooke	...	Jan Peterson
Christopher Olsen	...	Henry 'Hank' McKenna
Reggie Nalder	...	Rien
Richard Wattis	...	Assistant Manager
Noel Willman	...	Woburn
Alix Talton	...	Helen Parnell
Yves Brainville	...	Police Inspector
Carolyn Jones	...	Cindy Fontaine
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patrick Aherne	...	Handyman (uncredited)
Frank Atkinson	...	Taxidermist (uncredited)
John Barrard	...	Taxidermist (uncredited)
Betty Bascomb	...	Edna (uncredited)
Alexis Bobrinskoy	...	Foreign Prime Minister (uncredited)
Janet Bruce	...	Box Office Woman (uncredited)
Naida Buckingham	...	Lady in Audience (uncredited)
Clifford Buckton	...	Sir Kenneth Clarke (uncredited)
Barbara Burke	...	Assassin's Companion (uncredited)
Peter Camlin	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Abdelhaq Chraibi	...	Arab (uncredited)
Pauline Farr	...	Ambassador's Wife (uncredited)
Harry Fine	...	Edington (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Royal Albert Hall Attendee (uncredited)
Alex Frazer	...	Man (uncredited)
Wolf Frees	...	Aide to Prime Minister (uncredited)
Milton Frome	...	Guard (uncredited)
Leo Gordon	...	Chauffeur (uncredited)
Walter Gotell	...	Guard (uncredited)
Bernard Herrmann	...	Conductor (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Man in Morocco Marketplace (uncredited)
Gladys Holland	...	Bernard's Date at Restaurant (uncredited)
George Howe	...	Ambrose Chappell Sr (uncredited)
Harold Kasket	...	Butler (uncredited)
Barry Keegan	...	Patterson (uncredited)
Lou Krugman	...	Arab (uncredited)
Lloyd Lamble	...	General Manager of Albert Hall (uncredited)
Donald Lawton	...	Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Enid Lindsey	...	Lady Clarke (uncredited)
Mayne Lynton	...	Taxidermist (uncredited)
Janet Macfarlane	...	Lady in Audience (uncredited)
Edward Manouk	...	French Waiter (uncredited)
Richard Marner	...	Aide to Prime Minister (uncredited)
John Marshall	...	Butler (uncredited)
Lewis Martin	...	Detective (uncredited)
Louis Mercier	...	French Policeman (uncredited)
Ralph Neff	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Leslie Newport	...	Inspector at Albert Hall (uncredited)
John O'Malley	...	Uniformed Attendant (uncredited)
Elsa Palmer	...	Cook (uncredited)
Liddell Peddieson	...	Taxidermist (uncredited)
Arthur Ridley	...	Ticket Collector (uncredited)
Mahin S. Shahrivar	...	Arab Woman (uncredited)
Eric Snowden	...	Special Branch Officer (uncredited)
Alma Taylor	...	Box Office Woman (uncredited)
Guy Verney	...	Footman (uncredited)
Anthony Warde	...	(uncredited)
Patrick Whyte	...	Special Branch Officer (uncredited)
Peter Williams	...	Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Richard Wordsworth	...	Ambrose Chappell Jr (uncredited)
Allen Zeidman	...	Assistant Manager (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
John Michael Hayes		(screenplay)
Charles Bennett		(story) and
D.B. Wyndham-Lewis		(story)

Produced by
Herbert Coleman	....	associate producer
Alfred Hitchcock	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Bernard Herrmann		(music scored by)

Cinematography by
Robert Burks

Film Editing by
George Tomasini

Casting by
Gary Fifield		(uncredited)
Bill Greenwald		(uncredited)
Edward R. Morse		(uncredited)
Tony Regan		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Henry Bumstead
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Arthur Krams

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor
Virginia Darcy	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Dan Greenway	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Hugh Brown	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)
Frank Caffey	....	production manager (uncredited)
C.O. Erickson	....	unit production manager (uncredited)
C.R. Foster-Kemp	....	unit manager: London (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Howard Joslin	....	assistant director

Art Department
Dorothea Holt	....	illustrator (uncredited)
Richard Rabis	....	stand-by laborer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Paul Franz	....	sound recordist
Gene Garvin	....	sound recordist
Bill Wistrom	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects

Visual Effects by
Andrew Bonello	....	digital restoration developer (uncredited)
Sophia Lo	....	digital restoration: Cinesite (uncredited)
Monty Phillips	....	digital artist (digital restoration) (uncredited)
Jerry Pooler	....	digital restoration supervisor (uncredited)
Brad Reinke	....	digital restoration producer (restored version) (uncredited)
Antonio Torres	....	digital artist: digital restoration and color correction, Cinesite (restored version) (uncredited)

Stunts
Ted Mapes	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bobby Greene	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Leonard J. South	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
John C. Hammell	....	music editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Abdelhaq Chraibi	....	technical advisor
Richard Mueller	....	technicolor color consultant
Constance Willis	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (presents)
• Filwite Productions

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Universal Pictures (1983) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MCA Home Video (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Les Films Paramount (1956) (France) (theatrical)
• Paramount (1956) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1966) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Greece) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (1999) (Germany) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures (2001) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• The Royal Albert Hall  concert hall (uncredited)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Arabic

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.50 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG | Iceland:L | Spain:T | West Germany:12 (nf) | Brazil:Livre | USA:Approved (PCA #17717) | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Norway:16 | USA:PG | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Avenue Bab Jdid, Marrakech, Morocco

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Many of the Moroccan extras had been mistakenly informed that they would only be paid if they were actually visible in the film. This led to a lot of pushing and shoving to get close to the camera until the crew explained to them that they would be paid no matter what.

Goofs:

Continuity: The Camden Town scene: As Dr. McKenna walks along the deserted street, a figure (Ambrose Chappell Jr.) turns the corner and walks behind him, down the center of the pavement (seen from Dr. Mckenna's POV). The camera cuts to view further along the street, with both characters in shot, but Ambrose Chappell has "jumped" to the edge of the pavement.

Quotes:

Jo McKenna: You know what I was just thinking? You know what is paying for this three days in Marrakech?
Dr. Ben McKenna: Sure, me.
Jo McKenna: Mrs. Campbell's gall stone.
[both laughed]
Jo McKenna: . And you know the purse I bought in Paris? Philip's tarsal.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Due South: The Man Who Knew Too Little (#1.14)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

Whatever Will Be

Americans abroad

Alfred Hitchcock shows originality in the remake of his own 1934 British film, "The Man Who Knew Too Much". This 1956 take on the same story is much lighter than the previous one. Mr. Hitchcock was lucky in having collaborators that went with him from one film to the next, thus keeping a standard in his work. Robert Burks did an excellent job with the cinematography and George Tomasini's editing shows his talent. Ultimately, Bernard Herrmann is seen conducting at the magnificent Royal Albert Hall in London at the climax of the picture.

James Stewart was an actor that worked well with Mr. Hitchcock. In this version, he plays a doctor from Indiana on vacation with his wife and son. When we meet him, they are on their way to Marrakesh in one local bus and the intrigue begins. His wife is the lovely Doris Day at her best. She had been a well known singer before her marriage and now is the perfect wife and mother. The film has some good supporting cast, Brenda DeBanzie, Bernard Miles, Daniel Gelin, Alan Mowbray, among others, do a great job in portraying their characters.

Although this is a "light Hitchcock", one can't dismiss it as a failure. "The Man Who Knew Too Much" is a change of pace for Hitchcock's fans.