The Making of 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'

The Making of The Man Who Knew Too Much (2000)

*** (out of 4)

Good 34-minute look at the making of Alfred Hitchcock's remake of THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH with James Stewart and Doris Day. Pat Hitchcock, associate producer Herbert Coleman, screenwriter John Michael Hayes and Bernard Herrmann biographer Steven C. Smith are among the people interviewed about the making of the movie. The featurette starts off talking about how Hitchcock had originally planned to remake this back in 1941 but it got put on the back burner until 1956 when he was trying to finish up his contract with Paramount. We then hear a funny story from Coleman who was asked by Hitchcock to view the original film and comment on it but apparently the director was upset at what he heard. The screenwriter tells a story about how Hitchcock gave him the plot outline but refused to let him watch the original movie. From here we talk about the various issues that came up during the production as well as hearing about how the cast came to be. Apparently a few were against Doris Day but after the film most agreed that she was right for the part. Overall this is another very good documentary in the series that was made in 2000 as many of the director's work was being released to DVD. You really get a good idea of what went on behind-the-scenes and there's an extended view at Herrmann's big scene in the movie. Fans of the film should enjoy this as will those new to the movie.

Watched this on the DVD of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956). Alfred Hitchcock's daughter Pat Hitchcock O'Connell mentions her father's history with this and his other version from 1934 of which many clips of both movies are showcased. Writer of this version, John Michael Hayes, also mentions some of his memories including the fact that Hitch banned him from seeing or reading the script of his previous version. Another crew member talks about having to film some scenes in Morocco before a certain holiday there. And then there's the famous Albert Hall sequence which is one of the few times score composer Bernard Herrmann is also seen onscreen. Oh, also how the song "Que, Sera, Sera" came about for this movie and eventually became Doris Day's signature song though no mention is made of how she initially dismissed it as a children's song. So on that note, The Making of The Man Who Knew Too Much is a worthy extra on that movie's disc.

This is the documentary on the DVD of The Man Who Knew Too Much. It consists of interviews(only with the crew, none of the stars, unfortunately), clips of the film and stills from the making of it. They talk about the original(I haven't watched it, I can't say if it's as good as the other one... from hearing about it in this, I would say that it isn't, though) that the 50's version is a remake of(and Hitchcock(R.I.P.) did both, at first loving the 30's one, but eventually coming to feel like the later one is the more professionally done one) and make some comparisons between the two, they go into the music, and in that area, Bernard Hermann's lack of an ego in deciding to use the orchestral piece from the old one for a pivotal scene, his clever and prominently featured cameo and the hint of later pieces(such as what would be heard in Vertigo!) by him in this. This is an informational enough 34 minutes, if it could be more interesting and compelling. Maybe it's the lack of Stewart or Day, the sparseness of unforgettable anecdotes and Alfred's sardonic wit. There is disturbing content in this, and it spoils the movie itself. I recommend this to big fans of the Master of Suspense. 6/10