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L'homme qui en savait trop

Original title: The Man Who Knew Too Much
  • 1934
  • Approved
  • 1h 15m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
23K
YOUR RATING
L'homme qui en savait trop (1934)
Conspiracy ThrillerPolitical ThrillerPsychological ThrillerSuspense MysteryCrimeDramaMysteryThriller

An ordinary British couple vacationing in Switzerland suddenly find themselves embroiled in a case of international intrigue when their daughter is kidnapped by spies plotting a political as... Read allAn ordinary British couple vacationing in Switzerland suddenly find themselves embroiled in a case of international intrigue when their daughter is kidnapped by spies plotting a political assassination.An ordinary British couple vacationing in Switzerland suddenly find themselves embroiled in a case of international intrigue when their daughter is kidnapped by spies plotting a political assassination.

  • Director
    • Alfred Hitchcock
  • Writers
    • Charles Bennett
    • D.B. Wyndham-Lewis
    • Edwin Greenwood
  • Stars
    • Leslie Banks
    • Edna Best
    • Peter Lorre
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    23K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Alfred Hitchcock
    • Writers
      • Charles Bennett
      • D.B. Wyndham-Lewis
      • Edwin Greenwood
    • Stars
      • Leslie Banks
      • Edna Best
      • Peter Lorre
    • 160User reviews
    • 82Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Photos116

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    Top cast33

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    Leslie Banks
    Leslie Banks
    • Bob Lawrence
    Edna Best
    Edna Best
    • Jill Lawrence
    Peter Lorre
    Peter Lorre
    • Abbott
    Frank Vosper
    Frank Vosper
    • Ramon Levine
    Hugh Wakefield
    Hugh Wakefield
    • Clive
    Nova Pilbeam
    Nova Pilbeam
    • Betty Lawrence
    Pierre Fresnay
    Pierre Fresnay
    • Louis Bernard
    Cicely Oates
    Cicely Oates
    • Nurse Agnes
    D.A. Clarke-Smith
    D.A. Clarke-Smith
    • Binstead
    • (as D.A. Clarke Smith)
    George Curzon
    George Curzon
    • Gibson
    Frank Atkinson
    Frank Atkinson
    • Policeman Shot Behind Mattress
    • (uncredited)
    Betty Baskcomb
    • Lawrence's Maid
    • (uncredited)
    Cot D'Ordan
    • Concierge
    • (uncredited)
    Tony De Lungo
    • Hotel Manager
    • (uncredited)
    Clare Greet
    Clare Greet
    • Mrs. Brockett
    • (uncredited)
    Pat Hagan
    • Policeman at Siege
    • (uncredited)
    Joan Harrison
    Joan Harrison
    • Secretary
    • (uncredited)
    Edward A. Hill-Mitchelson
    • Minor Role
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Alfred Hitchcock
    • Writers
      • Charles Bennett
      • D.B. Wyndham-Lewis
      • Edwin Greenwood
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews160

    6.722.7K
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    Featured reviews

    7utgard14

    Lorre learns English as Hitch continues to grow as a director

    One of Alfred Hitchcock's earliest classics, made before he came to Hollywood. A couple's daughter is kidnapped to keep her parents quiet about an assassination plot. The couple is played by Leslie Banks and Edna Best. Banks is good in a role that's a long way from his florid performance in The Most Dangerous Game from a couple of years earlier. Best is impressive in a sympathetic turn. Peter Lorre is menacing and even a little creepy as the leader of the assassins. This was his first English-speaking role (he learned the language while filming). Nice photography from Curt Courant and some fun little creative touches from Hitchcock. The dry humor is blended nicely with the action and suspense. The cult of sun worshippers and The Royal Albert Hall scene are both worthy of Hitch's highlight reel. Perhaps one too many abrupt cuts from one scene to the next, often as a character is in mid-sentence. But clearly Hitch was still honing his craft. At least he was trying things as opposed to the static direction of many of his contemporaries.

    Remade in 1956 by Hitchcock himself, with James Stewart and Doris Day. That version is more polished and "Hollywood," and is arguably the more popular of the two. Although neither film is perfect, I prefer this one. It may not have the two decades of advancements in production techniques or the bigger budget of the remake, but it has a tighter plot, shorter runtime, faster pace, darker tone, and it builds suspense without the distracting side stuff of the remake. Plus there's no incongruous scenes of Doris Day singing.
    Snow Leopard

    British Version is Fast-Paced, Witty, & Atmospheric

    Both versions of Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much" are well worth watching, and each one has its own strong points. While this British version cannot match the Hollywood remake in terms of star power and lavish production, it has several strengths of its own: it is fast-paced, filled with wit, and nicely atmospheric. Despite being 20 years older, it is also more 'modern' in its portrayal of the woman whose child is kidnapped.

    Aside from Peter Lorre, always a big plus to any movie, the cast does not have too many names that would be familiar to today's audiences, but they all are good actors who fit in well with the style of Hitchcock's British films, exuding self-control and good-natured wit even in the most trying of circumstances. Edna Best as the heroine is noticeably different from Doris Day, lacking the glamour but giving a convincing performance as a more determined, resourceful mother.

    There are some interesting settings in this version, too, with much of the action taking place in some interesting buildings in a less elegant neighborhood in London. A lot of it looks a bit murky in the old black-and-white print, but in a sense even that adds to the atmosphere.

    Certainly there are those who have good reasons for preferring the remake, but every Hitchcock fan should watch the original, too. Hitchcock's British films had a pleasant style all their own, and while this one might not measure up to "The Lady Vanishes" or "The 39 Steps", it's still very entertaining.
    6ma-cortes

    Mystery and tension in the first international hit of the suspense magician

    The tale deals with a marriage (Leslie Banks and Edna Best) and their daughter (Nova Pilbeam) on holiday in Saint Moritz , Switzerland . They are witnesses for the assassination of their friend Louis (Pierre Fresnay) , before giving them a message and then they become involved into a confuse and obscure international plot , concerning their abducting daughter .

    The movie gets the seed in which later emerged many Hitchcock's suspense pictures . In fact , Alfred Hitchcock reverted back to the more familiar territory of a suspense/intrigue thriller after the lousy result in Walzes from Vienna (1934) . It has a typical theme of the suspense master : innocent people become caught up into a cobweb of intrigue . The film displays interesting issues and a good cast , as an excellent Peter Lorre in his first English role , he interprets a clever and uncanny villain . However , the plot isn't narrated in agility and it seems some forced . The film highlights are the following ones : the happenings at the Royal Albert Hall of London , the rescue of the kidnapped daughter in the Tabernacle of the Sun and the final showdown remembers the authentic events on riots in Sidney Street , year 1911 , where a lot of citizens died . At the time the general public loved it and obtained smash-hit . Hitchcock's remade in 1956 is considered much better and with more lavish setting and glimmer color , besides , being starred by James Stewart and Doris Day singing : Que sera , sera . Rated : Good but dated .
    6mstomaso

    Interesting idea, not the best execution

    Hitccock's first major release in the USA and Peter Lorre's first English-speaking role are two firsts scored by this 1934 thriller. This is, of course, also Hitchcock's first attempt to to make this film. His second, released in the mid-50s was more successful and better funded. This very British and relatively pithy film retains most of the character of Hitchcock's earlier efforts, but is lean and economical, with less camera play and simpler cinematography and pacing.

    The acting is generally very good. Of the main cast, Nova Pilbeam, who plays the kidnapped daughter of Leslie Banks and Edna Best, is the only survivor today, at the age of 87. Most of the action centers on Banks,and he is fine, but (and I tend to think this is Hitchcock's doing) very emotionally compressed throughout the film. Banks' Bob Lawrence has a loving, flirty, wife (Best) and a delightful young daughter (Pilbeam). They are away on holiday in the alps when a new friend of their is shot dead while dancing with Best. As he dies, he passes along some information which creates the family's predicament. Lorre and his people kidnap young Pilbeam in exchange for Banks' silence, and he must then decide what to do. It seems that no matter what he does, his daughter is likely to die.

    It is remarkable that Lorre did not even know what he was saying throughout most of this performance. The legendary actor, as usual, dominates all of his scenes and gives the film a creepy, psychotic feeling that would have been difficult to achieve without him.

    The plot is a bit light on logic, but brisk, satisfyingly convoluted and entertaining. The script is OK, but often maintains too stiff an upper lip. A few opportunities for elaboration were missed - probably a limitation inherent in the original Wyndham Lewis story. I think it would have been interesting (and more credible) if the authorities had followed up on their knowledge that Banks knew something and trailed him throughout the film. This could have added an extra layer of potential suspense, mystery and obfuscation, since Best's heightened paranoia might have lead him to suspect all sorts of things about anybody keeping tabs on him.

    Hitchcock definitely knew he had a potential gem here, and it is a credit to him that he revitalized the film with Jimmy Stewart in the 1950s - after establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with.

    Worth seeing for Hitchcock fans and those interested in early British film as well as fans of the 1950s version. O/w only very mildly recommended.
    malvernp

    Original v. Remake?

    There is a long-standing tradition in film for someone to come along at a later time and feel moved to remake a movie now considered a classic.

    In many cases, the remake is really nothing more than an homage to the earlier version----perhaps updated to reflect the use of color and employment of some subsequent technical advances---but with little else to offer. "Prisoner of Zenda" (1952) and the recent "Psycho" come to mind as examples of such productions.

    Occasionally, the creator of the earlier film feels inspired to try to improve upon it himself. This by no means ensures success. Compare Frank Capra's "Lady for a Day" (1934) with his "Pocketful of Miracles." ((1951) On the other hand, many believe that DeMille's "Ten Commandments" (1956) is better in its story telling than his silent version made in 1923.

    So much has been written about the two versions of "Man Who Knew Too Much" that there is very little one can add that hasn't been said before. Having seen them recently back-to-back, my personal opinion is that they are both flawed---but in different ways. The earlier film is quaintly primitive---particularly in matters involving continuity, use of sound, editing and other technical issues. On the other hand, the later version seems excessively padded with much extraneous material, has a male juvenile actor who is quite inferior to Nova Pilbeam in the original and has villains who lack the unique menace of Peter Lorre---with his rare combination of subtle humor, wit and terror.

    In the end, the viewer is left with a sort of Hobson's Choice. Hitchcock himself said that the earlier work was that of a skilled amateur while the latter was the effort of a seasoned professional. No doubt in many ways he is right.

    But there is something to be said about the sheer originality and power of a first effort----flawed though it may be. "Citizen Kane" was also the product of a skilled amateur. Could a more mature Orson Welles have improved upon it even with its flaws?

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      When Peter Lorre arrived in Great Britain, his first meeting with a British director was with Sir Alfred Hitchcock. By smiling and laughing as Hitchcock talked, the director was unaware that Lorre, a Hungarian, had a limited command of the English language. Hitchcock subsequently decided to cast Lorre in this movie, and the young actor learned much of his part phonetically.
    • Goofs
      (at around 21 mins) When Bob Lawrence and his daughter exit the chalet porch to watch the trap shoot, Bob pushes the left door outwards. When the camera cuts to an outside view of their leaving the building, it's the other door that is swinging shut, and it is closing from the inside.
    • Quotes

      Abbott: Tell her they may soon be leaving us. Leaving us for a long, long journey. How is it that Shakespeare says? "From which no traveler returns." Great poet.

    • Connections
      Edited into 365 days, also known as a Year (2019)
    • Soundtracks
      Storm Clouds Cantata
      (1934) (uncredited)

      Music by Arthur Benjamin

      Words by D.B. Wyndham-Lewis

      Performed by London Symphony Orchestra

      Under the direction of H. Wynn Reeves

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • March 1, 1935 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Italian
      • French
    • Also known as
      • El hombre que sabía demasiado
    • Filming locations
      • Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington, London, England, UK(finale)
    • Production company
      • Gaumont British Picture Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • £40,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $247
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 15m(75 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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