The Man Who Knew Too
Much (1934), dir. Alfred Hitchcock,
Gaumont-British Picture Corporation
Moving into the director feature, we open with the works of
Alfred Hitchcock. At this point Hitchcock was still working in England and just
starting work with talking features. The
Man Who Knew Too Much actually began life as a Bulldog Drummond story, but when
the rights fell through the gist of the story was reworked.
The Lawrence family, father Bob, mother Jill, and daughter
Betty (Leslie Banks, Edna Best, and Nova Pillbeam) are a British family
enjoying a holiday in Switzerland while Jill participates in a clay shooting
contest. They met a charming foreigner named Louis Bernard (Pierre Fresnay) who
seems rather taken with Jill.
As Bernard dances with Jill one night, an unseen assassin
shoots him. Bernard manages to pass some shocking information to Jill before he
dies. Unfortunately for the Lawrence family, Abbott (Peter Lorre) is aware that
Bernard passed something along. Abbot and his friends were…in the same business
as Bernard and he needs to make sure that Bernard’s information doesn’t reach
anyone as he is on a rather tight schedule. To make sure that the Lawrences
don’t do anything foolish, like inform the British consulate, Abbot and his
friends will hold onto Betty for a while.
Unable to inform anyone, Bob and Jill decide to investigate
the matter themselves. Through a great deal of detective work, they discover
Bernard was warning them about an assassination attempt on a foreign head of
state at the Royal Albert Hall. Jill manages to foil the attempt, but from
there it is a race against the clock to find Abbott’s hideout and rescue Betty.
The ending shootout is very impressive with the use of the
lower class buildings and Lorre is impressively menacing as Abbott. Be sure to
keep an eye for Hitchcock crossing the street wearing a long overcoat.
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