Review of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) by Francisco S — 06 Jun 2015

WOW......WOW......WOW......WOW.....SUPERB.......BRILLIANT......FANTASTIC......GENIUS......MAN I HAVE JUST SEEN THIS MOVIE 4 THE 1ST TIME N THINK THAT THIS IS SUCH A BRILLIANT MOVIE 2 WATCH.......its got a good cast of actors/actresses throughout this movie.....I think that james stewart (.R.I.P.), doris day, Brenda de banzie (.R.I.P.), Bernard miles (.R.I.P.), ralph Truman (.R.I.P.), play good roles/parts throughout this movie......I think that the director of this mystery/suspense/classics movie had done a great job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie.......I think that this is such a great remake of a movie 2 watch......its got such a fantastic cast throughout this movie.......

Alfred Hitchcock first considered an American remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1941, but only brought back the idea in 1956, to make a film that would fulfill a contractual demand from Paramount Pictures. The studio agreed it was a picture that could be well-adapted to the new decade. Screenwriter John Michael Hayes was hired on the condition that he would not watch the early version or read its script, with all the plot details coming from a briefing with Hitchcock.167 Only the opening scenes of the script were ready when filming begun, and Hayes had to send by airmail the subsequent script pages as he finished them.187-191.

Hitchcock again brought James Stewart to be his protagonist as he was considering the actor a creative partner, and Paramount wanted a sense of continuity between his works. The director requested blonde Doris Day for the main female role as he liked her performance in Storm Warning, though associate producer Herbert Coleman was reluctant on Day, whom he only knew as a singer. Coleman strongly suggested that the more serious blonde actresses like Lana Turner, Grace Kelly, or Kim Novak be cast in the role, or a suitable brunette, like Jane Russell, Gene Tierney, or Ava Gardner. However, Day was eventually cast in the female lead.

The film started its principal photography on location in Marrakesh, where the schedule had to be changed so the Marrakesh shoot did not coincide with Ramadan. Day was shocked by the health of the local animals, prompting her to only accept filming once the studio set up an animal-feeding station in Marrakesh.[citation needed] Afterwards, production moved to London, with external shots, and the interiors of both the taxidermist shop and the Royal Albert Hall. Once the external shoots were finished, the other interiors - which included a replica of most of the Albert Hall - were shot in the Paramount soundstages in Los Angeles. The Albert Hall sequence drew some inspiration from H. M. Bateman's comic "The One-Note Man", which followed the daily life of a musician who only plays one note in a symphony, similar to the cymbal player in the film.

Alfred Hitchcock's cameo is a signature occurrence in most of his films. In The Man Who Knew Too Much he can be seen 25:42 into the film, in the lower left corner, watching acrobats in the Moroccan marketplace, with his back to the camera, wearing a light gray suit, and putting his hands into his pockets, just before the spy is killed.

The Man Who Knew Too Much is one of five movies that Alfred Hitchcock directed that he ended up owning.[citation needed] This movie was kept out of re-release until 1983 when it was purchased by Universal Pictures. The film has been released on home video by Universal Pictures in both VHS and DVD formats. The 2000 DVD includes a special documentary on the making of the film, including interviews with Hitchcock's daughter, Patricia Hitchcock, and members of the production crew. The DVD retains the original VistaVision aspect ratio, capturing the full widescreen impact of the film, with digitally restored images.

The film was a commercial success. Filmed on a budget of $1.2 million, it grossed $11,333,333 at the domestic box office, earning $4.1 million in US theatrical rentals.

Man this is such a gripping, thrilling, movie 2 watch, I think that this is such a really well written/acted/directed movie 2 watch, its got such a brilliant cast throughout this movie......man this is such an amazingly brilliant movie 2 watch, with a great cast throughout this movie, it is such a brilliant movie 2 watch.......