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The Man Who Knew Too Much

Play trailer Poster for The Man Who Knew Too Much PG Released Jun 1, 1956 2h 0m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 43 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Dr. Ben McKenna (James Stewart) is on vacation with his wife (Doris Day) and son in Morocco when a chance encounter with a stranger sets their trip, and their lives, on a drastically different course. The stranger, killed in front of the family in the marketplace, reveals an assassination plot to the Americans. The couple's son is abducted in order to ensure the plot is kept secret, and suddenly the mother and father, with no help from the police, must figure out a way to get their child back.
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The Man Who Knew Too Much

The Man Who Knew Too Much

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Critics Consensus

Remaking his own 1934 film, Hitchcock imbues The Man Who Knew Too Much with picturesque locales and international intrigue, and is helped by a brilliantly befuddled performance from James Stewart.

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Critics Reviews

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Richard L. Coe Washington Post On the whole, The Man Who Knew Too Much is a dandy of its popular kind. Mar 21, 2024 Full Review TIME Staff TIME Magazine Instead of using music as a background for action, Hitchcock moves it up front... The chief drawback of these musical stage-waits is that they allow the audience to think back over the story and conclude that it doesn't make much sense. Apr 28, 2020 Full Review Don Gillette The Hollywood Reporter It's like a long novel that could be tightened, yet many would prefer it as it is. Jun 5, 2018 Full Review M. Oakley Christoph Hartford Courant Like all Hitchcock's plays the sudden twists are what make it filled with suspense and terror. Set abroad, from Morocco to London, and in color it is something to see. Mar 22, 2024 Full Review Jay Carmody Washington Star Hitchcock made the same picture in 1935, before he came to this country, but that should deter nobody. The story has been brought quite up to date, dressed in Vista Vision and color, and starts in Marrakesh. Mar 21, 2024 Full Review Jean-Luc Godard Cahiers du Cinéma Let us love Hitchcock when, weary of passing simply for a master of taut style, he takes us the longest way round. Sep 1, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Micah H This is the movie that made me love the movies for the first time. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/02/24 Full Review Dan G It's a good film, but doesn't belong at the "classic level" of Rear Window or Psycho. Jimmy Stewart & Doris Day are fine .... but even though the villains are conveniently ruthless in stealth and appearance, were you ever truly fearful for the son ? Not me. Nor does the story have the depth of Vertigo (a film I cannot understand, even after 4 viewings) or North By Northwest (a bit campy, yet still thrilling and compelling). Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/02/24 Full Review Tom W So many bad decisions! I love Alfred Hitchcock but if I’m being objective, it just overall had far too many preposterous situations. Also Jimmy Stewart’s aggressiveness towards his wife is strikingly unfamiliar by today’s standards. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/23/24 Full Review Jelisije J A nice remake by Alfred Hitchcock to remake one of his old films with the same story but with better actors. The only downside this film pacing is just awful and the plot is very simple. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/19/24 Full Review Luis M. D This second version is certainly more colorful and shiny than the first one. The long picturesque scenes in Marakesh, Morocco, at the beginning successfully introduce the viewer into the story as would be tourists so they can identify more easily with the luck of the main protagonists. Even the plot has been simplified somehow to make it easier to follow and understand. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/16/24 Full Review Nanci L This is one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movies of all time....In fact....It's one of my favorite movies of all time period! The cast is exceptional. The plot is perfection. I love this film! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/20/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Man Who Knew Too Much

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The Man Who Knew Too Much

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Movie Info

Synopsis Dr. Ben McKenna (James Stewart) is on vacation with his wife (Doris Day) and son in Morocco when a chance encounter with a stranger sets their trip, and their lives, on a drastically different course. The stranger, killed in front of the family in the marketplace, reveals an assassination plot to the Americans. The couple's son is abducted in order to ensure the plot is kept secret, and suddenly the mother and father, with no help from the police, must figure out a way to get their child back.
Director
Alfred Hitchcock
Producer
Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter
Charles Bennett, D.B. Wyndham-Lewis, John Michael Hayes
Distributor
MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures
Rating
PG
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 1, 1956, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Runtime
2h 0m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm, 1.66:1
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