The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

 Alfred Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much"


It's very uncommon for a film director to have two films with the same name, especially if those two films are completely different stories. Alfred Hitchcock made "The Man Who Knew Too Much" 22 years apart, the first being in 1934. The film stars Peter Lorre in his second ever English speaking role, the first being the English dub for Fritz Lang's "M." After fleeing the Nazis 1934, the first director Lorre contacted was Hitchcock. This makes sense, as Lang studied under Lang during his time visiting Germany in the 1920s. Hitchcock cast Lorre as the villain in this story about kidnapping and espionage. It was a great commercial and critical success in the UK and continued to further Hitchcock's career.



Writer's Assessment: I found the film very boring, despite the 'thriller' genre category. The plot was somehow both convoluted and way too simple. Hitchcock does not do anything spectacular directorially. Overall, I did not enjoy this film and felt it was one of Hitchcock's weakest.



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