The Man Who Knew Too Much (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

I have loved this early Hitchcock film since I was a child. Thanks to home video we were able to view it in our homes instead of cruddy looking TV prints. The public domain versions on video didn't look much better, but we could watch it when we wanted to. Criterion started a trend back in the day with immaculate Laserdisc transfers (boy those were costly!) and then DVD and now blu ray. I am so thankful they have survived all these years so they could bring us great transfers like this one into the hi def age. Who would ever think a little film like this would get the respect and care that it has deserved after all these years. So many people know about the American remake Hitch did and know nothing about this great classic. Well its time for the newer generation to catch Hitchcock's earlier British films thanks to Criterion and these awesome restorations. The Lady Vanishes always will be the cleanest and detailed of their restorations, but The Man Who Knew Too Much comes close. I have never seen this old movie look and sound as good. We can finally follow what is going on in the final scene! Images aren't lost in the shadows. This is one striking picture when you come to realize its from 1934. There are still a few soft spots and blemishes, but they are far and few between. I am so amazed how good the video looks, that I haven't even went through the special features (will love to hear the commentary). The movie survives on its own and doesn't need all the bells and whistles that special editions have (it is nice to have them though).Criterion just keeps proving to me why they are my favorite when it comes to classic films on blu ray. Cannot thank you enough for releasing this great classic on home video (finally).Bravo!

The Criterion Collection has done it again! For several years now, they've been filling in the blank spaces in the collections of film lovers, and now it's a newly remastered version of Alfred Hitchcock's 1934 thriller, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. As one of Hitchcock's biggest fans, I'm here to tell you that there has never been a really good print of this early masterpiece available on DVD before, to say nothing of Blu-Ray. Now, thanks to Criterion, we have both!This was Hitchcock's first version of the venerable spy story; he filmed it again in 1955 with James Stewart and Doris Day ( The Man Who Knew Too Much ). Fans argue about which is the better version, and the director himself preferred the later one, but I love them both equally. There's something truly charming about the earlier film, and it includes one great performance that doesn't have a correlative in the 1955 version.The story is simple and straightforward: A British couple (lLeslie Banks and Edna Best) are on vacation in Switzerland with their young daughter (Nova Pilbeam) when the father accidentally learns a deadly secret from a dying man. A political VIP is about to be assassinated in London by a nasty ring of terrorists led by a vicious psychopath (Peter Lorre, giving the great performance I mentioned above). In order to keep the parents quiet about the plot, the villains kidnap the daughter, which leads to...well, see for yourself.This was Peter Lorre's first performance in English, and he is truly memorable. Banks and Best are excellent, too, and the swift pace of the movie never lags. It's one of the Master's most enjoyable early works, paving the way for later gems like  The 39 Steps  and  North By Northwest , and now Criterion has given us a reason to appreciate it even more. Highly recommended.

THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1934 UK, 1935 US) is Hitchcock's first auteur thriller. By that I mean it has all of the elements he later exploited as the "Master of Suspense." He had done effective thrillers before this (BLACKMAIL and MURDER! come to mind), but they were dry runs for what he achieves in this film. The oddly appealing psychopath so central to his films is well played by Peter Lorre, who looks almost forlorn over the terrible things he plans to do as a terrorist and all-purpose baddie. Hitch had a love/hate relationship with his villains--horrible as they are, they remain fascinating. Norman Bates (PSYCHO, 1960) begins to take form in Lorre's character. The most striking moment here, to my mind, is not the nail-biting sequence in Royal Albert Hall, but the chair throwing scene in the false church; startling in its violence, it reminded me of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971). Hitch had two secrets that place him in a class by himself as a director: he knew exactly where to position the camera, how far away to keep it, how to move it, how long to hold it; and he got his actors to do things no other director did. I saw many things in this thrilling Criterion cleanup of the public domain copy that Hitch later used in his films, such as the rooftop sequence he used in TO CATCH A THIEF (1955). Every Hitchcock fan deserves to enjoy this reboot of a thrilling Hitchcock thriller.

I’ve seen this film several times over the years and always wished it looked and sounded better. Was overjoyed to see Criterion tackle the restoration and it’s glorious! Peter Lorre’s performance is exquisite.Now for that one little annoyance. There are no subtitles. As an American who can be easily confused by British accents, I generally employ closed captions or subtitles on British movies and TV shows. There’s even a credit in the accompanying booklet for “Subtitle Supervisor”! Nice work if you can get it, I guess. This is the reason for only 4 stars, although 4.5 would probably be more accurate. If subtitles don’t matter to you, consider this a 5 star review.

This classic is truly worth the time to watch. I bought the Criterion bluray. Which was painstakingly restored & amazingly well done.Even though Hitchcock would later say that this early 1934 film of his was by a talented amateur & would go on to remake it over 20 years later, It still does have its charm.It's plot simply is a vacationing family has their child kidnapped by a terrorist group in order to force the parents to aid in an assassination of an important public official. This terrorist group is simulator to the black hand, the group behind the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand which is believed by many to have been the spark that inginited World War 1.In the film It is expected that this new Assassination will bring Europe once again to all out WAR. Remember this film is from 1934, 5 years before world war 2 actually began.Peter Lorre is amazing in this film has the terrorist leader.

First I'd like to say that all reviews are interesting and that I cannot add to them... The thing that hit me when I watched it was its economy and violence... It's not been surpassed in that its intensity is very much present and dare I say realistic... But I hope all of you watch this movie and compare to the remake you'll appreciate what's in front of you... Hitchcock had many transformations and it is fascinating how he developed over his long career... Both are excellent displays of Hitchcock at his best at very different times of his life... Happy exploration and thank you Criterion for restoring this great film...

When you think of "The Man Who Knew Too Much", you think of the remake. This is different and fascinating. I've always been a fan of Peter Lorre who delivers in this film. Criterion does a good job in quality and features.

An engaging and fun mystery.

Le produit m'a été livré dans le délai prévu. La qualité mentionnée était exacte. Je suis très satisfait et je recommande fortement ce vendeur.