THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: thematic elements

Rated:

In the world of psychological suspense, there is only one director -- Hitchcock. His works are amongst the finest bone-chilling thrillers ever produced. This almost forgotten adventure was produced twice, both times by Hitchcock, "once as an armature, secondly by a professional." The story follows the chilling kidnapping of a young couple's only child in relation to foreign politics and features the excellent teaming of Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day. Dr. Ben McKenna (Jimmy Stewart), his wife Jo (Doris Day) and their son Hank (Christopher Olsen) are on a touring holiday of Africa when they meet the mysterious Louis Bernard on a bus. Hank accidentally commits a moral sin by pulling the veil of a young married woman free, and her husband threatens them. Bernard, having some knowledge of the customs, steps in to prevent bloodshed. 

With his help, they book a room in a hotel and agree to meet him for cocktails afterward. Jo is strangely suspicious of the man, crediting it to some feminine sixth sense, and cautions her husband about becoming too entangled with him. Stiffed for dinner by Bernard that evening, the McKennas join a touring British couple Mr. and Mrs. Drayton (Bernard Miles and Brenda De Banzie) for drinks. The next day in the marketplace, Bernard is murdered... but before he dies is able to whisper a few sentences into Ben's ear. Learning that he was a foreign agent on a spying mission, Ben wages against himself in whether or not to reveal everything to the police. He sends his son back to the hotel with Mrs. Drayton while he and his wife are called to the police station to answer questions.

But just as he is prepared to tell all, a mysterious phone call threatens him to say nothing or young Hank will be in danger. Terrified for his son's well being, Ben rings up the hotel and discovers that Mrs. Drayton never arrived. Mr. Drayton, their translator, is concerned for his wife's well being and returns to the hotel to investigate. The McKennas say nothing to the police but when they return, Ben discovers that Drayton has checked out... taking the boy with him. Jo is distraught with the news and the couple immediately return to London. But when Scotland Yard proves more of a hindrance than an aid, the pair must take matters into their own hands to save their son before it's too late. 

This is Hitchcock at his finest. With the perfect blend of humor and suspense, he weaves an intricate tail that reminds you somehow of the old movie Ransom, in which a father fights to regain his son from kidnappers. The film does lag twice, overdoing the element of suspense into a withdrawn climax; once with Doris Day's now famous song "What Will Be," and again in a crowded theater. But its mix of political intrigue and family situations are what grips the viewer and refuses to release them... a perfect blend of the impersonal and personal... and every parent's nightmare.

At first one scoffs the idea of Doris Day in a Hitchcock thriller, but she proves her wide range of acting skills well within the two hours of film. Her sudden emotional outbreak once learning that her son is indeed gone is Oscar-worthy; she becomes almost uncontrollable in a blend of fury and terror; her husband is forced to drug her to maintain her well-being. Stewart, as usual, is ideal in the father-turned-spy that must save his son's life, although his performance is not quite as compelling as that of Vertigo; his emotions are all over the screen, daring viewers to challenge him.

Violence is the only mild concern. Hitchcock seems to have abandoned the sensually suggestive material of prior pictures for this epic, instead relying on passionate emotion to convey feelings. It's one of the cleanest of his collection with no profanity and very little graphic violence. There is a knifing and several scenes where the heros are threatened at gunpoint, and the child in danger may frighten younger viewers. The ending climax is somewhat drawn out but throbs with pulsating suspense. It may not be Rear Window, but it is a good thriller and a surprisingly clean one at that.