Search - Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 9/17/2023...

Old School Alfred Hitchcock Black and White that was not great but also not terrible.

Slow to get started, but a very entertaining film

Andrew McCaffrey | Satellite of Love, Maryland | 06/25/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"(The DVD version that I am reviewing is the Laserlight release, featuring the introduction by Tony Curtis. All remarks concerning the quality of the disc refer to this edition.)I found THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH to be a bit of a mixed bag. The first half appears choppy and uneven. Things happen without much motivation and the cast seems to confused as to what exactly is going on. Some of the more experimental scenes and moments just did not seem to work terribly well. The direction is unsteady and a touch confusing at times - I'm still not sure what happened during the opening ski scene and I couldn't figure out why a skiier, when suddenly confronted with a child running in front of him, would just scream and cover his eyes.However, at about the midway point, the film settles down and becomes quite entertaining. There are some masterfully suspenseful sequences such as the assassination attempt during a concert and a long shoot-out with the police. Hitchcock managed to milk the suspense for all it's worth without once taking it a moment too far. Peter Lorre deserves a lot of credit for crafting a role that initially isn't terribly exciting and infusing it with just the right amount of necessary style. His character is a joy to watch and Lorre steals every scene that he is in. He gets all the best lines and manages to create a character that's chilling even while he's laughing hysterically at his henchmen. The DVD itself is not bad. The picture seems fine and the audio is quite good. I'm sure that there are better prints available than this, but for the extremely low price, it's a bargain. The bonus footage is a trailer for Alfred Hitchcock's SABOTEUR and is a fairly forgettable extra. And Tony Curtis didn't wear his black, leather gloves for the opening and closing remarks, which is always a good thing."

Very poor picture and sound spoil a good film

Andrew McCaffrey | 05/23/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"A very poor transfer of a very good film.Laserlight have done nothing to restore the print.The picture is dark and washed out.The sound is also very poor.The story has some great scenes,such as the finale in the hall where the assassination attempt takes place,but you have to watch a muddy picture with crackling sound.Wait for another version to come out."

The remake was better...

Just Another Old Music Fan | Richmond, VA | 02/11/1999

(2 out of 5 stars)

"But this version still has its moments. You can easily see why Hitch loved this story enough to remake it, and once having seen both versions, will applaud his decision to do so.The problem with this DVD is not the content, but rather the technical quality of the transfer. I have seen 8mm home movies with better production values. The sound is particularly annoying, and the video not much better.While I can understand the many imperatives for making this version available, I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone other than a rabid Hitchcock fan, and then only for historical perspective. It is truly a shame to see such a wonderful film rendered so horribly and a stellar Director's vision, treated so shabbily."