Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Man Who Knew Too Much Blu-ray Movie Review

"A man, a statesman, is to be killed. Assassinated in London. Soon. very soon..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown November 5, 2012

A man confronts his accuser atop the Statue of Liberty, where one false move will spell death. A wolf in sheep's clothing allows the beast lurking within to bear its teeth. A housemaster slowly, oh so slowly, pieces together the heinous crime perpetrated by two former students. A woman searches for clues in a suspected murderer's apartment just as the man returns home. Four people work to keep the demise of a fellow smalltown resident a secret from a local deputy. An assassin's gun slides out from behind a curtain as an ordinary man races to thwart his plot. An airplane buzzes then roars past as a man dives for cover. The hiss of a shower masks the approach of a madman with a knife in his hand. Countless birds gather on a jungle gym as a woman smokes a cigarette nearby. A husband barges into his new wife's bedroom and has his way with her as she retreats into a near-catatonic state. A physicist discovers killing a man isn't as easy as it might seem, wrestling with his victim right up until the violent end. A purple dress billows out beneath a dying woman like spilled blood. A serial killer retrieves his pin from a woman's grasp, one dead finger at a time. A fake psychic tries to squirm out of a thief's vice-like grip as he pushes a syringe closer and closer. Be it drama, horror or comedy, psychological stunner, monster movie or international spy thriller, is it any mystery that filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock was known as the Master of Suspense? Is it any wonder his movies still hold hypnotic sway over filmfans all these years later?

A vacationing couple become involved in an international assassination plot after their son is kidnapped...

Hitchcock didn't make a habit of repeating himself, but that didn't stop him from bringing two different versions of The Man Who Knew Too Much to the screen: the first in 1934, which the Master of Suspense later likened to "the work of a talented amateur," and the second in 1956, which he touted as being "made by a professional." Neither film represents Hitchcock at his best, though, despite the fact that the 1956 remake (reimagining really) remains the superior thriller. Sandwiched between the darkly funny Trouble with Harry and true crime story The Wrong Man, its sluggish second act, more melodramatic flourishes and select casting choices (Doris Day among them) prove to be something of a burden now and again. Fortunately, Jimmy Stewart, starring in his third of four Hitchcock films, and the assassination plot itself keep The Man Who Knew Too Much clipping along, as do the assassins and the chief gunman (Bernard Miles), the parental strain brought on by the kidnapping of Ben and Josephine's son (Christopher Olsen), and the dash to prevent the death of a Prime Minister at the Royal Albert Hall. Granted, I'm not particularly fond of Hitchcock's international intrigue-fueled thrillers; as a filmmaker and storyteller, the director is better suited to the horrors of the human heart than the mechanics of an airtight international plot. But between Stewart's earnest performance and Hitchcock's command of his craft makes this a decent addition to the Masterpiece Collection.

The Man Who Knew Too Much Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

It's not digital manipulation and edge enhancement that bring The Man Who Knew Too Much down, although each is in play to some degree. No, the chief culprit in the murder of The Man's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation is color. Color balance, color saturation, color consistency, unsightly color fluctuations et al. Primaries plummet from decent to dull, skintones are typically washed out, muddy or uneven, and pulsing is a problem, one that should have been corrected in full before any transfer was minted. Other issues become apparent as well as the film unravels -- crushed blacks, mild to severe ringing, and prevailing print damage -- and the distractions only seem to increase. It's not a complete loss, mind you. Detail certainly doesn't disappoint, and there are plenty of shots that hint at what could have been. I've seen worse, I'll admit, but the first five films in the Masterpiece Collection raised my hopes for everything that was to follow. Sadly, The Man Who Knew Too Much doesn't hold up to scrutiny, strict or casual.

The Man Who Knew Too Much Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Man Who Knew Too Much rights a few presentation wrongs with a tactical two-channel DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track. Dialogue is clean and clear, without any lost lines or muffled voices. Effects, though unsurprisingly stagy, are neatly nestled in the soundscape. And Bernard Herrmann's climactic orchestration of Arthur Benjamin's Storm Clouds Cantata builds beautifully without overpowering or overwhelming the on-screen suspense, and Doris Day's Academy Award-winning Best Song, "Que Sera, Sera," sounds lovely. All things considered, it isn't a catalog marvel, but it is precise and proficient, and I couldn't ask for much more.

The Man Who Knew Too Much Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Making of The Man Who Knew Too Much (SD, 34 minutes): "Let's say the first version is the work of a talented amateur and the second was made by a professional." After a lengthy overview of Hitchcock's reluctance and eventual decision to remake his own 1934 film of the same name, Pat Hitchcock O'Connell, associate producer Herbert Coleman, screenwriter John Michael Hayes, production designer Henry Bumstead and other notable participants leave no stone unturned, laying out Man's plotting and script, Jimmy Stewart's friendship with Hitchcock, his casting in the movie, his castmates' performances (chief among them Doris Day) and just about everything else a fan of Htich's thriller might want to know.
• Production Photographs (SD, 4 minutes): Movie posters, vintage ads and production photos.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 8 minutes)

The Man Who Knew Too Much Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Man Who Knew Too Much is a bit of a tough sell, especially when weighed against true Hitchcock masterpieces like Rear Window and Psycho. Still, as a well-crafted bridge between The Trouble with Harry and Jimmy Stewart's next star turn, Vertigo (yet another true masterpiece), Hitchcock's remake offers fans more of what the director does best: suspense. It's just too bad that Universal's video presentation is a mess, especially when its DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix is so good. In the end, The Man Who Knew Too Much isn't the worst the Masterpiece Collection has to offer, but it's too close for comfort.