The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

UK 75m, B&W
Director: Alfred Hitchcock; Cast: Leslie Banks, Edna Best, Peter Lorre, Nova Pilbeam, Frank Vosper

The Man Who Knew Too much is a tense British thriller about the planned assassination of a foreign dignitary, and the kidnapping of a young girl. Re-made by Hitchcock in 1956, this original version is a more quickly paced film that included Peter Lorre in his first English-speaking role. As the film which helped launch Hitchcock’s career in America, The Man Who Knew Too Much contains many hallmarks of Hitchcock’s later productions, including striking compositions, and the creation of tension through audience expectation and knowledge that is only imparted to the film’s characters as the plot unfolds (Klaus Ming February 2016).