The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
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An American family's vacation in Morocco turns into a high-stakes international intrigue after they encounter a dying man with a deadly secret.
The story
While vacationing in French Morocco, an American family—Dr. Ben McKenna, his wife Jo, and their son Hank—encounter a mysterious man named Louis Bernard. After Bernard is attacked and dies, he leaves Ben with a cryptic warning about an assassination plot in London and a man named "Ambrose Chappell." The situation escalates when Hank is kidnapped, and the family must travel to London to navigate a web of deception involving the kidnappers and the looming threat of a political assassination. Ben and Jo must navigate the dangerous streets of London to find their son and uncover the truth behind the plot before it is too late.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
While vacationing in Morocco, the McKenna family meets Louis Bernard, who dies after being attacked, leaving Ben with a warning about an assassination plot in London involving 'Ambrose Chappell'. When Hank is kidnapped, the family travels to London. They discover the kidnappers are the Draytons, who are involved in the plot. In London, Jo realizes 'Ambrose Chapel' is a location and finds the Draytons there. After a tense standoff at a chapel and a confrontation at the Royal Albert Hall, Jo identifies the assassin. During a performance of 'Que Sera, Sera', Jo's singing alerts Hank, and Ben finds the boy. The plot is foiled, the Draytons are apprehended, and the family is reunited.
- First release year
- 1956
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Writers
- John Michael Hayes · screenplay; Charles Bennett · story; D. B. Wyndham-Lewis · story
- Cast and characters
- James Stewart · Dr. Ben McKenna; Doris Day · Jo Conway
- Genres
- mystery; thriller
- Themes
- espionage; political intrigue; parental protection
- Tone and mood
- suspenseful; tense
- Setting
- French Morocco and London, 1956.
- Premise and plot tags
- remake; spy thriller; musical element
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1934 film of the same name
- Reception
- The film was a commercial success and received generally positive reviews, though some critics preferred the 1934 original.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 89% · review count: 44; Metacritic · score: 76 · scale: 100
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Original Song · win
- Production trivia
- Alfred Hitchcock's cameo is a signature occurrence in most of his films.; The Royal Albert Hall sequence drew some inspiration from H. M. Bateman's comic "The One-Note Man".; The song "Que Sera, Sera" was included in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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