THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1934)

This film when it came out was well received and represented something of a revival in Hitchcock's fortunes, so it is strange that in the 1950s he felt the need to remake it, as if he was disappointed in the original. 

The two versions differ in many respects, but they share the same fundamental setup: a married couple on a foreign holiday stumble upon a scheme to assassinate a foreign politician, and to keep them quiet their child is kidnapped.  

And in both films the assassination attempt takes place during a concert at the Royal Albert Hall.  It makes for a very suspenseful set piece so I can see why Hitchcock kept it in the remake.

We start off in the Alps where the Lawrence family (Bob, Jill and daughter Betty) are on holiday.  It's not that long before a Frenchman who is dancing with Jill is shot dead.  It's an effectively shocking moment even if shooting someone through a window at night when they are in a crowded danceroom is an unlikely way to go about killing them.

Almost immediately Bob discovers some important information relating to the planned assassination but can't do anything about it because Betty has been kidnapped.

Upon returning to London we get some entertaining if somewhat bizarre episodes involving first a sinister dentist and then a sun-worshipping cult, in which Bob tries to track down the kidnappers.

This leads us to first the Royal Albert Hall, where Jill's scream distracts the assassin  sufficiently, and then a prolonged shootout between the criminals and the police.  

There's a neat ending in which Jill, a skilled sharpshooter, rescues Betty, and the family are happily reunited.

Compared with the 1956 film, which stars James Stewart and (of all people) Doris Day, this version stars a couple of actors (Leslie Banks and Edna Best) who lack star quality, but by way of compensation Peter Lorre here turns in a deliciously idiosyncratic performance as the criminal mastermind.   

Notwithstanding that I prefer the remake, this version is directed with verve and style, and makes for an entertaining 75 minutes (films sure didn't hang around in those days).  

RATING: ✓ Cheers