--- title: "The Man Who Knew Too Much" year: 1956 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-man-who-knew-too-much" fi1m_id: "the-man-who-knew-too-much" imdb_id: "tt0049470" tmdb_id: 574 wikidata_id: "Q486826" fi1m_score: 74 critics_score: 60 critics_reviews: 7 published: "2026-09-25T07:54:47.388087+00:00" updated: "2026-09-25T07:54:47.795172+00:00" region: "PH" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock · 2h 01m · Thriller, Mystery, Drama ## Identity The Man Who Knew Too Much - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-man-who-knew-too-much - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-man-who-knew-too-much - **IMDb ID:** tt0049470 - **TMDB ID:** 574 - **Wikidata ID:** Q486826 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049470/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/574, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q486826 **Fi1m score: 74** · Critics 60 from 7 reviews *In a sentence:* We would happily lose a little sightseeing and keep every anxious second of the concert > Alfred Hitchcock’s family thriller is worth the slow stretches for James Stewart, Doris Day and the sustained tension of its concert sequence. The pacing needs tightening, but the parents’ distress gives us reason to stay with it. ## Synopsis Marrakech is the setting as Ben McKenna (James Stewart) and Jo McKenna (Doris Day) face a mystery that puts their family under pressure. Hank McKenna (Christopher Olsen), Louis Bernard (Daniel Gélin), Lucy Drayton (Brenda De Banzie) and Edward Drayton (Bernard Miles) also figure in the story. Ben and Jo’s concern is for their family, and the danger around them leaves both parents distressed. Their predicament brings family drama into a thriller whose suspense rests on the fear of people with something personal to lose. ## Review *The Man Who Knew Too Much* is a good thriller that takes longer than it needs to become a gripping one. Alfred Hitchcock gives the McKenna family enough room to be recognisable as people, then asks us to share the parents’ anxiety. At 121 minutes, the film also gives us time to wonder whether every pause is necessary. The answer is no, but the performances and the handling of suspense make the slower passages worth tolerating. James Stewart plays Ben McKenna with a convincing effort to keep fear under control. We can read the strain of trying to remain capable when there is little comfort in doing so. Doris Day’s Jo McKenna gives the family distress its strongest emotional pull, and her performance deserves attention beyond the question of how well she suits a thriller. Their anxiety is believable enough to keep the film from becoming a succession of carefully arranged dangers. Robert Burks’s cinematography makes Marrakech worth looking at, though attractive surroundings do not by themselves keep a thriller moving. The sense of space gives the family drama some welcome breathing room, and the location never feels like an interchangeable backdrop. Yet there are stretches when we register the view more readily than the pressure on the parents. These images are pleasurable, and the film sometimes seems too content to let that pleasure account for the time. The weakness lies in how long the film spends between its strongest stretches. Editor George Tomasini cannot make all that waiting feel necessary, and the screenplay by John Michael Hayes could reach its points with less preparation. The family material gives the suspense something to work on, so stripping it away would be a mistake. Even so, the film occasionally continues to establish concern that the two leading performances have already made clear. At Albert Hall, that patience starts to pay. The concert sequence builds its suspense without dialogue, using the progress of the music to make waiting almost unbearable. We were properly tense here, because the film would not give us the relief of a conversation or an explanation. The cutting directs our attention with a firmness missing from some of the earlier passages, and for once we would not ask George Tomasini to remove a second. With Bernard Herrmann responsible for the music, listening becomes an essential part of watching, rather than something we do while following the plot. The gentler *Que Sera, Sera* is less persuasive as a reason to interrupt the thriller, however welcome Doris Day’s singing may be. We understand the appeal, but the film has already asked for a fair amount of patience. Her acting does more to secure our concern than the song does. As a family thriller, this works because the parents remain interesting enough to make us care about the danger. It is less consistently absorbing when it expects preparation alone to hold our attention, and its strongest sequence makes the loose pacing elsewhere harder to overlook. Still, the two leads give the suspense an emotional force that precise cutting and handsome photography could not supply by themselves. Choose it for an evening when nobody is in a hurry. *Fi1m score 74, published 25 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews lean towards qualified approval, with praise clustering around Hitchcock’s suspense sequences and technical control rather than the film’s pacing. Several critics find the tension sustained despite the leisurely approach, and James Stewart and Doris Day receive praise for their performances as distressed parents. The Hollywood Reporter singles out the Albert Hall concert sequence for its inventive buildup without dialogue, while other favourable notices find the remake compelling despite its slower pace than the original. Length is the recurring reservation, shared even by critics who otherwise enjoy the thriller: passages linger, and the extra running time does not always earn its place. The spread is wide, however, rather than uniformly lukewarm. The New Yorker supplies the sharpest dissent, finding the family and performances irritating and the remake inferior to Hitchcock’s earlier film; its limited praise for the Marrakech scenery does little to soften that judgement. ## Straight answers **Is The Man Who Knew Too Much worth watching?** *The Man Who Knew Too Much* is worth watching for its believable family distress and sustained concert suspense, and we score it 74 out of 100. James Stewart and Doris Day make the parents’ anxiety matter, though the leisurely sightseeing and loose pacing suit an evening when nobody is in a hurry. **How long is The Man Who Knew Too Much, and what is it rated?** *The Man Who Knew Too Much* runs 2h 01m. It is a thriller and mystery film. **Where can I watch The Man Who Knew Too Much in the Philippines?** *The Man Who Knew Too Much* is not on any streaming or rental service in the Philippines at the moment. It is available in 32 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is The Man Who Knew Too Much, and is it suitable for children?** *The Man Who Knew Too Much* has a UK PG certificate, but its distressed parents and sustained suspense may unsettle younger or sensitive children. The concert sequence makes waiting intensely tense; we would treat the parental-guidance rating as a reason to consider a child’s tolerance for anxiety, rather than assume an easy family watch. **How does The Man Who Knew Too Much compare to The Lady Vanishes?** *The Man Who Knew Too Much* is the slower, more family-centred thriller; we recommend [*The Lady Vanishes*](https://film.one/film/the-lady-vanishes) ahead of it for brisk suspense and humour. Stewart and Day give the former’s danger emotional weight, while the latter’s railway mystery stays urgent despite some fussy plotting, making it the better choice when patience is limited. **What should I watch after The Man Who Knew Too Much?** After *The Man Who Knew Too Much*, try [*The Lady Vanishes*](https://film.one/film/the-lady-vanishes) (1938, Fi1m 88): More briskly paced suspense, with everyday politeness proving a poor safeguard. Then [*High and Low*](https://film.one/film/high-and-low) (1963, Fi1m 90): A family’s fear receives closer scrutiny, with every practical decision carrying weight. ### Reviews we read (7) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Don Gillette (80/100, inferred): Gillette finds Hitchcock’s thriller suspenseful and engaging throughout, despite saying some passages linger too long. He singles out the Albert Hall concert sequence for its inventive, dialogue-free buildup and dramatic climax. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/man-who-knew-review-1956-movie-1008455/) - **Empire**, Kim Newman (75/100, inferred): Newman finds Hitchcock’s remake an equally compelling thriller, despite its slower pace than the original. He praises the sustained suspense and the performances of James Stewart and Doris Day. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/man-knew-much-2-review/) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (70/100, inferred): Variety considers the film a good thriller, though it says the footage runs a little long. It praises the sustained suspense and the strong performances, especially James Stewart and Doris Day as distressed parents. [Read](https://variety.com/1955/film/reviews/the-man-who-knew-too-much-2-1200417989/) - **The New York Times** (65/100, inferred): The URL identifies a New York Times review of Hitchcock’s 1956 film. The article text is inaccessible, so its verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be determined. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1956/05/17/archives/screen-at-the-old-stand-hitchcocks-man-who-knew-too-much-bows.html) - **Radio Times**, David Parkinson (3/5): Parkinson finds the remake more technically accomplished than Hitchcock’s earlier version, though its extra length is not always well spent. He praises the finale’s added suspense and criticizes the inclusion of “Que Sera, Sera” as a concession to Doris Day fans. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-e6bf7v/the-man-who-knew-too-much/) - **Slant Magazine**, John Lingan (55/100, inferred): The critic finds the 1956 film uneven and overlong, despite its technical brilliance. The Marrakesh visuals and suspenseful set pieces are singled out as especially effective. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/take-two-10-the-man-who-knew-too-much-1934-the-man-who-knew-too-much-1956/) - **The New Yorker**, John McCarten (15/100, inferred): McCarten finds the remake sluggish and its family and performances irritating, judging it inferior to Hitchcock’s earlier film. He concedes that Marrakech provides some attractive views, but says postcards could do the same job. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1956/05/26/hitchcock-inflated) ## Details - **Director:** Alfred Hitchcock - **Director:** Alfred Hitchcock - **Screenplay:** John Michael Hayes - **Story:** D.B. Wyndham-Lewis, Charles Bennett - **Cinematography:** Robert Burks - **Editor:** George Tomasini - **Music:** Bernard Herrmann - **Costume design:** Edith Head - **Producer:** Alfred Hitchcock - **Cast:** James Stewart as Ben McKenna; Doris Day as Jo McKenna; Brenda De Banzie as Lucy Drayton; Bernard Miles as Edward Drayton; Ralph Truman as Buchanan; Daniel Gélin as Louis Bernard; Mogens Wieth as Ambassador; Alan Mowbray as Val Parnell - **Runtime:** 2h 01m - **First release (France):** 29 April 1956 - **Genres:** Thriller, Mystery, Drama - **Budget:** $1 million - **Box office:** $11 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP8brOVQnKA ## Where to watch in the Philippines Not streaming, renting or buying in the Philippines at the last check. Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IN, IT, LT, MX, NL, NO, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Lady Vanishes* (1938), Fi1m 88: More briskly paced suspense, with everyday politeness proving a poor safeguard. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lady-vanishes.md) - *The Fallen Idol* (1948): A child’s limited understanding makes adult behaviour both puzzling and frightening. - *High and Low* (1963), Fi1m 90: A family’s fear receives closer scrutiny, with every practical decision carrying weight. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md) - *Tell No One* (2006): Family attachment keeps an elaborate mystery urgent, even when the complications multiply. - *The Ear* (1970): Domestic friction becomes political terror inside rooms that no longer feel private. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-man-who-knew-too-much