The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

The Man Who Knew Too Much 
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
1934/UK
Gaumont British Picture Corporation
Second Viewing

Abbott: Tell her they may soon be leaving us. Leaving us for a long, long journey. How is it that Shakespeare says? “From which no traveler returns.” Great poet.

Bob and Jill Lawrence are vacationing with their daughter Betty in Switzerland when their friend Louis is murdered.  Before dieing Louis passes them secret information.  Betty is promptly kidnapped to prevent the Lawrences from going to the authorities with the information.  Can the Lawrences rescue Betty?  Can another assassination be prevented?  With Leslie Banks and Edna Best as the Lawrences, Nova Philbeam as Betty, Pierre Fresnay as Louis, and Peter Lorre as the head of the kidnapping/spy ring.

This is OK early Hitchcock but I can understand why he wanted to remake it on a bigger budget in 1956.  The suspense leaves something to be desired, though the Albert Hall scene is still classic.  The picture is well worth seeing if only to catch Peter Lorre’s performance.  He makes a wonderfully jovial yet really creepy bad guy.

The Albert Hall sequence