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What drives a director to remake their own work? Michael Mann made a glowing spectacle with Heat, a glorious sprawling classic which sparks with cinematic ecstasy from the embers of L.A. Takedown. Robert Rodriguez established himself as a mainstream auteur by transforming his cult classic El Mariachi into the surprisingly satisfying Desperado with the assistance of cash, a crew, and Salma Hayek's fiery femininity. Even Cecil B. DeMille, the Fuhrer of Flamboyance, remade his silent biblical epic The Ten Commandments into a Technicolor triumph and 1950s archetypal blockbuster. Charlton Heston, 70mm visuals, and Moses - what more could a filmgoer desire? Nevertheless, what triggered Alfred Hitchcock, one of the very few filmmakers in history who has a legitimate shout of being labelled (gulp) 'THE Greatest Ever', to formulate a reworking of his 1934 original?
Choosing to revisit his early black-and-white, gritty British thriller and replacing it for an exotic, glossy Hollywood update, Hitch keeps the plot roughly the same. Both are espionage/kidnap thrillers which feature an innocent couple who stumble over an assassination plot and their child is held hostage to ensure their silence. Doris Day and James Stewart are finely cast as the globetrotting lead couple in the 1950s version the 'Master of Suspense' told Francois Truffaut is the work of a professional rather than the amateurish Hitch who made the original two decades earlier. Stewart illustrates once more why he was the chubby filmmaker's lead man of choice as he expertly drives the film. There is one remarkable scene in particular set in a Morrocan market where Stewart's Dr. Ben McKenna is told some sensitive information as a villain dies in his arms. The slightest tinges of movement are so important for actors and Stewart's eyes in this instance reflect the psychological uncertainty of the whole film to absolute perfection. Day (Jo McKenna), who won the Academy Award for Best Song for "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)", delivers a performance which is probably the least passive of her career as her heroine has toughness and brains without letting the 'Hitchcock Blonde' template lead her astray from the dramatic intensity required. She undoubtedly contributes to the star power on show and her chemistry with Stewart has the punchiness one would expect. Paramount reportedly insisted a song was to be included within the action and Day's ability was superbly injected by screenwriter John Michael Hayes without detriment to the ultimate resolution of the plot.
Unquestionably, the highlight of the film is the renowned Royal Albert Hall sequence. The scene, which has gone on to influence a certain Francis Ford Coppola in the renowned opera montage from The Godfather Part III, runs for over ten minutes without a word of dialogue from anyone, becoming essentially a silent film set to Arthur Benjamin's "Storm Clouds Cantata." The music, conducted by none other than Hitch's legendary collaborator Bernard Herrmann, is so powerful in building an incredible amount of tension that it almost overshadows Hitchcock's brilliant visual skill. Hitchcock builds a visual tempo and energy to match the swelling music, featuring rapid cutting and ever-tighter close-ups and point-of-view shots, showing the frenetic details of the orchestral performance to reinforce the crucial moments in the plot. So good is this climax that this is where the whole film should conclude but unfortunately the story's loose ends need to be tidied up and the running time suffers as a result.
The extras
The main event of the package is the half hour long "Making Of". Featuring Hitch's daughter Pat O'Connell, it's an insightful look at how the remake came to be. In addition, the 1934 version is adequately explored and Herrmann's contributions are focussed upon nicely. The compilation of trailers is a good touch - the first is an original theatrical trailer and the other is a promotional assemblage of Hitchcock thrillers with narration from a much older Stewart. The five films presented here other than The Man Who Knew Too Much are the masterpieces Vertigo and Rear Window in addition to the lesser-known Rope and The Trouble With Harry. Art galleries are rarely welcome on DVD releases as one may as well surf the Internet for pictures rather than sifting through endless photos using your remote, but here they are presented in an effective timed sideshow with "Storm Clouds Cantata" in the background.
The summary
Not necessarily the best known Hitchcock and certainly not his finest work but The Man Who Knew Too Much is a thrilling film with superb performances and marvellous locales.
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