Fathers Day Recommendation: The Man Who Knew Too Much

 

          Father's Day is upon us and through the last couple do of days I asked my Dad what were his favorite movies of all time because I was literally running out of comedies that he loved watching, to make a long story short I just couldn't find anything to recommend for father's day and I think The Man who knew too much came into the conversation and I was like, well I haven't seen this movie yet so now is a good time to take the time and watch the film and I got to say this maybe in the top five of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest films, as well as a much realistic kidnaping than Taken. 

          Dr. Ben McKenna (James Stewart) is on vacation with his wife (Doris Day) and son in Morocco when a chance encounter with a stranger sets their trip, and their lives, on a drastically different course. The stranger, killed in front of the family in the marketplace, reveals an assassination plot to the Americans. The couple’s son is abducted to ensure the plot is kept secret, and suddenly the mother and father, with no help from the police, must figure out a way to get their child back. 

           While watching this classic, it did in fact remind me a lot of the movie Taken staring Liam Neeson, back in 2008 and both films for sure have similar plot although both of them are different to the sense that, one's completely fantasy and convenient while The Man who knew too much, is much more realistic. And sure, Taken does have that realistic tone of in fact being scared but through the course of the movie you realize that all those abductors are F**KED because of course Liam Neeson is going to kill everyone. While the man who knew too much, is indeed scary because when you’re on a vacation and your own kid is being abducted and that's the same with Taken in fact each of those films share the similarities but both James Stewart and Doris Day are playing real people involved in one of the worst days to ever happen in a parent moreover they don't have any CIA or spy training and also Stewart didn't call, John Wayne to help him in this situation for which I am kind of curious, what would a movie be like if Alfred Hitchcock directed John Wayne I mean that would be fascinating to watch. Anyway, getting back to the topic, Alfred Hitchcock back in 1934 made an original version of the Man who Knew Too Much, back in 1934. Sometime later in his career Hitch wanted to make an American version of his original creation although it took until 1956, for many reasons Hitch was in contract with Paramount at the time and so, he decided to pitch a remake to them just to full fill his contract, and deep down when your running out of ideas, just remake your earlier works. This was in fact my first time watching this movie and I swear to you from the second act to the final act I was literally on the edge of my seat and probably the best suspenseful scene that Hitchcock created is the assassination attempt and the way he keeps the suspense going through each of the sequences was so scary and frightful that I was literally shouting "DO SOMETHING" because it was that great and more importantly I was feeling for the parents when things start hitting the fan, I mean there are times where I watch a Hitchcock movie and I always know what is going to happen granted I've seen some of Hitch's popular films so many times that I've already know what's going to happen granted To Catch a Thief was like a romantic thriller but once the real happened, I did react in not seeing that coming in terms of watching the reveal for the first time. But this movie this was one of those films where you feel for the parents but once you feel like they’re going to find their kid something else happens as well as being held at gun point and I was like "oh F**K SAKE" like that time of suspense and this movie for me literally kept me on the edge of my seat. I've pretty much seen all of Hitchcock and Stewarts collaborations together and I got to say this one is the best one like there's not a whole lot to say when it comes to both working together, but out of the four of their movies together this one hand down is the best one. I would hands down recommend watching this movie if you haven't seen any of Hitchcock's films, and my Dad actually got me started earlier with Rear Window for which was in fact my first Hitchcock film growing up and I think with this movie I will in fact re-watch this with my Dad on Father's Day. Now, again I haven't seen all of Hitch's movies but I honestly got to say that this may be the greatest Hitchcock movie I've ever seen and granted I'll have to go on a Hitchcock adventure after my Kubrick adventure but that's probably going to be for another time because Hitch did in fact made a tone of them so, baby steps is how I'm going to approach Hitch's filmography.