Not too many directors remake their own flicks, but Alfred Hitchcock took that step via 1956’s The Man Who Knew Too Much. A reworking of his 1934 film of the same title, Man introduces us to the McKenna family: Ben (James Stewart), wife Jo (Doris Day) and son Hank (Christopher Olsen).

During a trip to Europe, they decide to stop in Morocco for a few days. On a bus ride, Hank accidentally removes a veil from a Muslim woman. Her husband goes ballistic but a helpful Frenchman named Louis Bernard (Daniel Gelin) intervenes and halts the trouble.

Grateful, Ben talks with Louis and invites him to dinner. He expects no trouble, but Jo grows suspicious of Bernard, especially when she sees him chat with the veiled woman’s husband in what appears to be a friendly manner.

Jo’s concerns prove correct. A weird police chase ends in the stabbing of Bernard - oddly, this occurs while the Frenchman is made up as a Moroccan. Before Bernard expires, he whispers a secret to Ben that an unnamed statesman will soon be assassinated in London.

When questioned by police, Ben learns that Bernard was an intelligence agent. He also receives an ominous call that warns him not to spill the beans or something bad will happen to Hank, who we soon find out has been kidnapped. The film follows Ben’s attempts to rescue his son and deal with this disturbing situation.

When I watched all the James Bond movies, I noted that even a lackluster 007 effort still has reasonable entertainment value. I feel the same about Hitchcock’s work, as his weaker efforts manage to provide something to occupy me.

I mention this because I find Man to provide decidedly ordinary Hitchcock. It follows themes found in many of the director’s releases, as Hitch loved the idea of the average man in extraordinary circumstances, and Man exemplifies that.

Actually, it broadens a bit to include the average man and woman, as both Ben and Jo essentially act as equals here. That’s an unusual touch, and one that adds a little life to the film.

But not enough. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something about Man just leaves me cold. The film just seems off, as it never prompts the usual levels of intrigue and tension.

Indeed, Man strikes me as dull much of the time, again for reasons I can’t quite explain. The plot boasts the requisite twists and intrigue, but it just never really comes together. The movie strikes me as one with all the right parts but they simply fail to connect in a satisfying manner.

I can’t help but feel that Doris Day seems miscast here. She may be a blonde, but otherwise she never strikes me as a real “Hitchcock woman”. Granted, since Jo’s a mother, Man offers an unusual part for its leading lady when compared to female leads in the director’s other works.

Nonetheless, I think someone less wholesome would make a better fit. On the surface, Day makes sense as the wife of a Midwest doctor, but she never suits the Hitchcock world. She’s also supposed to be more sophisticated than her “country doctor” husband but that doesn’t come across via Day’s performance.

Of course, Stewart feels right at home in these surroundings, but even he doesn’t bring much to the material. It seems like he’s on cruise control throughout the movie, as it rarely appears to really occupy him.

Perhaps the tale’s split focus on Ben and Jo creates some problems, since it lacks one true central figure. There’s no reason Man can’t pull off that bifurcation, but it doesn’t. The dual orientation becomes awkward and doesn’t integrate in a strong manner.

Man does manage to entertain at times, and a few sequences work quite well. I rather like a bit in a taxidermy shop, and the climax in the Royal Albert Hall reminds us of why Hitchcock was such a special director.

In the end, though, the whole feels like less than the sum of its parts. This is an ordinary Hitchcock offering that just doesn’t do much for me.

The Man Who Knew Too Much appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. This was an excellent VistaVision presentation.

Sharpness looked great. Some process shots inevitably impacted delineation a little, but even those seeme appropriate, so the image felt precise and accurate.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering materialized – even when we got checkered clothing – and edge haloes remained absent. The movie boasted light grain and lacked print flaws.

Colors excelled, as the movie’s broad palette popped off the screen. HDR added punch to the hues.

Blacks felt deep and dense, while shadows showed appropriate clarity. HDR brought extra range to whites and contrast. The movie probably never looked better.

Found on a home video release for the first time ever, the 4K boasted the film’s original Perspecta Sound mix. This offered a 3.0 track, albeit one that registers as 5.1 on players..

Nonetheless, it came as 3.0, with audio from the three front speakers – at times. For the most part, the Perspecta mix felt pretty monaural.

Oh, Perspecta broadened on occasions. For example, crowd scenes in Morocco managed to spread across the speakers in a moderately engaging manner, as did the orchestra late in the flick.

Don’t expect true directionality or really anything beyond a wide sense of mono, though, as those possibilities remained beyond the abilities of Perspecta. While interesting as a gimmick, Perspecta didn’t really bring anything sonically interesting to the table.

At least audio quality seemed fine for its age. Dialogue suffered from some iffy dubbing,, but the lines remained intelligible and showed no serious concerns.

Effects also were thin. However, these seemed typical of the period and presented no significant problems.

Music showed reasonable range. The score wasn’t especially dynamic, but it offered positive clarity and reproduction.. Ultimately, the soundtrack was more than acceptable given the film’s vintage.

How does the 4K UHD compare to the prior Blu-ray? Audio broadened at times but quality felt on a par with the BD’s mono track – which also appeared here.

On the other hand, the 4K looked better defined, warmer and cleaner than the Blu-ray. This turned into a massive upgrade over the mediocre BD.

The 4K replicates the Blu-ray’s extras, and we start with The Making of The Man Who Knew Too Much, a 34-minute, 18-second documentary. We get notes from director’s daughter Pat Hitchcock O’Connell, associate producer Herbert Coleman, screenwriter John Michael Hayes, production designer Henry Bumstead, and Bernard Herrmann biographer Steven C. Smith.

“Making” looks at the original 1934 version of the film and its adaptation in the 1950s. It also examines locations and related challenges, cast and performances, set design, music, thoughts about the flick, and a few scene specifics.

I’ve enjoyed all the other Hitchcock documentaries, and this one is another good one. I might’ve liked to see more comparisons between the two versions of the movie, but I still think the show works well.

New to the 4K, Saving The Man Who Knew Too Much spans five minutes, 33 seconds. It provides info from film archivist/consultant Robert A. Harris and Perspecta Sound inventor’s son Tom Fine.

As implied by the title, “Saving” looks at the restoration of the film. It provides a decent overview.

Two theatrical trailers show up here. One comes for the original 1956 release, while the other relates to a re-release in the 1980s, I believe.

The 1956 one is fun to see due to some unique footage – including a scene from the movie that introduces Doris Day by her name, not her character. It ends rather abruptly, so I expect it’s missing some footage.

The re-release ad actually covers five Hitchcock flicks, so it’s not unique to Man. Then-new narration from James Stewart makes it moderately interesting.

Some stillframe materials finish the set. Production Photographs presents a running reel with behind the scenes images, publicity shots and some advertisements. It lasts four minutes, 14 seconds and includes some good stuff.

I especially like the fact it boasts a few posters for the 1934 Man. Unfortunately, Universal never upgraded the scans, so the images continue to come in DVD quality.

A second disc provides a Blu-ray copy of Man. It includes the same extras as the 4K except for the new “Saving” featurette.

I like Alfred Hitchcock’s work enough to find some merit in The Man Who Knew Too Much, but I nonetheless don’t regard it as a particularly interesting offering. It moves slowly and rarely becomes as involving and intriguing as expected. The 4K UHD offers excellent picture, acceptable audio and some useful bonus materials. I find Man to be lower-tier Hitchcock, but at least this ends up as a fine release of it.

Note that this 4K UHD version of Man Who Knew Too Much can be purchased solo or as part of the five-film “Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection”. It also includes 4K UHD versions of Rope, Torn Curtain, Topaz and Frenzy and offers a bargain if you want all five films.

To rate this film, visit the DVD review of THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH