|
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) Screenplay: Alma Hitchcock, Emlyn Williams,
Cast: Leslie Banks, Edna Best,
Peter Lorre, 
The year 1934 signaled the beginning of Alfred Hitchcock's international reputation as the master of the thriller genre. During a period spanning five years he turned out a cycle of superb suspense dramas that established him as England's foremost director. The film was a huge commercial success both in England and abroad. Interestingly it is the only movie that Hitchcock chose to remake. "The man who knew too much" brought him to the attention of the American Public and of mogul David O'Selznick. 
|  |
PLOT:
The story concerns a couple of British tourists in Switzerland who witness a murder. The dying man tells them of a plot to assassinate a leading diplomat in London and, to ensure the couple's silence, the plotters kidnap their daughter. Together they manage to twart the assassination and rescue their daughter after a shoot-out with the kidnappers. The film most famous moment is the foiled assassination during a concert at the Royal Albert Hall and the sustained intensity of the sequence is unmatched. 
|
| Peter Lorre, Leslie Banks, |
|
|
|
|
The 39 Steps (1935) Screenplay:
CAST: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll. Peggy Ashcroft, 
|
| Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll |
|
| |
|
|
|
PLOT:
Liberally based on John Buchan's thriller, it added a lot to the original ripping yarn which centers on the hero, Richard Hannay, returned in London from South Africa and mistakenly accused of a murder he did not commit.
He is pursued to Scotland, evades capture by both the villains and the police, and only manages to survive by denouncing the vilain in a nail-biting climax at a music hall. 
The 39 Steps was an even greater success, both commercially and critically.A free adaptation of John Buchan novel, it was a delightful combination of hair-rising suspence and diverting romantic and comic relief that served to heighten rather than diminish the tension. The film wears so well today, 75 five years on, because it makes light of many conentional detective story myths, overused even then.
Robert Donat's light touch was a tremendous asset to the film and Madeleine Carroll also gives a memorable performance as the first of Hitchcock's unattainable blonde heroines and the rest of the cast is magnificent.
|
| Madeleine Carroll, Robert Donat |
|
|