Cymbals the Symbol...

It seems to be Hitchcock month here at the moment. Has nothing to do with me and my current tastes it’s just that Hitchcock has so many films that have made it onto the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list! With a single crash of cymbals the life of an American family is turned upside down in 1956’s The Man Who Knew Too Much.

James Stewart and Doris Day, in a rare dramatic role, are superb in this brilliant suspense thriller from the undisputed master. Stewart and Day play Ben and Jo MacKenna, innocent Americans vacationing in Morocco with their son, Hank. After a French spy dies in Ben’s arms in a Marrakech market, the couple discovers their son has been kidnapped and taken to England. Not knowing who they can trust, the MacKenna’s are caught up in a nightmare of international espionage, assassinations and terror. Soon all their lives hang in the balance as they draw closer to the truth and a chilling climatic moment in London’s famous Royal Albert Hall.

I wasn’t fully getting into this film when I first started watching it and I must admit I didn’t think it was anything that special. But 20 minutes into the film I was hooked. I was tense and nervous, on the edge of my seat to use the cliché. The plot development was masterful and completely compelling.

The whole cast are superb, giving incredibly naturalistic performances - see the scene in the Moroccan restaurant, which almost seems ad-libbed. The absolute stand out in this film for me however is Doris Day! Originally production had doubts about whether she could pull off the serious dramatic elements the script called for, after all, Day was used to playing in Hollywood Musical Comedies. But Day delivers the impossible 110% in this film. Her emotional breakdown scene after discovering the kidnapping of her son is superb.

At first, Day refused to record "Que Sera, Sera" as a popular song release, dismissing it as "a forgettable children's song." It not only went on to win the Academy Award, but also became the biggest hit of her recording career and her signature song.

As usual, there are the elaborately staged set-pieces, beautifully choreographed blend of music and images building to the pivotal crash of cymbals in the film’s climax. This is one of Hitchcock’s best.