The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

Peter Lorre plays an assassin his first English-speaking role (learned phonetically) in this thriller. It contains the memorable scene in which an assassination is attempted at a key point during a concert (and a concerto composed specifically for the film by Arthur Benjamin) at Albert Hall. The film also features a gun battle at the end which was based on the real-life "Sidney Street siege" that had occurred in London a short time before the production. Hitchcock remade this film 22 years later and many critics disagree about which is the better version.

Leslie Banks and Edna Best play the Lawrences whose teenage daughter Betty (Nova Pilbeam) is kidnapped as leverage when an acquaintance Louis Bernard (Pierre Fresnay) tells them of an assassination attempt before he’s killed.

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