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