The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Man Who Knew Too Much
The movie The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) is a suspense thriller, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. On the one hand, it may seem that it does not provide the viewers with the deep sense. In other words, this film may look like nothing more than a typical thriller. Nevertheless, on the other hand, it is possible to find many educational topics in it. That’s what I did on my blog at bestwritingservice.com and now share this story here with you. I hope you will not judge it too hard. Nevertheless, I appreciate every opinion.
The surface theme of the film can be found out with the help of a primary analysis of the plot. It deals with the story of an ordinary family of the American physician Dr. Ben McKenna. During their vacation in Morocco, they find new friends Louis Bernard, a Frenchman, and an English couple Lucy and Edward Drayton. This meeting changes their lives. Bernard turns out to be a French intelligence officer. Although he is murdered, he manages to reveal McKenna a big secret about a possible assassination of a political leader in London. This information turns his life upside down. McKenna becomes the man who knows too much, and it puts the future of his family under a threat, especially the well — being of his son. McKenna is on the verge of the great choice whether to save the kidnapped son or save the unknown political leader from killing. According to the plot, the general theme of The Man Who Knew Too Much is the troubles that can befall a simple man who has just appeared in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Nevertheless, if to read the story between the lines, it is possible to notice that the movie provides the viewers with many important educational topics. The first set of them reveals the weakness of a common person against the established system. In other words, the film shows that an ordinary person is nothing more than a grain of sand in the stormy ocean. It can be noticed on the example of McKenna. Although he has not done anything wrong, he is not able to save his kidnapped son. Any authorities cannot help him to solve the problem. Only because McKenna is not a president or politician, he has to cope with the difficulties on his own.
The weakness of an ordinary person is revealed in such subtopic as the danger from the free circulation of information. In other words, the greatest weapon is not a gun but the words. The example of it is McKenna. His life turns into a complete collapse when he gets to know about facts, which he should not know. That is why it is necessary to be very careful choosing the way of transmitting information, the receiver, and the surrounding.
The second subtopic, which deals with the weakness of an ordinary person, is the ability to manipulate parents with the help of children. The proof of it is the kidnapping of McKenna’s son, Henry. This event completely ties his hands in the attempts to provide the authorities with the information obtained from the French secret service worker Louis Bernard. The issue of manipulating people using their dearest and nearest is vividly illustrated in the movie.
The third subtopic, which shows the difficulty of an ordinary person’s life, is the necessity to choose between public and personal benefit. For example, McKenna is at a crossroads, and he needs to choose whether to go on the road of saving the unknown politician from the assassination or saving his son from the kidnappers. For a conscious citizen, the first path is more appropriate, but it is not easy to put the parental love aside.
Nevertheless, a great amount of weaknesses with which an ordinary person should deal does not mean that it is impossible to stand against them. The second set of themes in the movie The Man Who Knew Too Much proves that even one little grain of sand can change the ocean.
The first necessary condition for it is the support of the close people. The example of it can be noticed in the actions of McKenna. Although he is scared to death because of his son’s kidnapping, he does not give up the idea to save the unknown man “Ambrose Chappell” from the assassination. McKenna finds many clues, which helps him to understand that the possible victim is the Foreign Prime Minister Alexis Bobrinskoy. Nevertheless, he will fail without the support of his wife. She detects the assassin and helps the husband to prevent him from committing a crime.
The second necessary condition to stand against the established system is well-developed mental skills. With the help of them, McKenna finds out that the Draytons are the kidnappers of his son. In addition, brainstorming contributes to finding an effective way how to inform the son that parents have come to save him. McKenna’s wife sings “Que Sera, Sera”, which Hank knows very well. Hearing his mother’s voice, a boy shows the sign and gives the father an opportunity to set him free.
To sum up, viewers, at the first sight, may regard the movie The Man Who Knew Too Much as nothing more than a suspense thriller. Nevertheless, reading its plot between the lines, it is possible to find many educational topics in it. The film shows that an ordinary person is unprotected in this world under the influence of the established order and personal fragility. Nevertheless, it does not mean that there is no possible solution. With the help of well- developed mental skills and support of the dearest and nearest, it is possible to stand against any difficulties.
