The Men Who Knew Two Much: A Compairson of Hitchock's Classic Original and Re-make. by Chris Sheridan, 1996 Many works of art can be considered artifacts that hold volumes of information regarding the culture of the people that created them and the historical context in which they lived. Films are also treasures of culture, filled with clues and insights into the attitudes and perceptions of the While documentary films obviously present a historical record of people and events, dramatic fictional movies can also reveal the same. Comparing the main characters in Hitchcock's 1934 The Man Who knew Too Much with their 1955 counterparts unveils many differences between American and English cultures, expectations of their women and the pre- and post-war world view. THE HEROES [top] The heroes, heroines and villains portrayed in the two versions of the film were drawn quite differently. Lawrence (1934) was assertive and took control of the situation, while McKenna (1955) seemed to let the situation control him. When Lawrence got the message from his wife about the cryptic note, he immediately ran into Louis' room to get it. He used his resources and wit to get him through sticky situations, from standing up to the authority of Scotland Yard, to tangling with the dentist to the chair fight at the church. Lawrence even recruited Clive to do most of the dirty work such as getting a tooth pulled or being hypnotized by the 7-fold ray. Unlike Lawrence, McKenna was largely ineffectual and kind of bumbling at times. It wasn't until the very end that he actually took any risk when he went to the hitman's box at Albert Hall and then when he tripped up Mr. Dreighton on the stairs. McKenna's wife seemed the stronger and smarter one throughout as she was suspicious of Louis in Marrakech and later figured out Ambrose...
