The chills I got from watching this scene for the first time. The whole sequence is a work of art, showing that you can use music as a great substitute for dialogue and it can be just as effective.
Supposedly, the original script had dialogue but Hitch wisely went in this direction. "You're talking so much, I'm unable to enjoy the London Symphony", Hitchcock complained to Stewart. "Just wave your arms a lot and run up the stairs."
I saw this on NBC's "Saturday Night At The Movies" in the 1960s when it was shown on TV for the first time, and even as a kid it really pulled me in. This scene in particular is total Hitchcock - a situation which seems like there is no possible way out of the inevitable tragedy or disaster, but then unexpectedly it all is resolved in a way you couldn't anticipate.
Hitchcock wanted an actor for the ambassador so he had them send dozens of pictures of real ambassadors and not ONE had the Hollywood pointed beard we are so familiar with. He chose your grandfather because he had a sweet, almost cherubic and innocent face.... he really said this.
An absolutely brilliant piece of film and wonderful music and singing and lyrics.Have watched this movie so many times and this scene is my favourite. Hitchcock was a masterful filmmaker and this superb spine tingling 10 minutes of film rates as one of his very best!
The 1956 remake of the 1934 movie was accompanied by music composed by Bernard Herrmann. What's even more noteworthy is that Herrmann himself made an appearance in the film as the conductor of the orchestra. This cameo took place during a performance of the Storm Clouds Cantata at the Royal Albert Hall. It should be noted, however, that the Storm Cloud Cantata was not written by Herrmann himself, but rather re-orchestrated by him from a piece composed by Australian-born composer Arthur Benjamin for an earlier Hitchcock film of the same name. Nevertheless, it is not often that film composers are given the opportunity to make a cameo appearance within their own movies, let alone write music and perform in them.
The first time I saw this I was a kid. The play up all week on the local channel was the gun coming out of the darkness and turning. The movie was set to play Sunday afternoon. It was and still is one of the most powerful scenes ever created on film. My father who delighted in ruining movies by telling the ending of plots even kept his mouth shut on this scene.
Good god, this scene got my hair tangled up and pulled up because of the great suspense the music slowly building up, and i literally jumped and cheered when Ben took the assassin down. No dialouge is required for this whole scene, just makes it better.
I agree with you from mainstream movies but there are many movies which have equal suspense. America and The UK are the last places to look for current quality in movie making.
I meant the Prime Minister in my previous post. Both those actors were superb. Doris Day's expression of desperation in the doorway has always simply broken my heart. It's "O Lord, why won't anyone listen to us? Will I ever see little Hank again? O God help us!" without speaking a word.
Suspense is all about carefully managing what information you give or withhold from your audience. They know what the last five seconds before the shot will sound like, they know it's on the cymbal crash, but that's all they know. And our heroes, of course, don't know what the audience knows; they have only a few minutes to solve the puzzle and, when the moment arrives, only seconds to take action. The whole scene is a masterclass in building suspense.
One of my two favorite Hitchcocks, along with North by Northwest. And it's a hard call to make, because I have so thoroughly enjoyed so many of his movies, like Rear Window and Rope.
If I had to die by assassination it would be preferable to hear amazingly beautiful music where my last sound would be the culminating clash of cymbals. Bliss.
As usual James Stewart plays the ordinary kind of American guy paranoid at events out of his control and dark characters concealing their motives ..outstanding
Such a good movie (both versions). I had no idea how loud a cymbal really is until I sat very close to the stage during a Don Carlo performance. The cymbal and the brasses were to overwhelming that sometimes they drowned out the singers if the were on the other side of the stage (such as part of the chorus and soloist during the auto da fé). Protip, don't sit too close for any mid-late 29th century opera / concert. Another time I remember, I was up the first balcony during a Ring in a modern concert hall with crazy good acoustics. The orchestra was less over-the-top from there but the basses, especially Matti Salminen, were absolute powerhouses. The whole huge concert hall just VIBRATED.
Best part of an amazing film. Love that we later see the assassin actor in Dario Argento's The Bird With The Crystal Plumage! He's the guy in the yellow suit. And Argento, early in his career, was credited as the Italian Hitchcock.
Unvergessen Doris Day und James Stewart!! ❤❤❤ Meisterwerk von Alfred Hitchcock.....brilliant inszeniert..Ihr Schrei hat Ihm das Leben gerettet. Wie hätte Sie es sonst machen können. Die Tribüne war zu weit weg.....
Star Wars fans ! Notice Sim Aloo @03:14 on the left of the screen 😄 Played by the prolific extra Anthony Lang. He was a regular background character, particularly in British horror films throughout the fifties, sixties and seventies.
The critcs never rate this film as highly as the other two Hitch/Stewart collaborations of the 50s. But it's my favorite for several reasons, among them the luminous Doris Day, and this unforgettable scene.
The accomplice is a very good looking woman but also quite sinister. Incidentally, where is she when James Stewart storms into the box to confront the assassin?
No matter how many times you watch the man who knew too much, you can still think that the criminal is gonna assassinate the leader even though he instead fell to his death before doing so. Why? The buildup to his defeat js perfect you can never tell whether the PM would be shot or not, even though he survived.
The Cantata was originally composed for the FIRST "Man Who Knew Too Much" film that Hitchcock directed. Reportedly, when Hitch decided to redo the film, he suggested to Bernard Herrmann that he compose a new piece for the Albert Hall scene. Instead, Herrmann just expanded Benjamin's original Cantata, which was already well-suited for the scene.
If you are referring to the 2:39 mark, yes he is. Look closely. He brings his arms down but uses his wrist to flick the timpani stick to strike the timpani. Look again.
For all of you aspiring assassins out there, please, do not use a pistol to assassinate anyone at so far a distance. That must have been at least 40 meters. For that work, you need a weapon that can be quickly assembled, that provides a longer sight radius and a flatter trajectory bullet.
They can declare the that the 1930's original version is "better," but the suspense in the remake is more intense, and, say what they will about Doris Day, her terrified scream is 1000 times more effective than the little squeak Edna Best made.
How far removed from realism Hitchcock film-making is can be demonstrated in this scene with regard to the instance when the McKennas (Day and Steward) heatedly discuss what to do in the audience hall and nobody intervenes. In my view, this opera-like suspension of "reality" contributes a lot to the appeal of H's work -- and Diane Dow is right, something like it would not be accepted today.
Hitchcock at his most brilliance! This scene excited me as a kid back in the mid-1950s. It STILL excites me now in the year 2023!
Just watched it again a moment ago - it is brilliant!
The chills I got from watching this scene for the first time. The whole sequence is a work of art, showing that you can use music as a great substitute for dialogue and it can be just as effective.
More so
Supposedly, the original script had dialogue but Hitch wisely went in this direction. "You're talking so much, I'm unable to enjoy the London Symphony", Hitchcock complained to Stewart. "Just wave your arms a lot and run up the stairs."
@@brucekuehn4031 Lol Hitchcock was a genius. I picture him saying those exact words.
That conductor is the legendary Bernard Herrmann himself.
for the movie composer who did scores for Hitchcock movies, it's awesome to see him make a cameo appearance in this one.
I’m surprised that Herrmann didn’t write the music for this scene but perhaps Hitchcock wanted Arthur Benjamin for reasons I guess we’ll never know 😊
@@paullewis2413 actually we do know. Herrmann admired the original piece a great deal and was adamant about using it again. It's in the Bouzereau doc.
Qual è il pezzo classico?
Herrmann re-orchestrated the piece augmenting a mammoth sized orchestra and chorus
One of the best movies of all time...
I hear this
Film
This that
Psycho
Rear window
The man who knew to much
This that construction business
Vértigo
Are great
I saw this on NBC's "Saturday Night At The Movies" in the 1960s when it was shown on TV for the first time, and even as a kid it really pulled me in. This scene in particular is total Hitchcock - a situation which seems like there is no possible way out of the inevitable tragedy or disaster, but then unexpectedly it all is resolved in a way you couldn't anticipate.
3:39 - That's my great-grandpa, the ambassador.
Awesome
To be clear, the ambassador is the man in the foreground left, wearing the green sash with the narrow red edges.
Hitchcock wanted an actor for the ambassador so he had them send dozens of pictures of real ambassadors and not ONE had the Hollywood pointed beard we are so familiar with. He chose your grandfather because he had a sweet, almost cherubic and innocent face.... he really said this.
His look of shock when he is hit is amazing!
I love the way the music accompanied, supported, described, and emphasized the drama!
4:16 What a brilliant shot. Gives the scene even more tense.
To me, it's 4:30. I was goddamn cheering for Ben to take that man down.
This film is not one of my favorite Hitchcock films but this scene by itself is brilliant
Perfection!!! Doris Day and Julie Andrew's were the least "Hitchcockian " actresses but they were awesome n perfect!
And their both Singers.
Doris Day's acting was amazing in that film and I don't even like her.
An absolutely brilliant piece of film and wonderful music and singing and lyrics.Have watched this movie so many times and this scene is my favourite. Hitchcock was a masterful filmmaker and this superb spine tingling 10 minutes of film rates as one of his very best!
4:29 the gun becomes a character
The musical score, the notes, the cymbals, too. This whole scene is brilliant in turning these inanimate objects into characters.
The way It slides behind the curtain Is something else
The 1956 remake of the 1934 movie was accompanied by music composed by Bernard Herrmann. What's even more noteworthy is that Herrmann himself made an appearance in the film as the conductor of the orchestra. This cameo took place during a performance of the Storm Clouds Cantata at the Royal Albert Hall. It should be noted, however, that the Storm Cloud Cantata was not written by Herrmann himself, but rather re-orchestrated by him from a piece composed by Australian-born composer Arthur Benjamin for an earlier Hitchcock film of the same name. Nevertheless, it is not often that film composers are given the opportunity to make a cameo appearance within their own movies, let alone write music and perform in them.
Would agree! Another famous example is John Barry appearing at the end as the conductor in The Living Daylights!
I love standing in the door where I believe Doris Day stood for this scene whenever I go to the R.A. H. 😁😁
The first time I saw this I was a kid. The play up all week on the local channel was the gun coming out of the darkness and turning. The movie was set to play Sunday afternoon. It was and still is one of the most powerful scenes ever created on film.
My father who delighted in ruining movies by telling the ending of plots even kept his mouth shut on this scene.
Good god, this scene got my hair tangled up and pulled up because of the great suspense the music slowly building up, and i literally jumped and cheered when Ben took the assassin down. No dialouge is required for this whole scene, just makes it better.
Great scene, you don't need any more context to find that suspenseful. And nothing like it would ever appear in a movie made today.
Mission impossible homage is pretty great though. Love the twist.
I agree with you from mainstream movies but there are many movies which have equal suspense. America and The UK are the last places to look for current quality in movie making.
Well - Alfred Hitchcock
Say no more.
Torn Curtain also best suspense spy movie
Best Scenes from The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956).
I meant the Prime Minister in my previous post. Both those actors were superb. Doris Day's expression of desperation in the doorway has always simply broken my heart. It's "O Lord, why won't anyone listen to us? Will I ever see little Hank again? O God help us!" without speaking a word.
It’s like a roller-coaster that you’ve ridden ten times before and that first drop is always a doozy. 😂🤣😂
“Sorry we were gone so long! We had to go over and pick up Hank.”
*_THE END_*
A Paramount Release.
Suspense is all about carefully managing what information you give or withhold from your audience. They know what the last five seconds before the shot will sound like, they know it's on the cymbal crash, but that's all they know. And our heroes, of course, don't know what the audience knows; they have only a few minutes to solve the puzzle and, when the moment arrives, only seconds to take action. The whole scene is a masterclass in building suspense.
One of my two favorite Hitchcocks, along with North by Northwest. And it's a hard call to make, because I have so thoroughly enjoyed so many of his movies, like Rear Window and Rope.
If I had to die by assassination it would be preferable to hear amazingly beautiful music where my last sound would be the culminating clash of cymbals. Bliss.
You're a sick puppy
Just one further request..Herrmann to conduct it
This whole scene is absolute brilliance! Excellent timing down to the scream...a classic!
As usual James Stewart plays the ordinary kind of American guy paranoid at events out of his control and dark characters concealing their motives ..outstanding
One of my favorite movies of all time.
when she screamed he could've easily killed the ambassador instead of the prime minister.
Such a good movie (both versions). I had no idea how loud a cymbal really is until I sat very close to the stage during a Don Carlo performance. The cymbal and the brasses were to overwhelming that sometimes they drowned out the singers if the were on the other side of the stage (such as part of the chorus and soloist during the auto da fé). Protip, don't sit too close for any mid-late 29th century opera / concert.
Another time I remember, I was up the first balcony during a Ring in a modern concert hall with crazy good acoustics. The orchestra was less over-the-top from there but the basses, especially Matti Salminen, were absolute powerhouses. The whole huge concert hall just VIBRATED.
My favorite scene from my favorite director.
OMG, I love love love love this movie.
Best part of an amazing film. Love that we later see the assassin actor in Dario Argento's The Bird With The Crystal Plumage! He's the guy in the yellow suit. And Argento, early in his career, was credited as the Italian Hitchcock.
The film is second tier Hitchcock but the entire albert hall scene ranks among the best of his career.
Hard to disagree with that.
The chase scene in the market was pretty good though
Top 10 films of all time! Maybe Top 5!
Un vero capolavoro il crescendo grandi
One of the best!
There is no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it.
Un virtuose ce Hitchcock , admirer ce suspens crescendo avec l'importance du son.
My God never see a film like this today fantastic in every way
Did the screenwriter of Mission Impossible : Rogue Nation draw inspiration from here?
What happened to that lady in the yellow dress, the gunman's accomplice? She just vanished...
Unvergessen Doris Day und James Stewart!! ❤❤❤ Meisterwerk von Alfred Hitchcock.....brilliant inszeniert..Ihr Schrei hat Ihm das Leben gerettet. Wie hätte Sie es sonst machen können. Die Tribüne war zu weit weg.....
Love the Hitchcock intro to the episodes music.
Star Wars fans !
Notice Sim Aloo @03:14 on the left of the screen 😄 Played by the prolific extra Anthony Lang. He was a regular background character, particularly in British horror films throughout the fifties, sixties and seventies.
Un capolavoro quando arriva il colpo di piatti da oscar❤
The critcs never rate this film as highly as the other two Hitch/Stewart collaborations of the 50s. But it's my favorite for several reasons, among them the luminous Doris Day, and this unforgettable scene.
@3:53 LOL Sorry hahahaha, the pan on the notes like that's supposed to add tension is hilarious to me. Look at these 4 note downward runs! Scary!!!!!
The accomplice is a very good looking woman but also quite sinister. Incidentally, where is she when
James Stewart storms into the box to confront the assassin?
Yooooo who hired that actor ?? ( 4:42 )
He looks creepy but hell! I love it!
How can somebody be this good at shooting movies??
In what theater or stage was the cantata offered in this video recorded?
Greatly underrated actress, Doris.
"I realized I had to scream" I love how Doris Day is all discombobulated when they scold her for making a ruckus. Throw her out!
That's super gushy Doris, gushing everywhere
Klassiker ! Hitchcocks Film mit James Steward und der wunderschönen Doris Day! Beide spielen Top! Quer Sera sera....❤❤❤
That was the best part of the movie
Am I the only one synchronizing my breathing with the breathing of the killer's accomplice?
No matter how many times you watch the man who knew too much, you can still think that the criminal is gonna assassinate the leader even though he instead fell to his death before doing so.
Why?
The buildup to his defeat js perfect you can never tell whether the PM would be shot or not, even though he survived.
(1:45) The usher must be thinking "Assassin? Here? Are these people serious? Should the police be involved? What should I do? Who is Hank?"
what musical composition were they singing?
2:40 Watch the timpanist--he's not actually playing the drums!
2:38 The timpani player is playing them without hitting the membrane.
What s the music from it???
When the assassin fell, all I could think those poor people below.
i would have included the entire scene from the last bit of dialogue to the next approx. 10 minutes later.
Choirs are really absurd but it works here.
Is this playlist in order
You gotta lot to explain MI: Rogue Nation
What's song plsss ?
Storm Clouds Cantana
Un capolavoro
bellissima scena con una grande doris day
Not Hitch's best but this scene is still brilliant
What is the piece of music; and the composer? Sounds like V. Williams or Elgar.
That's the "Storm Cloud Cantata" written by Australian composer Arthur Benjamin.
@@TubeDarev Thanks for that.
@@davidbutterworth5258 You're welcome! :-)
The Cantata was originally composed for the FIRST "Man Who Knew Too Much" film that Hitchcock directed. Reportedly, when Hitch decided to redo the film, he suggested to Bernard Herrmann that he compose a new piece for the Albert Hall scene. Instead, Herrmann just expanded Benjamin's original Cantata, which was already well-suited for the scene.
A Paramount Release
In
VistaVision
Alfred Hitchcock’s
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1956)
The End
A Paramount Release
If you look closely, the tympanist is not even hitting the tympani.
If you are referring to the 2:39 mark, yes he is. Look closely. He brings his arms down but uses his wrist to flick the timpani stick to strike the timpani. Look again.
It's a movie
You are way off base - and you'll get no timpani from me.
SZ Rätsel lässt grüßen?
The finale of the French series "Lupin" (2021) on Netflix is likely inspired by this Hitchcock classic 🤫
For all of you aspiring assassins out there, please, do not use a pistol to assassinate anyone at so far a distance.
That must have been at least 40 meters. For that work, you need a weapon that can be quickly assembled, that
provides a longer sight radius and a flatter trajectory bullet.
I'll keep that in mind.
Not if you’re Scaramanga
Popeye Doyle did that in The French Connection 2 with a snub nose revolver and IT WORKED
They can declare the that the 1930's original version is "better," but the suspense in the remake is more intense, and, say what they will about Doris Day, her terrified scream is 1000 times more effective than the little squeak Edna Best made.
4:11
And the auxiliary percussionists finally get their 15 minutes of fame!
"Ohh, you English intellectuals will be the death of us all!"
Rivals Vertigo for Best Film.
got sent here by school
🎬🌍❤️🎶🎶
Prevod
How far removed from realism Hitchcock film-making is can be demonstrated in this scene with regard to the instance when the McKennas (Day and Steward) heatedly discuss what to do in the audience hall and nobody intervenes. In my view, this opera-like suspension of "reality" contributes a lot to the appeal of H's work -- and Diane Dow is right, something like it would not be accepted today.
The Godfather 3 took a lot from this scene
This movie was not serious stuff, but eye candy. The plot was stale. The acting was so-so at best -- corny.
Im a big time Stewart fan but sorry Hitch this does not deserve the 5 stars TCM gave it .
You must be insane!
Marco lascialo stare Nicoula la colpa è mia che gli ho risposto su grindr mi piaceva come uomo