The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

I had no idea that the 1956 Jimmy Stewart vehicle of the same name was a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's own film from +20 years earlier. This political thriller kept me on the edge of my seat for almost the entire 75 minutes. The lengthy pitched gun battle near the end of this movie is trite Hollywood fare at this point, but in 1934 Britain it must have been quite shocking for the audience. Co-star Peter Lorre had escaped from Nazi Berlin only a year before, and he seems to relish the role of a revolutionary leader. Lorre's menace is in fine form in this, his first (I think!) English film. One element of Hitchcock's direction that I really appreciated was showing how clumsy people actually are when they are trying to climb over walls and rush into gunfire. And throw chairs at each other for a good five minutes in a church meeting room! That sequence was bizarre but fasinating. The screenplay won me over at the very end -- spoiler -- by making the mother's crack shot ability (established at the beginning of the film) save her daughter's life. 

I adore the title font on this poster!