'Blackmail' & 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'

It's amazing to witness over and over the breadth and depth of Alfred Hitchcock's work. I guess it happens all the time where we are able to see a man not only evolve as a professional in whatever work he does, but to also evolve along with the technology and capabilities of his field.

The amount of change from the 1920s to the 1960s, I think, far exceeds the changes that took place between 1960s and 1990s or even 1970s and 2000s. Arguably, pound for pound, films in the 1970s are superior to the 2000s.

For Hitchcock, it was probably night and day making a film. Ironically, I read that Hitchcock preferred his 1934 version of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" over the 1956 version because it was actually more stripped down.

A problem I had with "The Man Who Knew Too Much": So, James Stewart's character had been in Northern Africa during World War II, right? So, why does he seem so uninformed and awkward in terms of the food, furniture and culture? Wouldn't he know how to eat the food and sit comfortably in the chair? Seems inconsistent. Yes, I realize I'm being nit-picky, but it's worth considering.