!! The short stories:
* ValuesDissonance: Criminals being described as "Jews"/"Asiatic" with the clear indication they're mean to be uncivilized is hard to read today.

!! The 1934 film:
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Arthur Benjamin composed the first important score for a Hitchcock movie, centered on the ''Storm Clouds Cantata'', the piece performed in the climax, which he wrote from scratch as a full-length composition. Many viewers no doubt assumed it was an actual pre-existing ClassicalMusic piece. Music/BernardHerrmann liked it enough to re-use it for the remake.
* EndingFatigue: The police shootout. The assassination has already been thwarted, and even Betty still being in danger can't add much to the excitement of a bunch of faceless nobody cops trading shots with the bad guys for ''ten whole minutes''.
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Abbott, played by Creator/PeterLorre at his slimiest, is commonly considered the best character.
** Clive, with his BritishStuffiness and his ButtMonkey role in the story, is a memorable [[ComedicReliefCharacters Comedic Relief Character]].
** Nurse Agnes is a notable oddball villain. Picture [[Literature/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest Nurse Ratched]] as TheDragon, with hypnosis skills to boot.
* GrowingTheBeard: This is usually considered Creator/AlfredHitchcock's first real "Hitchcock" film, with its blend of suspense, inventiveness and humor.
* HarsherInHindsight: Ramon falling to his death after getting shot by Jill. Frank Vosper, who played Ramon, died three years later after falling off the deck of an ocean liner (officially ruled an accident, but rumored to be a suicide).
* HilariousInHindsight: Nova Pilbeam (Betty) has an astonishing resemblance to Creator/EmmaWatson in certain shots.


!! The 1956 film:
* AdaptationDisplacement: People who aren't Hitchcock buffs are often surprised to learn that it's a remake.
* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: "Qué Será, Será" again, big time. Doris Day initially was extremely reluctant to even record the song, calling it "forgettable children's song". It went on to win Oscar for the Best Original Song, ran second on US Billboard chart and first on UK Singles Chart and, ironically, ended up as a theme song for Doris' own ''Series/TheDorisDayShow''. It is now #48 on Creator/AmericanFilmInstitute's 100 Songs list.
* HilariousInHindsight: Creator/JimmyStewart in a church bell tower, a couple of years before ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''.
* {{Narm}}: "How are you going to get the child out of here? EH!? EH!? EH!?"
* NightmareFuel: The scene near the end, after [[WouldHurtAChild the Ambassador]] has made it clear to the Draytons [[LeaveNoWitnesses what must be done to Hank]] [[HeKnowsTooMuch to prevent him from implicating them]]; though nothing is spelled out, the way that one of Mr. Drayton's minions starts sinisterly wrapping a piece of rope around his hands as Drayton gives them his last orders says everything. Both Hank and Mrs. Drayton being clearly afraid and listening to the nearing footsteps - believing that it's Mr. Drayton who's coming - only heightens the terror.
* RemadeAndImproved: This version is widely considered better and is more well-known than the original 1934 version. Creator/AlfredHitchcock [[SelfRemake directed both versions]] and while he still liked the original, he acknowledged that the remake was technically superior in some ways, stating "Let's say the first version is the work of a talented amateur and the second was made by a professional." While the original isn't considered a bad film in the slightest, the remake is generally seen as more polished, such as having a more consistent tone, a tighter narrative, more character development, and better pacing; a recurring criticism of the original is that the pacing feels too frantic in some places and too slow in others, with many finding that the climactic shoot-out in particular [[EndingFatigue wears out its welcome]] (Hitchcock notably omitted it from the remake).
* RetroactiveRecognition: An aide to the Prime Minister is played by Creator/RichardMarner, who would later be best known for playing Colonel von Strohm in ''Series/AlloAllo''.
* SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct: Viewers who only know Doris Day from old-fashioned pop music and romantic comedies might feel pleasantly surprised by her dramatic potential in this movie, especially after her character receives word of Hank's kidnapping.
* TearJerker:
** The scene in the 1956 film where Jo learns about her son's kidnapping is wrenching. As listed above, Doris Day does an excellent job of acting the character's fear for her son's safety, her anger that her husband sedated her, and her confusion brought along by the pills.
----