The 39 Steps

It was known that Alfred Hitchcock would buy a book or a story and then use as little as a sentence of it and create a whole new scenario for his film. This version of "The 39 Steps" is based on the book, not the Hitchcock movie; therefore, it's different. The stars are Rupert Perry-Jones, Lydia Leonard, Patrick Malahide, and Eddie Marsan.

Having seen the Hitchcock film and the play which uses the Hitchcock film, this 39 Steps is interesting but ultimately a downer. Hitchcock made this story his own, and anything else is going to be a disappointment.

The acting is good. Rupert Perry-Jones is an attractive lead, but he's not called upon to do very much. He's not Robert Donat, after all. Lydia Leonard is the suffragette Victoria. She's fun but she's not Madeline Carroll. There's not much, if any, suspense to be had - no being handcuffed together, no music hall scene, just a lot of chases through nice scenery.

It's worth watching to compare to Hitchcock and appreciate him all the more, but that's about it. I'd call this pleasant rather than exciting or suspenseful. There was one big surprise in a beginning apartment scene - if the film had continued like that, it would have had something.

It will not shock anyone to learn that, having watched this 2008 TVM, I'm not proposing that we just burn Hitchcock's version on the basis that we no longer have any need for it. However neither will I add my voice to those queuing up to tell you how awful this film is. The truth may be closer to the latter extreme than the former but this is not a terrible film, just quite an OK one that suffers badly by comparison by how well it has formerly been done. The plot is not completely the same and there are some key changes even if the overall flow is the same but, for some reason the changes that have been made are overwhelmingly negatively impacting. The most famous set pieces are gone and have been replaced by, well, not much. Perhaps they were looking to shake off the shadow of Hitchcock's film you say? Well if that is the case why make room for a clunky North by Northwest reference then?

It is all very solid stuff despite this and it is perhaps good enough to satisfy as a festive piece of easy entertainment thrown to viewers too sleepy or bloated to really cope with much more. However, outside of this home-court advantage the weaknesses are much clearer and the plot does feel too slow and unengaging. It closely follows the original film version but without anywhere near the same impact or sense of thrill or adventure. I never particularly cared about what was happening or was going to happen as it went along – nor indeed felt a lot in the way of urgency or menace. These are key things to deliver but they are lacking and, as a result, so is the film. I do often defend the idea of the BBC licence fee (and continue to do so) but it is hard to see the justification or remaking something without having anything of value to really bring to it – the rights to the original film must be cheaper to get and the difference could be used to make something original or more daring (accepting that it may fail). As it is, this BBC production is an example of them not delivering.

The cast are reasonable and thus fit with the overall film being "OK". Penry-Jones is strapping but bland and his character isn't consistent or believable across the film. Leonard is the same as the narrative changes her but she didn't have me believing it very often. Malahide isn't a good villain. He has the potential for menace but he has nothing about him to convey it and no spark to make him stand out. Marsan is a nice find in a small role early on but is soon out of the picture a required by the film. The direction matches the general production values by being solid and sturdy but never spectacular.

The whole thing is what you hope it isn't going to be – average. It isn't awful and it does provide a base level of entertainment if that is all you are looking for but I imagine that, like me, many viewers will find little of note about it and wonder why they or the BBC bothered.

Shades of Robert Donat, Kenneth More and Robert Powell hover over this festive production from the BBC of John Buchan's classic novel, heck I can't even get Michael Palin's brilliant "Ripping Yarns" spoof out of my head, but it entertained pretty much all the way by taking itself just seriously enough without reverting to knowing post-modern sarcasm or worse yet campness. This is a "Boy's Own Adventure" and can only ever work by playing it straight. Don't mess with the Buchan in other words! Rupert Penry-Jones makes a fine Hannay, good looking, muscular if oddly blonde (the perfect Aryan specimen, ironically enough!) and interacts well with Lydia Leonard as the resourceful suffragette-cum-spy Victoria. I really liked Eddie Marson as the rent collector in the BBC's recent "Little Dorrit" dramatisation and so felt a little short-changed with his early demise. Of course the story is one long chase stopping only long enough for the various action or suspense-punctuating set-pieces and I rather liked the fact that these were accomplished without SFX or CGEN tricks.

I last read the book years and years ago so can't state for certain how faithful to source this was, (I only recall the political meeting episode from the novel if truth be told) but otherwise was perfectly happy to sit back, admire the glorious Scottish scenery, ancient cars period costumes and see True-Brit spunk and ingenuity triumph over the evil Bosche. The plot is of course wholly unbelievable and barely hangs together (including to top things off, a literally death-defying recovery by Victoria at the end to complete the happy ending), but just swallow an improbability pill beforehand and enjoy.

There are a couple of respectful references to Hitchcock scattered about (there must be people out there who think the original Hannay was a Hitch original, so ingrained in the memory is the Robert Donat/Madeleine Carroll film prototype) although quite how "North By North-West's" crop-duster scene found its way in here I'm not sure and perhaps more could have been made of the handcuff-scene, treated much more cheekily by the Master 70 odd years ago.

Nevertheless, I'll take this standard "Tally-Ho!" British fare over Indiana Jones any old day and hope there's a follow-up of sorts as I for one would welcome a revolt into style away from big-budget effects-fests in favour of more homespun dramas like this, tongue-in-cheek or not...

I agree with the reviewer who dismisses critics of this version as pseuds. They have no sense of social history. I've been reading and rereading Buchan's novels for over 70 years and have always enjoyed Hitchcock's 1935 film version regardless of its departures from the novel, which add to rather than detract from the original. The 1959 Kenneth More version still strikes me as attempting but failing to capture Hitch's touch, and, having recently rewatched the 1978 Robert Powell remake, I found it more enjoyable than I had remembered it. I approached this (2008) TV film with some apprehension, but as soon as I saw the opening frames of Hannay dispiritedly spinning a globe in the comfort of his club I knew I was going to like it. My first thought, of course, was to wonder how this version would contrive to introduce a female lead into the story, and in this respect I was not disappointed. As Victoria Sinclair, Lydia Leonard is rightfully as delightful as she is unbelievable. I've always thought Hitchcock did right to follow his inclination to give Hannay a partner. The trouble with all Buchan's novels (to my mind) is that he was incapable of painting a convincing female portrait. He may himself have been married, and even Hannay has a wife in the later stories, but he has absolutely no understanding or appreciation of women. In reflecting the masculine hegemony of Boys' Own tales he reflects the times he lived in, as do all the film versions each in their own way. I find this TV film just right for its time, and look forward to enjoying it again.

Watchable and enjoyable enough on its own terms, this version of THE 39 STEPS differs in all of its main details from the Alfred Hitchcock thriller about a man on the run from German spies. Still, it follows the same formula and, since I never read the book, I can't tell whether it's a more faithful version of the novel or not.

RUPERT PENRY-JONES, who reminds me of a bland cross between John Lund and Leslie Howard, has the role of the man who unwittingly gets caught up in some sort of outlandish plot involving spies who are about to trigger an event that will cause WWI. He is soon accompanied on his run by a woman (LYDIA LEONARD) who refuses to believe he's telling her the truth about running from dangerous assassins who want to get hold of a coded book in his possession and kill him in the process. She becomes a willing participant in his escape plans.

From then on, it's a fast-paced yarn with a twist ending, photographed in gorgeous outdoor settings and nicely acted by the British cast. But it never achieves the menacing quality of the Hitchcock thriller and does not even include the famous magician scene from the earlier piece.

All of the adventures are unbelievably heroic on Jones' part and overly melodramatic to boot. In only one sensitively played indoor scene with the fleeing couple seeking shelter, is there any chemistry between Rupert and his co-star.

Summing up: Well-paced but lacks the tight suspense of the original '30s thriller.