fuzzy_patters

I was expecting this to be another cheesy Castle flick. It would be entertaining but nothing memorable. However, this film was much better than the rest of Castle's films. The direction of the ax sequences was superb. You are constantly expecting the ax to drop, but it just never does. You can definitely see the influence that this film as had on horror films from Halloween to date.

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not also mention that having Crawford and Baker in the cast made it a much better acted film than most of Castle's as well. Crawford's ability to move from mood to mood with her character was mind boggling. It was almost like she was playing three or four different characters in the same film. Baker was beautiful and played really well off of Crawford. For a horror film, this was actually a very good movie.

I really enjoyed this movie. It had loads of suspense and was very well directed. I found one scene in particular to be very well done. Hitch shoots the climax of the film as a symphony plays with no dialogue from the characters. It feels like you're are watching a silent film in color, and it is masterfully done. It is extremely suspenseful, and you don't miss hearing people talking. It was cool to see the veteran director return to his silent film roots thirty years later.

The only negative that I had with this movie was that Dorris Day never quite seemed real to me in this film. I felt like I was watching an actress play a character rather than seeing the character. Hitchcock would have been better off with his first choice for the role, Grace Kelly.

That doesn't ruin the movie, though. Jimmmy Stewart was great as always, and Hitchock delivers a fast-paced, suspenseful, and at times comedic adventure. It isn't as great as Rear Window or Vertigo, but it is a very good movie.

This was the prototype of many Hitchcock films to come, and fans of Hitchcock will notice many scenes in The 39 Steps that would be repeated later in Hitchcock's other films. Likewise, The 39 Steps has Hitchcock's recurring themes of a man wanted for a crime that he did not commit and espionage. The fact that this is early in the master's career should not lead one to believe that this movie is inferior to his later films. Quit the contrary, The 39 Steps shows the master at his finest with his quintessential screen shots, strong male lead played by Robert Donat, and Hitchcock blond played by Madeleine Carrol. Donat and Carroll are wonderful in this role with Carroll, in particular, stealing many scenes. Despite a few implausibilities, I found this to be a very enjoyable film that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys this type of thriller.