39 Degraus

Alfred Hitchcock directed this film in 1935. It's one of his greatest successes. The film is based on a novel by John Buchan, also known as Lord Tweedsmuir. The story has a Canadian mining engineer, Richard Hannay, unwillingly drawn into a spy chase when a woman unknown to him latches onto him as he's leaving a London theatre. She tells him she's a spy and that she needs his help. He's skeptical of her story, but he goes back to his London flat with her. Hannay is brilliantly played by actor Robert Donat. He turns out to be quite an interesting character, and a resourceful one at that. When the woman he returned home with turns up dead in his flat, Hannay flees London for Scotland, hoping to find a man he believes can clear him. The newspapers accuse Hannay of murder, so he knows he's a wanted man. During a chase through Scotland, Hannay finds he's not only pursued by the police for the murder he didn't commit, but by members of the spy ring the woman warned him about. Watch how he manages to deal with police, spies and a beautiful young woman played by Madeleine Carroll.

Trust and betrayal have been a recurrent theme in several of Alfred Hitchcock's works. The 39 Steps, made in 1935, has the all the classic elements of the master filmmaker that set the standard for later Hitchcock films. The 39 Steps has the classic Hitchcockian theme of an average, innocent man caught up in extraordinary events which are quite beyond his control. The sexually frustrating institution of marriage is another major motif present in the film. The strained and loveless relationship between the crofter and his wife, the placid relationship of the innkeeper and his wife, the (physical) bond between Hannay and Pamela can be examined in terms of degrees of trust between the couples. In fact, the short 'acquaintance' between Hannay and Smith and Hannay and the crofter's wife are also built completely upon trust. It is these couples, and the chemistry between them (or the lack thereof) that drive the entire film.

Over a span of four days, the smart and unflappable protagonist, Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) is involved in a circular journey to prove his innocence and expose the hive of intrigue. He is involved in chases and romantic interludes that take him from London to the Scottish Highlands and back again and he assumes numerous identities on the way - a milkman, an auto mechanic, a honeymooner, a political speaker among others.

The opening of the film, the first three shorts do not show him above his neck. With his back to the camera, he is followed down the aisle to his seat. He is then assumed to be lost in the crowd. This gives the audience the feeling that he could be anybody. Later when he takes in the identities of a milkman, a mechanic, a politician one realizes that he is Hitchcock's archetypal 'everyman' who unwittingly finds himself in incredible dilemmas.

In one of the brilliantly managed sequences on the train, Richard Hannay throws himself at a lone girl and forces a kiss just as a detective and two policemen pass by their compartment. It reveals his desperation to remain free until he can prove his innocence. In the scene after Annabella staggers into his room with a kitchen knife in her back, Hannay sees her ghostly image (which is superimposed) talking to him, `What you are laughing at right now is true. These men will stop at nothing.' The double exposure achieves a result which is a tad chilling and sad. The hallmark of Hitchcock's style is his ability to completely shock his audience by deliberately playing against how they would be thinking. In such episodes as the murder of the woman in Hannay's apartment or when the vicious professor with the missing finger casually shoots Hannay, the action progresses almost nonchalantly leaving the viewers stunned.

A great story, interesting and likeable characters, slyly incongruous wit, classic Hitchcockian motifs and a great MacGuffin are just a few things that make the The 39 Steps the quintessential Hitchcock.

The 39 Steps is one of Hitchcock's most economical and greatest films. In this plot-heavy film, Richard Hannay - a young bachelor - experiences a series of very improbable events, starting with the murder of a mystery woman in his apartment by what he believes to be foreign agents and a picture perfect frame-up. Dogged by the police, Scotland Yard and jealous husbands, Hannay runs for his life. Catapulted from one humorous quasi-romantic encounter, plot twist, and narrow escape to another, our protagonist searches frantically for a way out and ends up with much more than he could have expected.

A lot of good intellectual analysis has been written here on IMDb and elsewhere about The 39 Steps. And the film deserves it. The 39 Steps is not only a great romantic adventure with the usual Hitchcock humor blended seamlessly into the mix, but it is also rich in allegory, metaphor and even subtle symbolism. Many of Hitchcock's typical themes appear throughout the film - marriage in its various forms, human relationships, and the many varieties and scales of deceit. But the purpose of this review is not to indulge in the meta-text of The 39 Steps, but rather, to discuss its entertainment value.

It is lovely to look at, but lacks much of the cinematographic experimentation and play of Hitchcock's earlier films. It is perfectly scripted - each character has a distinct personality and predicament, and they are all very believable and very well acted. The plot provides suspense, comedy, a powerful but unexaggerated analysis of belief, paranoia and propaganda. Suffice to say that the film can be seen from many perspectives and tends to hit its audience at many levels.

The camera work is more consistently focused on the story than many of Hitchcock's films, and the script offers a lot of activity jammed into a relatively short length. No time is wasted and the film zips by. Despite the lean and economical style, The 39 Steps is easily followed and doesn't require a great deal of thought or interpretation. However, as previously stated, the film can certainly inspire interpretive and critical thought if that's what you are looking for.

The 39 Steps is a gift, and never a burden. Highly recommended.

For sheer entertainment, it would be hard to top "The 39 Steps". While Hitchcock made other movies with more psychological depth and more fascinating characters, there is as much fast-paced suspense here as you will find in any of his later films, along with a good dose of humor and a wide variety of creative settings.

This is one of several movies on Hitchcock's theme of the unjustly accused man. In a nicely-crafted sequence at the beginning, Richard Hannay (Robert Donat), a Canadian visiting London, is caught up in a spy plot and suspected in a murder, and he spends the rest of the film trying to evade both the police and the actual killers. The settings include a London music hall, a train, the Scottish moors, a political meeting, and several others that add to the exciting story. For much of the action, Hannay is entangled with a skeptical blonde played by Madeleine Carroll, and the two have good chemistry in a running verbal battle. There are also several entertaining minor characters that add wit and interest, especially the music hall performer "Mr. Memory".

It all moves quickly and holds together well, resulting in great entertainment that will be enjoyed by anyone who likes classic thrillers.

Nearly every era in Hitchcock's directing career has incredible strengths. When we view a later film like "North by Northwest" we are tempted to say that "The 39 Steps" is simply a training film for the bigger budget, star studded film that came later. This is not true. This movie stands on its own. With wonderful actors like Robert Donat and Madeline Carrol, we are led on an intense ride, culminating in a crowded theater. There are amazing shots of the characters weaving their way through crowds, close ups used strictly for the purpose of moving the plot. With Hitchcock there is no excess. He is a poet with a camera. As the tension mounts and Donat's character becomes swept away in its arms, we are taken with it. His wisecracking character is out of words and must act, just as Cary Grant did in the aforementioned film. There is something lurking and we have to find out who it is and why does he need to know what he knows? I've seen this many times and will see it again.