Rent 39 Steps (1935)
4.0 of 5 from 163 ratings
1h 26min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
An innocent man on the run. A beautiful icy blonde. A fast-moving cross-country pursuit. A chaotic world where no one is ever what they seem. 'The 39 Steps' set the template for Hitchcock's classic suspense thrillers. John Buchan's very loosely adapted story begins when Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) picks up the exotic 'Annabella Smith' at a music hall. The next morning he discovers she's been killed and finds himself in the frame for her murder. Way ahead of its time in terms of its pace, black comedy and the sexual chemistry between the charismatic leads (particularly when Carroll removes her stockings while handcuffed to Donat), 'The 39 Steps' is among Hitch's finest and has been voted into the BFI's Top Five Favorite British Films. - Actors:
- Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle, Peggy Ashcroft, John Laurie, Helen Haye, Frank Cellier, Wylie Watson, Gus McNaughton, Jerry Verno, Peggy Simpson, Ivor Barnard, Charles Bennett, Noel Birkin, Ex-Det. Sergt. Bishop, Matthew Boulton, Edgar K. Bruce, Kate Cutler, Philip Desborough
- Directors:
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Producers:
- Michael Balcon
- Writers:
- John Buchan, Charles Bennett, Ian Hay
- Studio:
- Carlton Video
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- 10 Films to Watch if You Like Rebecca, 10 Films to Watch if You Like: Operation Mincemeat, Alfred Hitchcock's British Films, Award Winners, Bond Villains: The Connery Years, Films by Genre, Films to Watch If You Like..., Getting to Know..., Hitchcock in the 1940s, Introducing a British Film Family, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 1, A Brief History of Film..., The Third Man At 75, Top 10 Films About Trains: Thrillers, Top 100 BFI Films, Top Films
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 19/10/2009
- Run Time:
- 86 minutes
- Languages:
- English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
- Subtitles:
- English
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
- Colour:
- B & W
- Bonus:
- The 39 Steps feature commentary
- Art of film video feature 'Hitchcock: The early years'
- Lux radio show audio feature
- Stills galleries: On set photography
- Posters and publicity
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Reviews (1) of 39 Steps
Favourite Hitch. - 39 Steps review by Steve
This is Alfred Hitchcock's first entirely successful film. It combines the thriller with screwball comedy to create a new genre. Robert Donat is the model for many of the director's wrong men. Madeleine Carroll is the prototype Hitchcock-blonde. The chemistry of their flirtatious crosstalk is dynamite.
The narrative is only loosely based on John Buchan's rather anaemic novel, and most of what was great about the film was added by the director and Charles Bennett's witty adaptation and script. Donat is presumed guilty by the press, public and police of a murder he didn't commit and is compelled to escape north to Scotland by train
He must clear his name with the impediment of being handcuffed to a beautiful, but unsympathetic woman. The episodic structure is bursting with classic scenes, and characters you really care about, far more than is typical with this genre, like Peggy Ashcroft as a crofter's wife, stuck in an isolated cottage with an abusive husband.
It's the kindness of strangers to the innocent man which makes the film gently moving. The support cast is excellent, but the stars are a sensation. The only weakness is a contrived MacGuffin, but it hardly matters. The Master's touch is sublime. This is my favourite Hitchcock film.
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