THE 39 STEPS (1935)

Country: U.K.

Genre(s): Drama

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: Robert Donat / Madeleine Carroll / Lucie Mannheim

Plot

Accused of a murder he didn’t commit, a man goes on the run, determined to clear his name and expose an international conspiracy involving the theft of top secret defense plans.

What I Liked

In “The 39 Steps” one can see the formation of so much that became signatures of Alfred Hitchcock films.  Concepts and themes like espionage, mistaken identity, nothing being as it seems, sexual tension, and train travel all make significant appearances in this film.  In fact, “North by Northwest” could almost be considered a bigger-budget remake of “The 39 Steps,” with a handful of the details changed.  Everything from the main character being smart-ass English charmer being caught up in international events beyond his control to his being chased across a field by a plane all pop up here.

Also like “North By Northwest,” “The 39 Steps” is never dull.  From the opening scene to the last, the film moves quickly with an entertaining mix of thrills, mystery, and comedy.  Our hero rarely stops moving, evading the police and enemy spies alike, which allows the film to constantly change settings and characters.  In fact, some of the places Hannay ends up are so preposterous that one can’t help but laugh.  Parades, dinner parties, political rallies; the most convenient places to blend in just pop up conveniently throughout his journey.  Amusingly, they often turn out to be more of a burden than a haven.  When Hannay is eventually handcuffed to a lovely blonde who is convinced he is a murderer, the film even takes a temporary turn into screwball comedy territory, as the absurdity of their situation turns into not just more thrills but plenty of banter and one-liners as well.

What I Disliked

I don’t know if it’s the era in which this film was made or just ineptitude on the part of the filmmakers (considering the director, I highly doubt it), but the editing in this film is disjointed and distracting.  The breaks between scenes and camera angles are usually harsh, with the lighting and positioning of characters changing from one shot to the next.  Each time, the eye has to get used to a new look, yet we are supposed to be inside the same scene.  To a modern viewer, this raw splicing appears amateurish.  Still, Hitchcock does throw in one visual effect that is pretty cool.  As the main characters sit next to each other in the back seat of a car rumbling through the Scotting moors, the camera seemingly moves in a twisting manner from the inside of the car out of the door window to then watch the car speed away as if the viewer were standing still on the roadside.  An impressive effect considering the technological limitations of the period, one that convinces me that the broken editing is a product of the period and not limitations of talent on the part of filmmakers.

Most Memorable Scene

The whole film is like an extended chase scene, but there are at times brief interludes where Hannay thinks he has reached safety and the pace slows down, only to begin again when he finds his pursuers are still on his trail.  When this happens to him on a train between London and Scotland, Hannay resorts to some clever tactics to avoid capture on the moving train.  A train is a standard place for a chase scene in film, probably even before “The 39 Steps” was released.  However, in the hands of Alfred Hitchcock, the scene is filled with one “How is he going to get out of this one” moment after another.  Everything about this chase remains intriguing nearly 80 years after its release.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5