A classic British spy mystery, and one of Hitchcock's best, THE 39 STEPS is the story of ... more
an innocent man who struggles to prove his innocence. Robert Donat gets more than he bargained for when he brings home a mysterious woman who confesses to be a British agent on the hot trail of a dangerous spy ring. The woman is killed in Donat's apartment and he immediately finds himself on the run, burdened with the charge for her murder and the dangerous knowledge of her mission. The film is distinguished by its pioneering use of contrapuntal sound effects, as well as the dynamism between Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll.
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Advantages: The reason why everyone should watch old films! Disadvantages: Begone from my sight if you think there is a single flaw here
Now we?re into favourite film territory. It is quite likely I?ve seen this film more times than there are titular steps. In many ways The 39Steps is a comfort film for me; one of those films you can shrug on like a warm old overcoat and luxuriate within. Perhaps this is because The 39Steps is just such unashamed good fun and at the same time so remarkably well constructed.
The 39Steps marked the emergence of Hitchcock as a major talent, for though this came on the back of his hugely successful, for the time and certainly in Britain, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The 39Steps is by far the more sophisticated of the two films and the first of his films to have that central theme that so many Hitchcock movies have: the innocent man on the run from the law, having to prove his innocence.
In many ways Hitchcock?s The 39Steps ...
Advantages: Very funny, orginal, unusual, surprisingly different Disadvantages: Theatre is a little small and not much leg room!!
A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend decided to surprise me with tickets to the theatre. He didn't say which show or play it was going to be so I reeled off every show I wanted to see that was playing in London to see if I could work out what we were going to see.
But my boyfriend maintained it was to be a surprise so no matter how hard I guessed he was not telling me. However he did admit it was not Dirty Dancing as he thought I'd already seen it! Wrong! But that's now on the list for next time!
So Friday night came and we had a pre theatre dinner in Soho before heading to the theatre for the 8pm show. On route to the Criterion Theatre I was told we were going to see "The 39Steps", which I must admit drew a complete blank from me. My boyfriend went on to explain it was a comedy based on Alfred Hitchcock's classic spy thriller, The 39 ...
Advantages: Robert Donat, one of Hitchcock's favourites in action Disadvantages: None
Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation of the John Buchan novel"The 39Steps" produced in 1935 was the 24th film that he directed.
Voted into the British Film Institute's top 5 British Films.
It runs for 106 minutes and is in black and white.
A classic Hitchcock thriller based upon the mistaken identity theme, starts with Richard Hannay, brilliantly portrayed by Robert Donat) meeting the exotic "icy blonde" (Lucie Mannheim) at music hall show presenting a "Mr Memory" (Wylie Watson). She is terrified and asks for his help and they return to his appartment. She explains she is a British spy attempting to break a spy ring and asks to stay with him as she is being followed. In the night she appears to him with a knife in her back, clutching a map and muttering something about the "39Steps", telling him the leader has a portion of his ...
jackwilliams86 03.05.2007 (02.05.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The 39 Steps (DVD)
The story of an innocent man who struggles to prove his innocence. Robert Donat gets more than he bargained for when he brings home a mysterious woman who confesses to be a British agent on the hot trail of a dangerous spy ring. The woman is killed in Donat's apartment and he immediately finds himself on the run, burdened with the charge for her murder and the dangerous knowledge of her mission.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
WHE EUROPE LIMITED; TOTAL HOME ENTERTAINMENT (THE)
Release date
27/02/2006
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
WHEI 10116
Barcode
5060079161168
Screenwriter
Charles Bennett, Ian Hay
Author
Charles Bennett, John Buchan
Languages
Main Language
English
DVD Description
The story of an innocent man who struggles to prove his innocence. Robert Donat gets more than he bargained for when he brings home a mysterious woman who confesses to be a British agent on the hot trail of a dangerous spy ring. The woman is killed in Donat's apartment and he immediately finds himself on the run, burdened with the charge for her murder and the dangerous knowledge of her mission.
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