The 39 Steps

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

More About This Product

Overview
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
Related Categories
Cast & Crew
Scene Index
Menu

Overview

This classic British thriller was one of Alfred Hitchcock's first major international successes, and it introduced a number of the stylistic and thematic elements that became hallmarks of his later work. Richard Hannay Robert Donat, a Canadian rancher on vacation in England, attends a music hall performance by "Mr. Memory" Wylie Watson; in the midst of the show, shots ring out and Richard flees the theater. Moments later, a terrified woman Lucie Mannheim begs Richard to help her; back at his room, she tells him that she's a British spy whose life has been threatened by international agents waiting outside. Richard is certain that she's mad until she reappears at his door in the morning, near death with a knife in her back, a map in her hand, and muttering something about "39 Steps." Discovering that a group of thugs are indeed waiting outside, Richard slips away and takes the first train to the Scottish town on the dead woman's map. Richard learns that he's now wanted by the police for murder, and he must find a way to clear his name. He begins trying to do so with the help of a woman he meets en route, Pamela Madeleine Carroll, who serves as his unwitting assistant, even after she tries to turn him in. The 39 Steps was later remade in 1959 and 1978 -- both without Hitchcock's participation.

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide

Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps firmly established the director's reputation beyond the boundaries of the British isles, but it did far more than that: it was also the film where Hitchcock's reach and grasp as a filmmaker began growing by leaps and bounds. He'd already made three excellent thrillers The Lodger 1926, Blackmail 1929, and The Man Who Knew Too Much 1934 that had attracted considerable attention in America, but The 39 Steps, as a piece of screencraft, assembled all the best elements in those widely scattered successes spread across eight years of his career between two covers in a way that riveted audiences and industry observers. It played exactly the way that British movies weren't supposed to, lively and piercingly funny, rather than stodgy and dignified; it was almost as much a comedy as a thriller, which was something new in any country's cinema; and it was almost as much a battle of the sexes in the jousting of its two leads Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll as it was a quest by the hero to prove his innocence of a murder charge; by the end of the movie, we want to see not only how Richard Hanney Donat proves his innocence but also how he and Pamela Carroll manage to stay together. Not coincidentally, The 39 Steps was also the first of his major films in which Hitchcock ripped up and threw away most of the contents of the underlying source a novel by John Buchan that had been a best-seller then and which has remained a perennially popular read ever since -- he later followed this practice in his subsequent treatments of Josephine Tey's A Shilling For Candles as Young and Innocent, Ethel Lina White's The Wheel Spins as The Lady Vanishes, and Francis Beeding's The House of Dr. Edwardes as Spellbound, among other literary properties. In the process, he struck a blow for the director as a creative voice in his own right, independent of and superior to the novelist at least where actual screen adaptations were concerned, who might take one or two good ideas, a name or two, and perhaps a setting and a scene from a chapter and junk everything else, making it his own. In a time when producers and studios still occupied a place of cultural inferiority even in their own minds to the authors and publishers of the printed word, this was no small achievement, especially considering that it was done well and, thus, justified itself. So, in his own way, working within the thriller genre in The 39 Steps, Hitchcock helped open the way for virtually every major director who came after him. Bruce Eder

All Movie Guide - Bruce Eder

Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps firmly established the director's reputation beyond the boundaries of the British isles, but it did far more than that: it was also the film where Hitchcock's reach and grasp as a filmmaker began growing by leaps and bounds. He'd already made three excellent thrillers (The Lodger (1926), Blackmail (1929), and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)) that had attracted considerable attention in America, but The 39 Steps, as a piece of screencraft, assembled all the best elements in those widely scattered successes (spread across eight years of his career) between two covers in a way that riveted audiences and industry observers. It played exactly the way that British movies weren't supposed to, lively and piercingly funny, rather than stodgy and dignified; it was almost as much a comedy as a thriller, which was something new in any country's cinema; and it was almost as much a battle of the sexes in the jousting of its two leads (Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll) as it was a quest by the hero to prove his innocence of a murder charge; by the end of the movie, we want to see not only how Richard Hanney (Donat) proves his innocence but also how he and Pamela (Carroll) manage to stay together. Not coincidentally, The 39 Steps was also the first of his major films in which Hitchcock ripped up and threw away most of the contents of the underlying source (a novel by John Buchan that had been a best-seller then and which has remained a perennially popular read ever since) -- he later followed this practice in his subsequent treatments of Josephine Tey's A Shilling For Candles (as Young and Innocent), Ethel Lina White's The Wheel Spins (as The Lady Vanishes), and Francis Beeding's The House of Dr. Edwardes (as Spellbound), among other literary properties. In the process, he struck a blow for the director as a creative voice in his own right, independent of and superior to the novelist (at least where actual screen adaptations were concerned), who might take one or two good ideas, a name or two, and perhaps a setting and a scene from a chapter and junk everything else, making it his own. In a time when producers and studios still occupied a place of cultural inferiority (even in their own minds) to the authors and publishers of the printed word, this was no small achievement, especially considering that it was done well and, thus, justified itself. So, in his own way, working within the thriller genre in The 39 Steps, Hitchcock helped open the way for virtually every major director who came after him.

Read More Show Less

Product Details

Release Date: 9/15/2009
UPC: 715515050715
Original Release: 1935

Rating:

Source: Criterion
Region Code: 1
Presentation: B&W / Pan & Scan
Language: English
Time: 1:26:00
Format: DVD
Sales rank: 5,213

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Robert Donat	Richard Hannay
Madeleine Carroll	Pamela
Godfrey Tearle	Prof. Jordan
Peggy Ashcroft	Margaret
Lucie Mannheim	Miss Smith/Annabella
John Laurie	John
Wylie Watson	Mr. Memory
Helen Haye	Mrs. Jordan
Frank Cellier	Sheriff Watson
Jerry Verno	Voyager
Peggy Simpson	Young Maid
Miles Malleson	Director of the Palladium
Gus McNaughton	Voyager
Marianne Stone

Technical Credits

Alfred Hitchcock	Director
Michael Balcon	Producer
Charles Bennett	Screenwriter
Ian Hay	Screenwriter
Albert Jullion	Production Designer
Bernard Knowles	Cinematographer
Louis Levy	Score Composer
Ivor Montagu	Producer
Alma Reville	Screenwriter
Joe Strassner	Costumes/Costume Designer
Derek N. Twist	Editor
Otto Werndorff	Production Designer
Jack Whitehead	Special Effects

Read More Show Less

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Essential Art House: The 39 Steps
1. Opening Credits / Mr. Memory [7:04]
2. Annabella Smith [10:16]
3. Tales About Murderers and Foreigners [2:26]
4. "Very Good at Charades" [7:52]
5. The Crofter and his Wife [8:44]
6. Alt-Na-Shellach [8:15]
7. "Hymns that Have Helped Me" [2:33]
8. Difficult Man to Follow [6:50]
9. Flock of Detectives [4:47]
11. Escape [8:24]
10. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hopkinson [10:31]
12. "What are the 39 Steps?" [8:25]

Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5

( 12 )

5 Star

(9)

4 Star

(2)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(1)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Poor

Below Average

Good

Very Good

Exceptional

Review Guidelines

Tell the world what you think of this product.

Add Recommendations

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.

Overview

Pick Up In Store

All Available Formats & Editions

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

More About This Product

Overview

Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide - Bruce Eder

Product Details

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Technical Credits

Scene Index

Menu

Customer Reviews

5 Star

4 Star

3 Star

2 Star

1 Star

Your Rating:

Your Recommendations:

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

What to exclude from your review:

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

Reminder:

The 39 Steps

Overview

Pick Up In Store

All Available Formats & Editions

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

More About This Product

Overview

Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide - Bruce Eder

Product Details

Related Categories

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Technical Credits

Scene Index

Menu

Customer Reviews

5 Star

4 Star

3 Star

2 Star

1 Star

Your Rating:

Your Recommendations:

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

What to exclude from your review:

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

Reminder:

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

A reviewer