Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #76319 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-04-14
• Formats: Full Screen, Surround Sound, NTSC
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 86 minutes

Amazon.com
Hitchcock's first great romantic thriller is a prime example of the MacGuffin principle in action.

Robert Donat is Richard Hannay, an affable Canadian tourist in London who becomes embroiled in a deadly conspiracy when a mysterious spy winds up murdered in Hannay's rented flat--and both the police and a secret organization wind up hot on his trail. With only a seemingly meaningless phrase ("the 39 steps"), a small Scottish town circled on a map, and a criminal mastermind identified by a missing finger as clues, quick-witted Hannay eludes police and spies alike as he works his way across the countryside to reveal the mystery and clear his name. At one point he finds himself making his escape manacled to blonde beauty Pamela (Madeleine Carroll), whose initial antagonism is smoothed by Hannay's charm and the sheer rush of her thrilling chase. It's classic Hitchcock all the way, a seemingly effortless balance of romance and adventure set against a picturesque landscape populated by eccentrics and social-register smoothies, none of whom is what he or she appears to be.

Hitchcock would play similar games of innocents plunged into deadly conspiracies, most delightfully in North by Northwest, but in this breezy 1935 classic, Hitchcock proves that, as in any quest, the object of the search isn't nearly as satisfying as the journey.

The best known of Hitchcock's British films, this civilized spy yarn follows the escapades of Richard Hannay (Robert Donat), who stumbles into a conspiracy that involves him in a hectic chase across the Scottish moors in a chase in which he is both the pursuer and the pursued. Adapted from John Buchan's novel, this classic Hitchcock "wrong man" thriller encapsulates themes that anticipate the director's biggest American films (especially North by Northwest), and is a standout among his early works.

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Customer Reviews

Well Done Alfred...Another Hitchcock Classic.
As one of Alfred Hitchcock's best films, The 39 Steps keeps your attention from the first minute.

THE 39 STEPS was one of Hitchcock's first films to be a genuine success--and it's just as entertaining today as it probably was when it was first released. For the first time, Hitchcock employs the theme of the "wrong man" on the run not only from spies, but also from the police (which explains why he cannot go to them for help). In this case, Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) becomes involved with a secret agent who spends the night with him and then winds up dead. Hannay soon finds himself on the run from other spies who think he knows too much and want him dead. Eventually, he finds himself handcuffed to Pamela (Madeliene Carroll), a young blonde who, in typical Hollywood fasion, fumes at him for most of the picture before they both realize that they're in love. THE 39 STEPS provides consistent entertainment as it zips frantically from one scenario to the next--just as Hannay gets out of one trap, he falls into another. (The most fascinating "episode" in the film occurs when Hannay spends the night at a farm in the Scottish countryside with a sternly religious farmer and his wife.) It is certainly the best of Hitchcock's "on the run" films; THE 39 STEPS is short, suspenseful (but never really frightening), at times drilly funny, and even romantic.

The 39 Steps is more great Hitchcock
One of his masterpieces! From 1935.. "The Thirty Nine Steps" has Hitch's trademark style all through it.An innocent man gets involved with spies and counter spies. He is at the music hall, watching a "Memory Act"(which is quite a scene in itself),there's a gun shot, panic erupts and everyone runs out. A mysterious woman attaches herself to him and comes home with him. She reveals she is spy and others are after her. She mentions the mysterious "Thirty Nine Steps", and the next morning he finds her dead. He goes on the run for fear he will be implicated in the murder and in order to prove his innocence he must uncover this spy ring on his own. His path is fraught with danger, suspense and of course a beautiful woman. It stars Robert Donat,Madeline Carroll(you know how Hitch loved those beautiful cool blondes!), and Lucie Mannheim(as Annabela the spy).Also look for his trademark staircase scene.

This is a must own for Hitchcock fans
Quite simply this is my all time favorite Hitchcock movie and except for the dated style/technique of the action scenes, it could be the best movie ever.

Most people associate Hitchcock with suspense but he was also a master of dark comedy. "The 39 Steps" illustrates his ability to blend the two genres into a movie that works well on both levels. If he had turned up the comedy a tiny bit it would be just as hilarious as the best 1930's screwball comedies like "Bringing Up Baby" and "The Awful Truth". Imagine Katherine Hepburn handcuffed to Robert Donat as they wander the Scottish moors. But the chemistry between Madeleine Carroll and Donat is too good to replace her.

Hitchcock cast a great ensemble for "The 39 Steps". Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Teale and John Laurie are outstanding. The supporting cast are all excellent. Yet in the midst of all this it is Peggy Ashcroft who absolutely shines.

Donat's misadventures while "on-the-run" from the law are the original "series of unfortunate events". It seems that he just can't go anywhere without being identified and chased. Hitchcock's technique is to lull you into thinking it will be an ordinary scene and then to casually throw something menacing into the scene, so the viewer can never relax. These are like getting a slap in the face before you have a chance to set yourself up for the blow. By comparison with the sinister delicacy and urbane understatement of "The Thirty-nine Steps," modern melodramas are obvious and crude.

There are many cool things to watch for:

CAMEO-As Donat and Mannheim board a bus early in the film, director Hitchcock makes his customary cameo appearance as a passer-by who tosses litter onto the sidewalk.

MATCH CUT-One of the most revolutionary edits in cinema history is in here; after the maid finds Lucie's body her scream dissolves into the hissing of a train whistle.

MISE EN SCENE-If you ever wandered what this was ("putting-in-the-scene" is a single shot sequence without cuts to another camera or transition to another scene), Hitchcock's closing shot is probably the all-time best example. As Donat, Carroll, and the police gather backstage around the dying Mr. Memory, on-stage behind them (visible from the wings) and performing for the Palladium audience is a chorus-line of girls high-kicking to the tune of Tinkle, Tinkle, Tinkle from the film Evergreen (1934). After Mr. Memory confirms the espionage plot, the camera angle changes slightly and Donat and Carroll fill the frame facing away from the camera. Donat still has the handcuffs dangling from his wrist. They spontaneously join hands - this time of their own free will.. The film fades to black.