The Thirty Nine Steps
“Every second counts in the adventure of a lifetime!”
The year is 1914 and Richard Hannay, Mining Engineer who is visiting Britain for a short time before returning to South Africa, is shocked when one of his neighbours, Colonel Scudder, bursts into his rooms one night and tells him a story that Prussian 'sleeper' agents are planning to pre-start World War I by murdering a visiting foreign minister. However, Scudder is murdered and Hannay is framed for the death by the 'sleepers'. Fleeing to Scotland Hannay attempts to clear his name and to stop the agents with the aid of Alex Mackenzie but not only is he is chased by Chief Supt Lomas for Scudder's death but by the agents who are headed by Appleton who has managed to hide himself in a high-placed position in the British Government...
Details
Release Date: 11/4/1978
Runtime: 102 minutes
Languages: English
Director: Don Sharp
00Production
Companies: Norfolk International Pictures, The Rank Organisation
Countries: United Kingdom
Where to watch · US
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Reviews
r96sk
I had a fun time with this one! <em>'The Thirty Nine Steps'</em> gave me a lot of entertainment. Robert Powell puts in a top performance, as does John Mills; the whole cast are good, in fairness. Pacing is on point and the music is stellar. There are some nice set pieces too, namely on the railway and at Big Ben. I also really enjoyed the adventure feel. One of many adaptations of John Buchan's novel, I see. This is my first experience of it in any form, I evidently chose a good one to start with. I ought to check out the other three (!) pictures at some point, especially the first that was directed by Alfred Hitchcock; I am still yet watch a movie of his, poor from me!
CinemaSerf
“Hannay” (Robert Powell) might have wished he hadn’t answered his front door when he encounters the fleeing “Scudder” (Sir John Mills) who seeks shelter in his flat. Quickly, he has regaled his host with tales of international espionage, murder and duplicity and before he knows it, “Hannay” is on a train heading for the highlands with the police and some murderous spies in hot pursuit. Luckily, he is quite a quick-witted sort of a gent, and so when he stumbles upon a grouse shoot at a grand country estate, he manages to befriend “Alex” (Karen Dotrice) and “David” (Miles Anderson) and with a bout of divertion at the local Liberal election hustings finds he must race back to London to alert “Insp. Lomas” (Eric Porter) to the dangers of the “39 Steps”, “Ariadne’s Thread” and a threat to plunge the Balkans into all out war. Though I still think Robert Donat’s was the best "Hannay” (1935), I think Powell holds this together quite well as he races up and down the country trying to stay alive and get to the bottom of things. Porter and David Warner also contribute quite effectively as this iteration of John Buchan’s story builds to quite a conclusion dangling from the arms of Big Ben. It does have more of a made for television look to it, and that does compromise some of the sense of menace as we proceed, but it’s a strong story well presented, and I enjoyed it.
