The 39 Steps [PG]

On holiday in England from his home in Canada, Richard Hanney’s vacation enjoyment is short lived when he meets a mysterious woman who is later murdered in his apartment. With nothing to prove his innocence, poor Richard soon finds himself entangled in a sinister secret spy plot to smuggle a secret weapons formula out of the country. Wanted for murder and with the police hot on his trail, can Richard solve the mystery and find the real villain before it’s too late? 

One of Alfred Hitchcock’s earlier, and more primitive thrillers, The 39 Steps was a great achievement in cinema, particularly as it first introduced that key Hitchcock hook: the notion of the wrong man. From the beginning, it’s filled with sharp twists and turns of the plot and it’s just a whirlwind of conspiracy and thrilling excitement. 

On holiday in England from his home in Canada, Richard Hanney’s vacation enjoyment in short lived when he meets a mysterious woman who is later murdered in his apartment. With nothing to prove his innocence, poor Richard soon finds himself entangled in a sinister spy plot to smuggle a secret weapons formula out of the country. Wanted for murder and with the police hot on his trail, can Richard solve the mystery and find the real villain before it’s too late? 

Although it is a little bit primitive in that it was made in the 1930s, a time that hadn’t really seen the crystal clear black and white that could be achieved in pictures, the 39 Steps had everything going for it in terms of story. Not only did it introduce the notion of the “wrong man”, it was an engaging thriller that was balanced out with witty comedic dialogue and even a spot of unlikely, yet heart-warming romance. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film quite like that. 

Robert Donat stars as Richard Hanney and he was gorgeous. He was incredibly dashing, gentlemanly, charming, witty, but could be menacing when he set his mind to it. Between his deadly quick comebacks to his vexed pacing, he was a delight from start to finish. 

Starring Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle, Peggy Ashcroft, John Laurie, Helen Haye, Frank Cellier, Wylie Watson, Gus McNaughton, Jerry Verno, and Peggy Simpson, The 39 Steps was a brilliant thriller that was filled with romance, comedy, quick-witted dialogue, plenty of action, and heaps of suspense. A little hard to get into at first, but after the murder, you’re irrevocably hooked!