The 39 Steps is a thriller based on the book by John Buchan and directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
The
hero of this adventurous tale is a Canadian visitor to London, Richard Hannay
(Robert Donat) who, after spending the evening at the Music Hall where “Mr
Memory” was performing, he meets Annabella Smith (Lucie Mannheim), a counter-espionage
Agent who is trying to evade enemy agents who he subsequently takes back to his
flat so she could hide until morning.
However
during the night the Agent is killed and Hannay is accused of her murder, so he
must go on the run to save himself and travels to Scotland to clear his name
and stop a spy ring which is trying to steal top secret information.
For
those who have not seen it I suggest that you do so, it benefits from a great
script, by Charles Bennett, witty, humorous and intelligent.
The
film is benefits from exquisitely understated acting, in particular Robert
Donat and Madeleine Carroll as Hannay’s feisty romantic interest, Pamela.
In
addition to the stars John Laurie and Peggy Ashcroft’s cameos as the Crofter
and his wife are excellent.
The
film also excels technically with the lighting, photography and camera work and
of course the deft hand of Hitchcock drives the narrative with the fast paced
action.
The iconic scene where Hannay alights from the Flying Scotsman on the Forth Bridge will live forever in cinematic history.
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