Day 56: The 39 Steps (1935)

Funny, fresh, and full of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock’s “The 39 Steps” is one of his earlier works, but, nevertheless, it contains several beautiful examples of the film style that would soon make the great director internationally famous. Not to mention, with his classic use of British wit amongst foreboding danger, “Hitch” allows us to get wrapped up in the fun and the thrills all at the same time and, because of this, we enjoy the film even more.

In “The 39 Steps,” Hitchcock gives us Richard Hannay (Robert Donat), a Canadian living in London, who meets the beautiful Annabella Smith, a rather nervous woman who admits in their first meeting that she is actually a spy being chased by assassins. Having uncovered a plot where an unknown mastermind, running a group called “The 39 Steps,” plans to steal vital British military secrets, Annabella asks Hannay to help her and he obliges. But, before Annabella can even explain further the secrets she knows, she is killed with a knife and Hannay finds himself framed for the murder and on the run.

Using a map that Annabella drew out in her last moments, Hannay makes his way for Scotland, hoping to meet up with the late spy’s contact. While on a train headed for his goal, Hannay meets Pamela (Madeleine Carroll) an independent thinking woman, who, though Hannay tries to impress, eventually gives him up to the police. Quick on his feet, Hannay gets off the train and finally makes it to Professor Jordan, the contact he believes can help clear his name. But when the “good” Professor whips out a gun on Hannay, its more than obvious that he doesn’t want to take out the evil “39 Steps,” but lead them to victory.

As mentioned earlier, “The 39 Steps,” is an early work by Hitchock that definitely had a lasting impact on his later, and more widely known, films. For instance, two particular character types, prominent in this film, reappear several times later in “the master of suspense’s” career. For one, Hannay represents “the wronged man”- a innocent who has stumbled into a web of intrigue and has been subsequently framed and/or pursued because of the events that have taken place. Though Robert Donat’s Hannay would be one of the first to show this in Hitchcock’s career, he wouldn’t be the last. Later would come “Strangers on a Train,” “The Wrong Man,” “Vertigo,” “North by Northwest,” and both versions of “The Man Who Knew Too Much.”

Also found in this tale of spies is the archetype of a feuding man and woman, who have distaste for each other at first glance but, after being forced to work together, eventually fall for one another. In Hitchcock’s Hollywood days, Grace Kelly bickered with Jimmy Stewart in “Rear Window” and then Cary Grant in “To Catch a Thief,” but, before either of these famous duos hit the big screen, it was Donat’s Hannay and Madeleine Carroll’s Pamela in ”The 39 Steps.” A classic thrill ride full of fun and danger, “The 39 Steps” is a must see for Hitchock fans and adventure lovers alike.

To learn more about, “The 39 Steps,” check out Criterion’s page here.

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