The 39 Steps [DVD]

Terrific early Hitchcock. Attractive stars (Madeleine Carroll—what a doll...Sterling Hayden: what a lucky guy!), witty dialogue, brilliant montage technique (Eisenstein!), gorgeous black & white. I streamed this last night after having just watched two of Hitchcock's other early films—the '34 Man Who Knew Too Much and the '38 The Lady Vanishes. I paid extra to stream the Criterion HD versions. Why should you pay for the Criterion version when you can watch other versions of the same movies for free? I'll tell you why: read the reviews of the various folks who did just that! The free versions that cost nothing are worth just what you paid for them. The Criterion versions not only don't SUCK,—they are really beautiful to watch. I am grateful to Amazon for giving me the option to stream movies from the Criterion collection. These versions are SO worth the 4 bucks they cost to stream. My hope is that Amazon will soon be able to offer Prime Members the option of a paid subscription to Turner Classic Movies on their Amazon Channels.

This is the film in which Hitchcock stepped forth in command of all his talent in his new guise as the master of suspense. It had been preceded by “The Man Who Knew Too Much” but though that film was good it was still rough in places and lacked most of the Hitchcock touches which are all over “The 39 Steps”. It was a quantum jump forward and he would never look back.The film is fast paced and doesn’t let up for its short duration as it puts its everyman protagonist, Richard Hannay (Robert Donat), on a harrowing journey in which he must elude pursuers, adopting a number of brief disguises along the way. He must not only prove his innocence of a murder but also prevent a lethal spy ring from smuggling Air Ministry secrets out of the country. It’s fast paced and full of twists and turns and never let up for a moment.The theme of an innocent man leading a private life being inadvertently thrown into harrowing circumstances that demand his utmost cleverness and perseverance became a consistent Hitchcock trope, reaching its peak in “North by Northwest”. There are also constant issues of trust and betrayal, another common theme of the director. In “The Man Who Knew Too Much” the woman was a nice mother, but here for the first time we have the more typical Hitchcock woman, Pamela, a beautiful, remote, unattached blonde (Madeleine Carroll). The chief villain is also intelligent, suave and polite. Some of the most dramatic scenes take place in or on well known British icons like the Firth Bridge and the London Palladium. Hitchcock is everywhere in this film.Though it’s a suspense thriller it’s full of Hitchcock’s droll comic touches. In a very clever scene, Hannay, closely pursued by enemy agents, finds himself forced to give a speech to introduce a political candidate he’s never heard of and whose name he mispronounces. While speaking he says, “I know what it is to be lonely and helpless and have the whole world against me” which encapsulates his current predicament. He travels for a while in a train compartment with two women’s undergarment salesmen who blithely chatter and joke about their trade while he is just realizing the depth of his troubles in a moment noting how the world blithely goes on in its ordinary way while his is falling apart.There are so many wonderful visual touches: The shadows and light through the windows in Hannay’s recently rented apartment where the furniture is still covered by drop cloths; the claustrophobic train aisle and the way the dining car waiter almost drops his tray several times; the way Hannay looks so small in front of a vast Tudor window, and so many more images.Gaumont pictures spent a considerable sum on this film and deliberately hired Donat and Carroll because they were known outside of Britain, particularly in America. They work wonderfully well together.Though not budget busters, supporting players are excellent as well. The Scottish farmer’s wife is a young Peggy Ashcroft, who conveys much while saying little.The mysterious woman Hannay meets at the music hall speaks with a German accent and was played by Lucie Mannheim, a popular German actress who had recently fled the Nazis. (Though the nationality of the enemy is never names it’s broadly hinted to be Nazi Germany). Wylie Watson seems like he could have been a real “Mr. Memory” type. The budget also shows in the crowd scenes, especially in the opening music hall sequence with “Mr. Memory” and the final scene in the Palladium.Though the plot has a few issues as plots in these kinds of films often do, one simply ignores them when the movie is this good. There is still one apparently big issue for parts of the audience and that is that some people simply have problems with films from the early thirties. This is understandable. When seeing films of this period you have to realize that many technical parts of film making were still being developed. Talking films were still rather new. The sound is thin and tinny and there is little to no background music . The black and white film was high contrast, lacking the more subtle grey shades that made later black and white films look more smooth and glossy. Editing can be a bit abrupt, though this film contains a brilliant edit where a scream fades into a train whistle. Amazon’s streamed version looks terrific.So do expect that the technology is over eighty years old and make a mental adjustment. Then sit back and enjoy an absolutely smashing film.EXTRA NOTE: “Mr. Memory” was based on an actual British entertainer, “Datas, the Memory Man” (William Bottle) who Hitchcock had remembered from his youth.

Great screenplay, great direction, wonderful cast - no matter how many times I see this film, and I've seen it a LOT, I'm always sucked in and must watch straight through to the end. It's a marvelous entertainment, filled with great scenes, and so enjoyable on every level. The Criterion transfer on Blu-ray looks as good as this is going to look. Ignore any reviews that don't pertain to this Blu-ray as they're meaningless. If you've never seen this, you're in for a treat.

This is a classic Hitchcock film, a brilliant thriller in many ways, widely acknowledged as a classic.Sadly, it is presented here on Amazon at the time of this writing in an almost unwatchable, blurry version that looks like a YouTube rip from a badly worn video tape.Amazon, we're paying you money for this content. Some of your presentations are beautiful -- usually on popular piffle. But why do you settle for utterly shabby versions of some of the classics you've licensed? Why not go the extra 3 yards and get an up-to-date, clean, WATCHABLE version of classics like The Thirty-Nine Steps -- an historically important and thoroughly enjoyable film -- when you can actually see it properly.

NO SPOILERS. THIS WAS ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S FIRST BREATHTAKING MASTERPIECE. ROBERT DONAT STARRED AND HE WAS LIKE CARY CRANT, WITH SUCH CHARISMA. A MAN, I.E. DONAT GETS CAUGHT UP IN A AXIS PLOT TO WIN THE WAR AND DONAT IS ACCIDENTALLY PULLED INTO THE PLOT. THE THIRTY NINE STEPS IS A PLAN TO OVERCOME ENGLAND TO WIN THE WAR. BASED ON JOHN BUCHAN AND A SERIES OF ESPIONAGE BOOKS, THIS IS ONE OF HITCHCOCK’S AT HIS FINEST A WONDERFUL TWIST ENDING AND SUSPENSE THROUGHOUT THE MOVIE. A REAL WINNER, DO NOT MISS THIS ONE.

The film so abounds in classic scenes it might almost be said to be comprised entirely of highlights.The fear and isolation of the spy who, like Blanche Dubois, relies on the kindness of strangers, and dies in a service flat in Portland Place.The couple handcuffed together is both funny and very sexy, especially as she removes her stockings, positively Bunuelian, more subtle than Fifty Shades of Grey and equal to The Story of O. 'The ties that bind us, are still around us, there's no escape that I can see'Peggy Ashcroft steals the show, the sadness of her situation is profoundly moving, an entire life in a couple of scenes.The death of Mr Memory, pathetic and still eager to please, forever the conscientious pro.Memorably referred to in Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye'. It was Phoebe's. Holden's sister's favourite film (she always raised her hand up, mirroring the villain revealing his missing finger, even in the darkened cinema), and it is very probably mine too.

You will of course need to make up your own mind whether you like the storyline and appreciate the ability of the actors in this -or indeed any- film, because it's purely a subjective opinion. (For what it's worth, I think it's over-rated and I'd place it somewhere in the lower-middle ranks of the Hitchcock canon - not his worst, but very far from his best).What is less subjective however is the quality of the picture and sound on the DVD. While is black & white picture is grainy, it is acceptable (just), given the age of the film. The sound quality on the other hand is shocking; unless you have perfect hearing, it's almost impossible to tell what some of the characters are saying. And of course there are no subtitles, which makes the problem infinitely worse.In summary, I think it's best to avoid this release, and record it next time it's shown on TV if it's your kind of film.

Widely considered the best pre-Hollywood Alfred Hitchcock film, "39 Steps" regularly appears on the lists of best British movies ever made. For Hitch fans, it is also an essential viewing – to see the roots of so many great flicks directed by the master, which deal with a man against the world, framed and on the run – including "Saboteur" and perhaps the best glamorised espionage thriller of them all, "North By Northwest". Robert Donat and Madeleine Carrol star, coming to terms with a mystery surrounding the organisation "39 Steps", which threatens to overthrown the order in the world. The ominous undertones of the film became menacingly realistic a few years after the film was made, yet the movie retains elements of dry Britsh humour and, improbably, even romance skillfully thrown into the mix, thanks also to the chemistry between the two leads. Brisk in its 82 minutes or so, "39 Steps" bears repeated viewings, as do all best Hitchcock films.

I have had this Hitchcock version first on VHS cassette, then DVD and now Blu Ray as you could say I was a ‘fan’ of sorts as it never ceases to entertain - I also have the other versions with Kenneth More, Robert Powell and the BBC TV version with Rupert Penry-Jones in the starring role of Richard Hannay, so perhaps I could be addicted to this story line! This Blu ray version is very good picture-wise as its been ‘cleaned up’ a bit and far better then the DVD version as the small details are very clear when compared, however.. Like the Blu Ray version of ‘The Dambusters’ I have also reviewed on Amazon, the sad fact is it’s still in its original 4:3 format as in the picture is still the same size-wise with dark ‘borders’ either side of the screen but bearing in mind that lesser well known films that were shot in this format at the time of production, they have now been ‘digitally restored’ and made into wide screen, so its a shame these classics have not had the same process as it would be great to have seen these old, classic films in a wide screen format. Perhaps another time.. For what I have received and enjoyed with more clarity on this Blu Ray format I give it 5 Stars.

classic Hitchcock film from 1935. Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll give terrific performances. moves along at a cracking pace. great picture quality on this Blu-ray from ITV studios. Special features : audio commentary/documentary Hitchcock the early years/Lux radio show feature/stills gallery: on set photography posters and publicity. with the film running at 86 minutes and the extras 100 minutes. a great Blu-ray for this Hitchcock classic. Note : make sure you listen to the audio commentary.