This was the third Hitchcock film I saw (after Rear Window and Psycho), and I must say this is the one that really got me started on my admiration of the man's films. It made me realize that Hitchock made some excellent films before he went to Hollywood, and I'm now trying to view as many as possible.
The 39 Steps is fun, inventive and probably a pioneer of the spy-thriller movie. The dashing Robert Donat stars as Hannay, an innocent man wanted for murder after a mysterious woman (Calling herself 'Smith' and saying she is a secret agent)that he picks up at the Music Hall (they are watching a performance by Mr Memory, one of Hitchcock's classic eccentric characters)is murdered in his home by agents of 'The 39 Steps'.
On a classic run from the police, Hannay encounters one of Hitchcock's typically lovely blonde's, in the form of Madeleine Carroll as Pamela. She gets caught up in this web of intrigue, as the story flows on and reveals the puzzle of The 39 Steps.
Great suspense techniques at work here. You can tell Hitchcock had a lot of fun with this one, and the audience does too- it's witty, it's clever and it's a fairly ahead-of-it's-times 30's film. It's got a touch of sexiness in it that other films of the time lack (probably because of the Production Code in Hollywood at that time restricting any 'naughtiness'- that's why Hitchcock got to be slightly cheeky in his early British films!) Hooray Hitchcock!
The 39 Steps is fun, inventive and probably a pioneer of the spy-thriller movie. The dashing Robert Donat stars as Hannay, an innocent man wanted for murder after a mysterious woman (Calling herself 'Smith' and saying she is a secret agent)that he picks up at the Music Hall (they are watching a performance by Mr Memory, one of Hitchcock's classic eccentric characters)is murdered in his home by agents of 'The 39 Steps'.
On a classic run from the police, Hannay encounters one of Hitchcock's typically lovely blonde's, in the form of Madeleine Carroll as Pamela. She gets caught up in this web of intrigue, as the story flows on and reveals the puzzle of The 39 Steps.
Great suspense techniques at work here. You can tell Hitchcock had a lot of fun with this one, and the audience does too- it's witty, it's clever and it's a fairly ahead-of-it's-times 30's film. It's got a touch of sexiness in it that other films of the time lack (probably because of the Production Code in Hollywood at that time restricting any 'naughtiness'- that's why Hitchcock got to be slightly cheeky in his early British films!) Hooray Hitchcock!