The 39 Steps

Nearly every era in Hitchcock's directing career has incredible strengths. When we view a later film like "North by Northwest" we are tempted to say that "The 39 Steps" is simply a training film for the bigger budget, star studded... Full review

Alfred Hitchcock followed up his first international success, The Man Who Knew Too Much with an even better film, The Thirty Nine Steps. Hitchcock must have had a particular fondness for this film because I see elements of it North... Full review

If what you want from a thriller is in-yer-face mugging, special effects, noise, a booming soundtrack, gore, nudity and flashy editing, this one is not for you.However if you are a more discerning moviegoer who values a great script, exquisite... Full review

Most people associate Hitchcock with suspense but he was also a master of dark comedy. "The 39 Steps" illustrates his ability to blend the two genres into a movie that works well on both levels. If he had turned up... Full review

Film history was made in 1935 when Alfred Hitchcock, who was at the time an active but little known and somewhat run of the mill film director, received a contract to create a low budget potboiler type spy thriller, and... Full review

Movies are not like fine wines. Most of them, even most very good movies, do not improve with age. Some screen classics are barely watchable today. "The Women" and "Stage Door" are maudlin weepfests, "Birth Of A Nation" and "Gone... Full review

The Thirty Nine Steps is extraordinary in every conceivabe way. Anyone who doesn't mind slightly old, black-and-white movies will be enraptured by this Hitchcock classic, which was one of the first films to present sophisticated and witty banter between two... Full review

Trust and betrayal have been a recurrent theme in several of Alfred Hitchcock's works. The 39 Steps, made in 1935, has the all the classic elements of the master filmmaker that set the standard for later Hitchcock films. The 39... Full review

While I personally prefer Hitchcock's darker, more troubling movies, especially 'Vertigo' and 'Psycho', as far as his straightforward thrillers go 'The 39 Steps' is still one of his most entertaining. The man on the run because of false accusations or... Full review

One of the most enjoyable Hitchcock thrillers.Still as good after repeated viewing.Robert Donat stars as the innocent man with a murder charge on his head and accidently mixed up in a spy story.Trying to expose a spy-ring and clear his... Full review

The 39 Steps is most notable for the beginning of many Hitchcock styles and themes, from trick shots and superimpositions, to themes like the police that can't be trusted, and also his love of cool blondes. The 39 Steps is exciting, funny, and still an all-around good time at the movies over 65 years later. ... Full Review

Unless you were lucky enough to see Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" during its original 1935 release, you've probably never seen it as gorgeously presented as it is on Criterion's DVD. The extras are fun, but the biggest treats are the restored images and sound, which surpass even Criterion's release of the film on laser disc. ... Full Review

Madeleine Carroll is lovely, and a perfect foil for Hannay, rightly not believing him. The sound is actually pretty good for this period of film, and the pace is just as quick as any film released today. ... Full Review

The plot line, about an ordinary, innocent bystander getting caught up in extraordinarily harrowing circumstances, is standard Hitchcock territory, a theme the director pursued again and again. The film was remade two more times, in 1959 and 1978, the latter fairly successfully, but neither remake would match Hitchcock's rendition for suspense or humor. ... Full Review

It´s no mere coincidence that he bears a striking resemblance to Robert Donat in "The 39 Steps. In both cases Hitchcock uses a closing shot of the victims that remains grotesquely in memory. ... Full Review

Toronto Canadian actor Jeffrey Kuhn is set to join the Broadway cast of The 39 Steps , the stage adaptation of the John Buchan book and Alfred Hitchcock movie. ... Full Article

Among Hitchcock's finest films, and certainly top among his British productions, The 39 Steps not only introduced elements to John Buchan's classic adventure story that would be reiterated in subsequent adaptations, it also consolidated many factors that would become staples... ... Full Article

Alfred Hitchcock, UK, 1935, 81 minutes Richard Hannay (Robed Donat) unwittingly becomes involved in preventing a national secret from falling into the wrong hands. A murder takes place in his flat and to prove his innocence Hannay must find a... ... Full Article

In addition to mixing some Monty Python into its Hitchcock, Barlows play is a stripped-down affair, utilizing just four actors in more than 100 roles. ... Full Article