Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Laikals The greatest movie ever made..!

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

ElMaruecan82 M-U-S-I-C-H-A-L-L. Letters light up, one after another... Hitchcock is literally spelling out the word for us like a ringmaster who wants to get his audience's attention. Or the God of filmmaker who after years of experimentation could finally say "let there be light". So light appeared. And a jingle started. And another ringmaster presented to a warmed up audience "Mr. Memory": a man whose brain memorize information like data in a computer. You've got to admire the sarcastic (and quite realistic) way his talent is welcomed by the unimpressed crowd, many quips and witty questions highlight the talent of the screenwriters more than Memory's intellectual power... but it also foreshadows one of the film's fundamental theme: serious people not being taken seriously.As a matter of fact, all the fundamentals of a Hitchcock classic inhabit "The 39 Steps". What else can you say you about the tale of a gentleman caught mistaken for a murderer and forced to escape from the Police in order to prove his innocence and prevent some security secrets from being stolen by a spy organization and meanwhile handcuffed to a blonde woman. The film might be the adaptation of an early century novel from John Buchan, but Hitchcock made it HIS baby. More than any director, he knew that filmmaking wasn't an innocent art and had to draw its audience by tickling the most shameful instincts, his first film opened with 'respectable' smoking-clad men lustfully drooling over sexy dancers, that said all. And the plot here is set when a mysterious but pretty woman invites herself to a man's apartment, she does act suspiciously but is there a single man fool enough not to let a beautiful woman (or any kind of women actually) in his house? Hitchcock was an expert when it came to gray areas, he identified a thin line between the movie experience and voyeurism, but his greatest invention was the "mistaken identity". When he wanted to cast Ivor Novello as a bad guy for "The Lodger", the studios refused in order to protect his matinee idol image. And then he resourcefully made him a good man mistaken for a villain, one of his most popular trademarks. Before Hitchcock, cops and killers were belonging to separate worlds, Hitch conceived characters deprived of that element of obviousness, even villains could start as good guys.And there were good villains all right in his previous movies, Peter Lorre was simply superb in "The Man Who Knew Too Much" but does anyone remember Leslie Banks? Hitchcock knew audience wasn't interested in "boring hero" prototypes and by casting Robert Donat as Hannay, suave wisecracking but determined gentleman, he invented the type of protagonist Cary Grant would be a delight to watch play. Donat's handsomeness isn't just eye-candy, it makes sense in the first scene (an ugly man would have been more suspicious if he was approached by Lucy Mannheim) and creates a wonderful misunderstanding in the prayer scene with Peggy Ashcroft. That scene alone shows how Hitchcock can do so much with economical efforts, the grouchy peasant (John Laurie) is reciting a prayer and Hannay looks at a newspaper front-page saying he's wanted by the Police. The wife notices it and looks at him scared, he tries to reassures her and the husband take their stares as flirtation. Not only Hitchcock is a master of silent verbalism but he also allows supporting characters irrelevant to the plot shine and give us glimpses of their lives little. The same goes with the couple of innkeepers. The plot matters but it doesn't matter at the expense of details.And that's the Hitchcock mark, he's perhaps the first director to have audience think "that's typical Hitchcock" (like the wonderful moment where a corpse is discovered) and it's precisely because he created that bond with the audience that he could get away with a few implausible things, for the sake of thrills and fun, like a Tintin adventure. Hitch was a pragmatic director who knew his priorities. Still, the contrivance from the novel that he fixed was the one that made Hannay jump in the lion's den, in the film it wasn't a coincidence and done in a simple and effective (and wickedly funny) way.Escapism is the key to understand Hitchcock, who had a unique flair for the ways to arouse audience. One of his most notable inventions here is the use of the McGuffin: the plot device that drives the story while being irrelevant, we never know the object but we know the stakes and that's enough. And so much for plausibility, Hitchcock employs the McGuffin all along without being enslaved to it. His attention is in the mix of tricks, thrills and fun, not to mention the naughty stuff. So if the plot allows him to create new archetypes such as the villain with a notable physical trait (or lack of), there was also the character wonderfully played by Madeleine Carroll, the seminal icy sophisticated blonde. Hitch was a man of paradox and loved women who played it cool, who resisted, yet who were full of sensuality. Carroll is handcuffed with Donat at some point and they must pretend to be a couple, in one of the most memorable scenes, she must take her stocking off while her partner's hand is almost touching her knees. There was no Code Hays in Britain but look how Hitch pretends the focus is on the way the stockings will be taken off without the man's hand touching the leg, while most viewers will rather watch her beautiful legs. It's pure sexual tension in delightful 30's fashion, not to mention the fun parallel between marriage and imprisonment.In fact, what makes "The 39 Steps" so fresh is how Hitch never ceases to surprise you step by step, and just when you think it will all lead to some spectacular climax on the top of the 39th one, you realize that all along you were climbing on the Penrose Stairs.

leethomas-11621 Some good scenes. Effects typical of Hitchcock. Look out for Peggy Ashcroft and John Laurie (Dad's Army) as isolated Scottish couple. And was that Hitch himself as the theatre manager late in the movie? I could never warm to Donat though. That plummy voice that sounds like a croaky old man's has always irritated me. His popularity (including an Oscar) puzzles me. Almost no score (besides music hall) which is very effective but unusual for Hitchcock who so often used Bernard Herrman.

poetcomic1 Two of the most beautiful shots in all of 30's cinema. Firstly, just before Annabella staggers in dying a nightmarish and eerie shot of an open window, the draperies blowing and a nude male bronze figure perfectly poised to attack with a sword. It never fails to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.The other shot and one of the most beautiful shots in world cinema, is the death of Mr. Memory as a line kicking chorus girls in diminishing perspective stretch down the middle of the shot, brilliantly lit, the raucous music hall music blaring away. I must have rewatched this scene a 100 times.Hitchcock and Fellini both shared a love for variety shows and music halls as they knew them in their youth. The opening scene is full of character and life and humor. ("How do you cure pip in chickens?") Peggy Ashcroft's small, intense role as the crofter's wife was exquisite and so sad. She had the most expressive face and eyes.I love all the wonderful things about this film that everyone else does but thought I would just mention a few very, very special moments that mean a lot to me.

Chris Allen When watching a black and white film in the modern day it's easy to overlook subtle aspects which would've made it stand out for its time. "The 39 Steps" has all the hallmarks of a classic Hitchcock escapade with the addition of some of the most innovative cinematography ever. The smooth panning, cut-away shots, and smart camera angles are techniques which are revered even today; Hitchcock made the most of the sterile B&W format by prioritising cinematography to create a tense, gripping story. The main flaw with this adaptation is its divergence from the book - several significant points, such as the nature of the 39 steps and the inclusion of a female lead (Madeleine Carroll), were altered to make the film more exciting. If - like me - you haven't read the book, however, this isn't an impediment to the story at all. Surprisingly for an early film, the pace of the narrative is exactly right, never once moving too quickly (as many short 30s films have a tendency to do). Comic elements are blended seamlessly with tense sequences, emphasising Hanney's peril rather than undermining it. A strong sense of realism pervades the action, making the story even more beguiling. All the acting performances are sublime, but the real star of the film is the Scottish Highland backdrop, bleak and beautiful even in black and white. A sparse yet emotive score builds tension at key points; the dialogue is as sharp as in any Hitchcock thriller. The ultimate test of a classic film is if it can still be as entertaining as it was on its day of release, and "The 39 Steps" fulfils that category perfectly. It remains an excellent, amusing thriller which twists and turns right to the end, and will hopefully continue to delight audiences throughout the ages.