Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Aiden Melton The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

jotix100 "The Thirty Nine Steps", the spy novel by John Buchan, has been adapted for the screen three times. The most famous one being the 1935 version by Alfred Hitchcock which still remains an old favorite by most viewers. The 1959 remake directed by Ralph Thomas was a vehicle for its star, Kenneth Moore. We were intrigued when the Don Sharp 1978 film version when it showed up on a classic channel not long ago.Not having read the novel, we cannot, in all honesty, make an objective assessment of how close to the written page the latest remake is, but we were pleasantly surprised by what Mr. Sharp was able to accomplish. The adaptation was written by Michael Robson. The action used a lot of well known backgrounds. The best of these is the one that takes place in the last sequence of the film in which we are taken inside Big Ben where Hannay, having solved the mystery, goes after the Prussian spies.Robert Powell was effective in his characterization of Hannay, the South African engineer that is drawn, against his will, to be at the center of a manhunt for something he never did. The cast was excellent. John Mills, Eric Porter, David Warner, Donald Pickering, Ronald Pickup, and Karen Dotrice, among them. John Coquillon was the cinematographer and the musical score was created by Ed Welch. Don Sharp's entertaining take on this classic is worth a look.

Ken Roberts This version of The Thirty Nine Steps is the best of the lot. It is truly a pity that it has been totally overshadowed by the earlier Hitchcock version, which comes across somewhat stark and dingy in comparison.The Rank Productions version with Robert Powell keeps the suspense moving throughout, and the ending is a cliffhanger in the best tradition of the genre.I have looked for a copy of this for years, and have yet to find it released here. I am saddened that this version has never been released on DVD (at least not in the USA) and wish it was given its due, especially considering all the drivel that is released on a daily basis. This is one older movie that deserves better exposure, and credit, than it has.

Martin Bradley This is about as far removed from the Hitchcock version as you could imagine. For starters, instead of a beautiful female spy you get John Mills, (though his demise with a knife in his back in the arms of the hero in a public place might be taken as a tribute to "North by Northwest"; it's even got Hannay menaced by a plane on a lonely moor). It is, in fact, a reasonably faithful rendition of the book where Hitchcock's was a fanciful re-imagining, (and a good deal more fun), but it's no disgrace. Indeed as a Boy's Own Adventure it's thoroughly enjoyable; a Ripping Yarn in fact, with a splendid cast of British character actors, good use of locations and a spiffing climax involving Big Ben.Robert Powell's Hannay is considerably more po-faced than Robert Donat's, (he's too stiff to be a proper action hero), and comes over as a bit of a boor. Still, you wish him well and are happy to perch close to the edge of your seat as he dodges both the police and the dastardly Huns as he attempts to clear his name. Love interest, for what it's worth, is provided by Karen Dotrice, and whose character is an amalgam of Peggy Ashcroft's and Madeline Carrol's, but this is a film in which soppy girls needn't bother us; the heroes and villains keep it ticking along nicely.

Geoff This is a dated and rather corny remake of one of Alfred Hitchcock's finest films. The plot is preposterous, Hannay for example jumps the London to Scotland train to avoid the police somewhere across the border and is within minutes tracked by his enemies, this despite being set in the 1st world war period when transport was severely limited. The music soundtrack is bombastic and over-egged ( I thought I was watching a 70's ITV drama serial,) but typical of British films in the 70's.The characterisation is either stereotyped or totally lacking in emotion. David the fiancé of the female lead is murdered and she shows no sign of mouning or trauma smiling at her new love Hannay over a "cup of breakfast tea" Robert Powell was a matinée idol and this vehicle was all abhout showcasing him and taking advantage of his then UK popularity.End scene at Big Ben is the signature moment and is spectacular. The best past of this below par work.