On # List of Movie Reviews

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)


The 39 Steps (1935)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 4/05, 5/07, 12/13, 4/17

39s
4/05: The most definitive Hitchcock picture made, The 39 Steps is the gold standard that many in the espionage genre have failed to match.

Lucie Mannheim sets the tone as soon as her character is knifed to death. The handsome Mr. Hannay, who's adroitly played by Robert Donat, is off running along with the charming Madeleine Carroll. Their pairing is a delight to watch, and the mystery is deeply intriguing as it reaches toward the climax which clarifies the need to frame Hannay, ultimately pinning the murder on him.

All in all, the formula that's been repeated in nearly all Hitchcock films after 1935 is the original in The 39 Steps.

5/07: The 39 Steps is a brilliant towering classic and the quintessential Hitchcockian picture.

Robert Donat is marvelous by the way he moves, speaks, and handles problems, and Madeleine Carroll's transformation from the unbeliever to the believer is remarkable.

All in all, The 39 Steps is the greatest picture ever made by Alfred Hitchcock.

12/13: The 39 Steps is bar none perfect.

5/17: Alfred Hitchcock's formula can be readily found in The 39 Steps, having been repeated endlessly during the rest of his career.

It's why I sometimes view him as a one-dimensional director. Robert Donat has never been better, and Lucie Mannheim should've gotten credit for setting the tone. However, I find Madeleine Carroll annoying most of the time.

All in all, The 39 Steps is the best film Alfred Hitchcock had ever directed.