I noticed one big flaw. The two guys waiting outside managed to magic a knife into her back while she was inside. Now if they were in there and they wanted to kill the guy, as they did, why wouldn't they finish the job instead of running back outside to wait for him to come out?
With the exception of the magic knife at the beginning, it's a wonderful Hitchcock classic and serves as the herald of things to come in Hitchcock's young career at that point. The way that Hitchcock weaves the plot around the suspense is fantastic and it yields to a wonderful conclusion of the movie that brings us full circle. It's years ahead of its time and if you have the opportunity try to feast your eyes on the Criterion remastered version.
The 39 Steps is pretty typical of Alfred Hitchcock's British period, with its higher proportion of (non-macabre) humor mixed in with thriller elements (the tone at times reminded me of The Lady Vanishes, for example). In this spy story, Robert Donat plays a man who by chance meets a spy. She is soon killed, but not before handing him her mission, vital to the United Kingdom's security. And then he's off to Scotland to carry it out, while simultaneously on the run from the authorities who think him her killer. There's practically a twist or reversal every few minutes from there, plenty of interesting characters along the way, and even a maverick shot or two. Flying by the seat of its pants, the movie almost feels like a serial that's been compressed into a single film, and a good one at that. I'm not entirely onboard with the way the climax is resolved, but it at least rewards the viewer's attention and makes sense of things that didn't seem all that relevant earlier on. In The 39 Steps, we definitely see some Hitchcock's mannerisms and obsessions taking shape.
The movie was kind of so-so until Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll become a duo at odds. Their onscreen chemistry really carried the movie to being above average, and I wish her role had a stronger presence earlier on in the film because it could have very well been a Hitch classic as a result. Missed the mark a little, but the strong second half will leave a favorable impression in the long run.
@Timec: I just saw it and, yes, I totally agree. I don't see what's with the people here calling it an average movie. They mustn't have watched many movies from the 30s/40s to call this average.
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Public Enemy
I noticed one big flaw. The two guys waiting outside managed to magic a knife into her back while she was inside. Now if they were in there and they wanted to kill the guy, as they did, why wouldn't they finish the job instead of running back outside to wait for him to come out?Timec
One of Hitchcock's very greatest. Very witty and endlessly entertaining, with a perfect combination of humor and thrills.wilyhawk
Maybe the men on the street threw the knife up and into an open window where it landed in the back of the lady? lolDisneyStitch
With the exception of the magic knife at the beginning, it's a wonderful Hitchcock classic and serves as the herald of things to come in Hitchcock's young career at that point. The way that Hitchcock weaves the plot around the suspense is fantastic and it yields to a wonderful conclusion of the movie that brings us full circle. It's years ahead of its time and if you have the opportunity try to feast your eyes on the Criterion remastered version.Siskoid
The 39 Steps is pretty typical of Alfred Hitchcock's British period, with its higher proportion of (non-macabre) humor mixed in with thriller elements (the tone at times reminded me of The Lady Vanishes, for example). In this spy story, Robert Donat plays a man who by chance meets a spy. She is soon killed, but not before handing him her mission, vital to the United Kingdom's security. And then he's off to Scotland to carry it out, while simultaneously on the run from the authorities who think him her killer. There's practically a twist or reversal every few minutes from there, plenty of interesting characters along the way, and even a maverick shot or two. Flying by the seat of its pants, the movie almost feels like a serial that's been compressed into a single film, and a good one at that. I'm not entirely onboard with the way the climax is resolved, but it at least rewards the viewer's attention and makes sense of things that didn't seem all that relevant earlier on. In The 39 Steps, we definitely see some Hitchcock's mannerisms and obsessions taking shape.Gilles Debil
@public enemy:topichtennis
The magic knife did bother me for a bit, but Donat won me over in the long run. A good, but not great Hitchcock.Ibetolis
Yeah. It rocks. Robert Donat's finest hour.TheLastStop41
The movie was kind of so-so until Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll become a duo at odds. Their onscreen chemistry really carried the movie to being above average, and I wish her role had a stronger presence earlier on in the film because it could have very well been a Hitch classic as a result. Missed the mark a little, but the strong second half will leave a favorable impression in the long run.Darkness_prevails
Good movie overall. I found the ending too abrupt for my tastes though. Other than that it's typical hitchcock. Which is always a good thingBig A2
@Timec: I just saw it and, yes, I totally agree. I don't see what's with the people here calling it an average movie. They mustn't have watched many movies from the 30s/40s to call this average.browniemcfi
I absolutely loved this film even if there were a few inconsistencies such as women's murder etc, Robert Donat is great as Hannay!Tallamar
https://archive.org/details/the39steps_ipodrafalopez2008
(removed by mod: please post in English)StigAnder
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