Customer Reviews

The 39 Steps (Enhanced Edition) - 1935

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is a wonderful movie, one of Hitchcock's best if you like vintage B&W flicks. The acting is superb, and it has an ample share of Hitchcockian humor.

But this particular version is the WORST digitization of a move I have ever seen. The images are muddy at best, and there is obvious and annoying digital noise visible throughout the movie.

By all means, buy the movie.

But don't buy this dog by Triad.

The sound sync is off, and the video transfer is one of the worst I've ever seen. I have bargain bin VHS versions of "The 39 Steps" that put this POS to shame. The disclaimer that 'This Collectors Edition has been digitally restored to improve picture and sound quality WITHOUT DEGRADING THE LOOK AND FEEL of this historic example of early cinema.' should be read as 'we didn't try very hard to correct the overexposed look of the crappy film stock we were using, and hope you'll excuse the missing film bits and the muffled sound track.'

Product was advertised as digitally remastered. However, upon viewing the DVD was almost completely defective. Plenty of freeze frames, jumps and scrambling. Very poor quality...must be a "knockoff" from China!! Needless to say, this DVD will be returned. Pass on this one!!

This is a classic Hitchcock suspense movie but the sound is mushy and the visual quality isn't much better, I had hoped for better.

As one of Alfred Hitchcock's best films, The 39 Steps keeps your attention from the first minute.

THE 39 STEPS was one of Hitchcock's first films to be a genuine success--and it's just as entertaining today as it probably was when it was first released. For the first time, Hitchcock employs the theme of the "wrong man" on the run not only from spies, but also from the police (which explains why he cannot go to them for help). In this case, Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) becomes involved with a secret agent who spends the night with him and then winds up dead. Hannay soon finds himself on the run from other spies who think he knows too much and want him dead. Eventually, he finds himself handcuffed to Pamela (Madeliene Carroll), a young blonde who, in typical Hollywood fasion, fumes at him for most of the picture before they both realize that they're in love. THE 39 STEPS provides consistent entertainment as it zips frantically from one scenario to the next--just as Hannay gets out of one trap, he falls into another. (The most fascinating "episode" in the film occurs when Hannay spends the night at a farm in the Scottish countryside with a sternly religious farmer and his wife.) It is certainly the best of Hitchcock's "on the run" films; THE 39 STEPS is short, suspenseful (but never really frightening), at times drilly funny, and even romantic.

I was looking forward to a clean enhanced digital copy of my favorite Hitchcock movie. I have 20 year old VHS copies with a better picture than this DVD. As far as I can tell the only thing enhanced, is that they zoomed in on the movie to fill a wide screen. In doing so, the picture is pixalized/fuzzy, and the audio is poor. I do not suggest you buy this DVD.
Dave

This DVD is the worst quality of any DVD I have seen. It is unviewable. I have $1 DVDs that are better quality. Amazon should never have allowed this DVD into their warehouse let alone sell it. Is there NO product controll at Amazon? Fortunately TCM ran the movie recently and the quality was very good, so I know a good copy is out there somewhere, just not at Amazon.

I absolutely love this movie,it holds your attention all the way.Great story great acting I only have one complaint VERY POOR QUALITY picture....I could hardly see especially the night sceans most dissapointing.I'll have to wait until it comes on TV to watch it again.A sad customer.

I have been a fan of Hitchcock for several years and as a student and LOVER of cinema, alot of his work is required watching.

I was going to purchase the more expensive Criterion version because of the reviews and comments but since I was more than likely going to watch this only once and it came with Jamaica Inn, I went with this one. I also noticed that it was made using DVD-R recordable media so I was a bit apprehensive about that. All in all I am pleased. The DVD-R worked fine and the quality is in line with the price and the comparable products. I would say if you are a collector and don't mind spending the $[...] bucks for this and $[...] bucks for Jamaica Inn than Criterion and Kino are the versions for you but if you are looking for a modestly priced alternative than you won't be dissatisfied.

The 39 Steps is by no means the best Hitchcock film ever made...But is is the best spy film that he has made. The movie follows a man on vacation that gets caught up in a murder. He teams up with Madeleine Carrol's character and has to avoid the cops while trying to solve the murder and prove that he is innocent. The only clue he has to go on is the phrase uttered by the women who is shot in the beginning of the film..."The 39 Steps". This is a well paced film with cinematography playing an important role as in any Alfred Hitchcock film.

Hithcock adapts a famous novel by writer Daphine Du Murier in the classic Jamaica Inn. Maureen O'Hara stars as Mary who has to move in with her Aunt at the Jamaica Inn after her parents are killed tragically. The Jamaica Inn is the hideout for a gang of pirate smugglers ran by Charles Laughton's character Sir Humphrey. The pirates lure ships close to land and after they crash, they loot them for their valuables. The ending is great.