Customer Reviews

The 39 Steps

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Diplomat, intelligence officer, and adventure writer John Buchan's superb 1915 thriller "The 39 Steps" has been recreated several times on the big and small screens, most famously in Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 movie. The 2008 BBC production is now available on DVD. It stars Rupert Penry-Jones, familiar to PBS fans as Captain Wentworth in 2007's "Persuasion", as Richard Hannay, a resourceful Scottish mining engineer just returned from South Africa to the United Kingdom in 1914, as tensions rise with an aggressive Imperial Germany.

At loose ends, Hannay encounters a British Secret Service agent on the run, who imparts a notebook full of coded messages before being murdered in Hannay's London apartment. Sought by the police and the mysterious men who framed him, Hannay flees to Scotland. There, he manages to decode enough of the notebook to realize a deadly foreign conspiracy is afoot against Britain, and sets out to expose the conspirators and clear himself.

The story features a complicated espionage plot, some terrific location shooting in Scotland, an exciting action sequence involving a biplane (reminiscent of "North By Northwest"), and an unlikely but charming romance with a fiesty suffragette named Victoria Sinclair (Lydia Leonard).

This version of "The 39 Steps" is loosely based on the John Buchan original, as re-imagined by screenwriter Lizzie Mickery. It includes some new story elements, such as a two-part ending and Hannay's relationship with Victoria Sinclair. Viewer opinions may well depend on their attachment to earlier versions. This reviewer suggests enjoying "The 39 Steps" on its own terms for best results.

THE 39 STEPS is one classy movie! There are few who can pull off this mixture of humor, suspense, intrigue, and subterfuge the way the best of the British films can. Lizzie Mickery's screenplay adaptation of John Buchan's novel tosses in a few unexpected ingredients and makes this early 1900s story blossom with suspense, hilarity, derring-do, and wonderful one-liners. Director James Hawes paces the film so that there is never a dull moment in this chase toward staving off Germany's entry into England in 1914. The acting is first rate and the cinematography (abetted by the beauty of Scotland) is sumptuous.

The story is both simple and complex - simple in that it is a case of British gentleman Richard Hannay (Rupert Penry-Jones) falling upon an intruder (a spy who is murdered after passing a secret booklet containing codes regarding German information about meetings and proposed invasions in Richard's hands) who begins his moments of chase and intrigue as he attempts to save Britain from war. Complex as along the way he encounters a suffragette Victoria Sinclair (Lydia Leonard) and her brother Hellory (Patrick Kennedy) and uncle Sir George (David Haig) all of whom play an integral part in the caper of the story. The entire cast of German spies and British counterparts is excellent and the story moves along with sufficient twists and turns (and a touch of romance) until a rather surprise ending.

Part of the joy of these British whodunnits is the elegance of the language and the manner in which the story unfolds - with just enough escapes and frightful incidents balanced by smart dialogue. Rupert Penry-Jones is a first class actor whose reputation should be assured with this film. Highly Recommended for those rainy nights at home...Grady Harp, March 10

Having seen and loved (and owning) Hitchcock's masterful 1935 version I wasn't sure that this was going to be all that. Happily I can write that this is all that and more. Covering the plight of one Richard Hannay, a Mining Engineer back in London from Africa on the eve of World War One and voice-overing that his life is just too dull. In one of those "watch what you wish for" deals, he's within minutes on the run from both the police who think he murdered the freelance spy who invaded his apartment asking for help and the German spies determined to get the notebook said spy left on him.

The film does have nods to Hitch's original: the milkman (in a delightful twist), the servant girl charmed by our man Hannay, new play on "Mr Memory" and a great nod to both "North by Northwest" and the helicopter scene in the original with an armed bi-plane. If you want to be didactic then there are some inaccuracies: most of the cars used are later than the period. But in this case I say get over it and enjoy the twists on both the book and the Hitchcock version. Heck, get both and have a double feature!

It's hard not to bring up Hitchcock's adaptation, and I think any comparison to that 1935 classic simply sinks this 2008 BBC-produced rendition. But this new one still makes use of John Buchan's 1915 spy thriller as its backbone, although, again, certain liberties are taken. Rupert Penry-Jones is quite good as the lead character. He does that dashing, charming thing really well and he even almost makes that stereotypical British restraint seem like fun. There are chases and narrow escapes and espionage intrigue. There's a dose of stiff upper lip derring-do and a spirited romance. And I'm still not trying to bring up Hitchcock's adaptation.

1914 finds British newspapers ominously hinting of a looming global war. It also finds Richard Hannay back home but quite fed up with England, or at least its dull, stuffy London men's club. But then intrigue surfaces in the shape of a fearful "freelance agent" (read: spy) who bursts into Hannay's room claiming that two German operatives are closing in from the outside. Hannay is incredulous, that is until the spy is fatally shot, prompting Hannay to go on the run, framed for the muder. But Hannay gets ahold of the flick's McGuffin, an enigmatic code book desperately sought by the villains. Top secret British military plans are compromised. The fate of England is at stake. A network of sinister enemy spies is operating on English soil. And Richard Hannay isn't bored anymore. Especially when the sexy, outspoken suffragette enters the picture.

As mentioned, Rupert Penry-Jones is very serviceable as the resourceful hero, and there's a spark between him and the fiery Lydia Leonard, with whom he shares caustic banter that sometimes feels very screwball. This Hannay manages to also come up with quick-thinking ploys to get out of several sticky situations, including one which involves the pulling of a little girl's hair. Still, Hannay does get thrown for a loop late in the game. We're fairly certain he'll adapt.

Danger lurking in the bucolic Scottish countryside. Hannay's ad-libbed speech at the meeting hall. A cozy evening spent at the inn, sans handcuffs. These are all familiar (and even welcome) elements. Okay, I didn't think much of the film's muddled climax and that very final scene or the unoriginal bi-plane attack. And, dammit, for some reason I do miss Mr. Memory ("Am I right, sir?"). But, in spite of all that, and because the wildly captivating "innocent man on the run" premise comes thru intact, this iteration of THE 39 STEPS is quite watchable. I tuned in initially because I really liked all five of John Buchan's Richard Hannay thrillers (six, if you count THE COURTS OF THE MORNING), and I guess I'll always tune in for whichever cinematic adaptation graces the screen. There's nothing quite like polite, well-behaved Englishmen being ripped out of their staid environs and put thru the wringer. Richard Hannay isn't quite James Bond. Hannay is more relatable, more human, and more my kind of hero.

As a bonus, the DVD also features an amusing and witty advertisement for BBC America ("Hello there, and welcome to this DVD from BBC Video which you have either bought, borrowed, or stolen."). Other networks raring to hook in future viewers should take a peek at this ad, because that's how it's done.

This is a very good "remake" of the original classic Hitchcock thriller. It strays from the original storyline with several plot changes which only add to the enjoyment and interest of the story and actually improve on the original storyline. All the casting is well done. In particular, real chemistry appears between the two romantic leads who are well acted. However, the movie is almost spoiled by the ending. It simply needed a happy ending to finish what was until then a very entertaining movie.

PBS without too much fanfare presented on Masterpiece Classic Theatre February 28, 2010, THE 39 STEPS...the quintessential spy novella by John Buchan. STEPS is set in pre-WWI England and is the first Buchan novel featuring Richard Hannay, a British Everyman, a mining engineer by trade. Bored by England and ready to return to South Africa, Hannay discovers a corpse and a crytic notebook in his sitting room. Intrigued by the plot of this vintage tale, I decided to read the original and do further research. Here are my notes:

Hello everybody! I'm anxiously awaiting the 2008 BBC production of THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS on PBS Masterpiece Classic Theatre this spring. To prepare for this momentous occasion, I am reading the definitive Oxford World's Classics edition of Buchan's spy novella. And I also have Hitchcock's 1935 film of Buchan's book to watch.

The Oxford World's Classic edition contains the short novel along with a fascinating introduction by Christopher Harvie with bottom-of-the-page notes, three pages of Selected Bibliography, A Chronology of John Buchan's major writings (he wrote 130 books and contributed significantly to another 150!), and 111 explanatory notes at the back of the paperback.

Buchan's biographer Janet Adam Smith discusses the films (in notes to the Harvie introduction in the Oxford Classic edition): "The first film adaptation was by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935, with Robert Donat as Hannay and dialogue by Ian Hay... It is still very watchable; more than can be said of its successors. Ralph Thomas made a version with Kenneth More in 1960, of which Halliwell's Film Guide comments that it was "practically a manual on how not to make a thriller"; the 1978 version, directed by Don Sharp and starring Robert Powell, was set in 1914, the only point at which its plot coincided with Buchan's book."

Harvie also relates a bit of literary trivia: a comment by the British Weekly, the maker-and-breaker of literary reputations, in its July 1, 1915 review:

We have everything here that can be wished---an excellent cipher story, with one or two points of novelty, a murder, a big subterranean business, a flight in a stolen motor-car, a monoplane floating with deadly intent, a Radical candidate, and all the rest. Not all the rest, for the woman has not yet appeared on the scene. But nobody must miss the tale.

The British Weekly had a while to wait for the woman to appear. No prominent woman appears in the book and Hitchcock had only two minor female characters in his film.

Wonder what PBS will do?

this is a re-make of the Hitchcock film "39 Steps". Since this is a BBC production, you know the quality will be good, and this re-make is no exception. The story involves a man wrongly accused of treason, and he must deliver some information to clear his name.

The plot moves along at a good pace, and I liked the romantic chemistry between the two leads (Rupert Penry-Jones & Lydia Leonard). Great acting.

The setting is pre WWI, and the production design was very believable; with the cars, trains, and clothing "feeling" just like 1914 (it's like you stepped back in time).

* recommending viewing *

It's the eve of World War I and the world will never be the same. The British public is going about its daily routine unaware of what the years ahead will bring. Enter mining engineer Richard Hannay who unwittingly becomes involved in a life and death struggle espionage thriller.
The action begins immediately as a spy with vital information is murdered in Hannay's apartment. Hannay is the obvious suspect and he is soon on the run with a mysterious notebook handed to him by the spy. German agents are planning a surprise attack somewhere in the UK. Only Hannay can prevent it.
Hannay ends up in Scotland where he meets a feisty suffragette named Victoria who is soon involved in his escapades.
This BBC production is pure fun and entertainment. Action, romance and suspense fill the story. Hannay and Victoria are constantly trying to outrun the police and the German spies. The setting is lush and beautiful. The gorgeous Scottish countryside is a gem. The 1914 cars, clothes and setting are a delightful step back in time.
There is a quick reference to "39 Steps" that gave the original book and movies their name. I thought those steps would be more important in the story but it really is a trivial, barely mentioned part of the story.
I haven't seen the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock version of THE 39 STEPS. It is one of his classics and I plan to see it. I am sure this modern version can't compare but can stand on its own merits. I'm a fan of Rupert Penry-Jones from MI:5 so I wanted to see him in a different role and I was not disappointed.
This BBC production of THE 39 STEPS.

Didn't know much about John Buchan, except that hewas a biographer of Elizabethan historicval figures, that he died in office while serving as the king's representative in Canada (i.e. he was the Governor General), and that he wrote the novel of the same name upon which this film was adatped. Read it YEARS ago and the (exact) storyline and plot twists have pretty much been lost to the sands of time, but I believe that this adaptation stays pretty true to the novel, CONSIDERINGthat it's only about 90minutes long.

*SPOILER ALERT*
The only substantive alteration to the original story, if I recaal correctly, is the inclusion of a female companion who turns out to be a governbment agent, which, in my opinion, was a nice touch that added (more) romance and some funny comedic scenes to the story. I also loved the cinematography - in particular, the choice of "film stock" and the way the costumes and environment/setting/physical backgound (I'm having writer's block here) were beautifully simiular or nicely contrasted, depending on the scene (for example, in the second scene, where the agent Scudder isrunning for his life through severral streets while Hannay is languidly walking back to his apartment, Scudder's grey attire almost blends into the similarly coloured building and streeet stones (and would have if not for the wonderful sense of movement that the director created) whereas Hanney's black tux pleasantly contrasts with the same background). The film aslohas a few nice homages to ohter films in it, which is another nice touch.
*FINIS*

About the only aspect of the film that I wasn't crazy about was the ennding, 'tho it would be okay in retrospect if the producers made a sequel to this fine film with the male and female leadsmeeting up again (I'm not sure, but I believe that Buchan wrote several adventure romances involvcing this film's protagonist).

As for thecriticism that this film doesn't hold upwell to the Hitchcock version, I disagre. Yes, that 1935 version was VERY good, but it, too, veered from the original Buchan story in several respects and its ending wasn't all that greta either in that, after having Hannay running around for so long without a clue as to what to do, he is fortuitoustously informed as to where to go to get to the heart of the "39 Steps" mystery and, after he returns to England, the story wraps up quickly - TOO quickly, in my opinion, anyway. By comparison, this 2008 versions plot unfolds at a nice pace and we get a better idea about the 39 Steps, which, in Hitchcock's version, was not a physical thing/place (as it was in the novel and is in this adapttion), but the nameof the foreign spy ring. Although the two films are quite difeerent, both are entertaining and interresting in their own ways. However, if I HAD to choose, I'd go with this versoin because of its sexy female agent (and I would think that most female viewers would prefer this Hannay to Hitchcock's, in appearance AND character - incidentally, RupertPenry-Jones is just as enjoyable here as he was on SPOOKS/M-I5).

Definitely worth your money and your time.

This newest version of 39 Steps is a truly enjoyable film - suspenseful, subtle, funny, and with engaging characters. Another well-made and well-acted production from the BBC. Highly recommended.