Rent 39 Steps Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental

Rent 39 Steps (1935)

4.0 of 5 from 158 ratings
1h 26min
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
An innocent man on the run. A beautiful icy blonde. A fast-moving cross-country pursuit. A chaotic world where no one is ever what they seem. 'The 39 Steps' set the template for Hitchcock's classic suspense thrillers. John Buchan's very loosely adapted story begins when Richard Hannay picks up the exotic 'Annabella Smith' at a music hall. The next morning he discovers she's been killed and finds himself in the frame for her murder.
Way ahead of its time in terms of its pace, black comedy and the sexual chemistry between the charismatic leads (particularly when Carroll removes her stockings while handcuffed to Donat), 'The 39 Steps' is among Hitch's finest and has been voted into the BFI's Top Five Favorite British Films.
Actors:
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Directors:
Writers:
John Buchan, Charles Bennett
Studio:
Carlton Video
Genres:
Drama, Thrillers
Collections:
10 Films to Watch if You Like Rebecca, 10 Films to Watch if You Like: Operation Mincemeat, Alfred Hitchcock's British Films, Award Winners, Films by Genre, Getting to Know..., Hitchcock in the 1940s, Introducing a British Film Family, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 1, Top 10 Films About Trains: Thrillers, Top 100 BFI Films, Top Films
BBFC:
Release Date:
13/08/2001
Run Time:
106 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
B & W
Bonus:
  • Interactive Menus
  • Biographies
  • Stills Gallery
  • 'Hitchcock: The Early Years' documentary
BBFC:
Release Date:
19/10/2009
Run Time:
86 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Subtitles:
English
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
B & W
Bonus:
  • The 39 Steps feature commentary
  • Art of film video feature 'Hitchcock: The early years'
  • Lux radio show audio feature
  • Stills galleries: On set photography
  • Posters and publicity

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Reviews (1) of 39 Steps

My Favourite Hitch. - 39 Steps review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
Updated 08/03/2021

 Hitchcock's first undeniably great film, and the standard against which all comedy thrillers are still judged.

 Robert Donat as Richard Hannay is the paradigm of the director's wrong men, and he is superb.  Assumed guilty by the press, public and the police of a murder he didn't commit he is compelled to escape north by train. Madeleine Carroll is the prototypical chilly Hitchcock-blonde, handcuffed to Donat as he attempts to clear his name. Their screwball romance is dynamite.

The film is only very loosely based on John Buchan's rather anaemic novel, and most of what was great about the film was added by the director and in Charles Bennett's witty adaptation and script. The episodic structure is bursting with classic scenes, and characters you really care about, far more than is typical with this genre. Like Peggy Ashcroft as the crofter's wife, living a remote life with an abusive husband. The occasional kindness of strangers who ease Hannay's escape make the film gently moving and the Scottish locations are pleasingly evocative. 

The only weakness is a rather contrived MacGuffin, but it hardly matters. Hitch's camera is matchless. It's my number one out of everything he made.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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