Criterion Collection: 39 Steps [DVD] [1935] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

ISBN 10: 0780021967 ISBN 13: 9780780021969

Publisher: Home Vision Cinema

The best known of Hitchcock�s British films, this civilized spy yarn follows the escapades of Richard Hannay (Robert Donat), who stumbles into a conspiracy that involves him in a hectic chase across the Scottish moors�a chase in which he is both the pursuer and the pursued. Adapted from John Buchan�s novel, this classic Hitchcock "wrong man" thriller encapsulates themes that anticipate the director�s biggest American films (especially North by Northwest), and is a standout among his early works.

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Synopsis

A classic British spy mystery, and one of Hitchcock's best, The 39 Steps tells the thrilling tale of an innocent man, Richard Hannay (Robert Donat), who struggles to prove he is not guilty of committing the murder for which he is being held accountable. Richard got more than he bargained for when he brought home a mysterious woman, who later confessed to be a British agent on the hot trail of a dangerous spy ring. The woman is killed in Richard's apartment and he immediately finds himself on the run, burdened with the charge for her murder and the dangerous knowledge of her mission. Hitchchock's film is distinguished by its pioneering use of contrapuntal sound effects, as well as the dynamism between Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. Special features on the The 39 Steps DVD include biographies, a behind-the-scenes stills gallery and animated menus.

From Amazon.co.uk

A high point of Hitchcock's pre-Hollywood career, 1935's The Thirty-Nine Steps is the first and best of three film versions of John Buchann's rather stiff novel. Robert Donat plays the rancher embroiled in a plot to steal British military secrets. He finds himself on the run; falsely accused of murder, while also pursuing the dastardly web of spies alluded to in the title. With a plot whose twists and turns match the hilly Scottish terrain in which much of the film is set, The Thirty-Nine Steps combines a breezy suavity with a palpable psychological tension. Hitchcock was already a master at conveying such tension through his cinematic methods, rather than relying just on situation or dialogue. Sometimes his ways of bringing the best out of his actors brought the worst out in himself. If the scene in which Donat is handcuffed to co-star Madeline Carroll has a certain edge, for instance, that's perhaps because the director mischievously cuffed them together in a rehearsal, then left them attached for a whole afternoon, pretending to have lost the key. The movie also introduces Hitchcock's favoured plot device, the "McGuffin" (here, the military secret), the unexplained device or "non-point" on which the movie turns. --David Stubbs

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