THE 39 STEPS (1935) Review
A mistaken identity. The murder of a captivating and mysterious stranger. Shadowy secrets and plot twists. People paying to see a guy recite facts on stage. It’s an Alfred Hitchcock film alright!
Based on the novel by John Buchan and written by Charles Bennet and Ian Hay, THE 39 STEPS puts the acclaimed Hitchcock in familiar territory but that’s not a bad thing. As any general film fan may already know, Hitchcock has always thrived in realities filled with deceit and distrust, where appearances were merely accessories to survival or destruction. The dashing protagonist of this tale, the Canadian Richard Hannay (Robert Donat), finds himself thrust into this uneasy world — as most other Hitchcock protagonists do — when he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, or more aptly, bringing back the wrong woman to his apartment at the wrong time. That woman, who goes by the totally real name of Annabella Smith (Lucie Mannheim), is quick to let Richard know that his life is about to become a tad more peculiar as she reveals she’s actually a spy on the run from a group of assassins who work for an elusive criminal organization known only as The 39 Steps. Just as quick as they meet, the lovely Ms. Smith ends up with a knife in her back and Richard, quickly realizing he’ll be framed for her ghastly demise, goes on the run to clear his name and dig deeper into the mysterious shadow group intent on destroying him and England as a whole.
From there, Hitchcock and his crew have a blast putting their classically handsome protagonist in pickles of various kinds, whether that involves evading the authorities, slumming it with local farmers in Scotland, or butting heads with murderous pinky-missing criminals. While the general backstory on Richard is pretty bare, Mr. Donat makes for an easy going travel companion as he hops from the streets of London to the moors of Scotland on a quest to clear his name, all the way through displaying an easy going charm and deft touch with adjusting to his quickly changing surroundings. As Richard traverses by train and foot, Hitchcock himself guides his film nimbly from a dark espionage tale to more comedically minded moments of deceit and even to the vaguest, more underdeveloped realms of a romantic comedy. With Bennett and Hay cutting to the literal chase in lieu of any interesting character development, THE 39 STEPS becomes a pretty lively caper boosted by last minute getaways and ever shifting footing for our wronged protagonist. In those moments of thrills, Hitchcock proves why he’s so well revered as he employs the camera and the bodies within to breathlessly capture Richard’s pursuit of the truth (as well as the local authorities’ pursuit of our main character) turning any scene, even that of a simple Q&A involving an audience and a trivia man, into technical marvels of their time. These breathless moments fill out THE 39 STEPS’ first half as Richard uses the only things he’s got (see: wits and/or charm, mustache, etc.) to get closer to the truth about the mysterious organization only for Hitchcock to turn the tables both tonally and narratively on both Richard and the audience midway through the film.
In this second half, which dabbles at times towards a slapstick rom-com, where Richard brings the patented Hitchcock-blonde beauty of Madeleine Carroll’s also-in-the-wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time, Pamela, alongside with him on his journey to save England from outside foreign evils, that THE 39 STEPS tumbles a bit. While it’s enjoyable to see “The Master of Suspense” dabble in a bit in the light-heartedness of Richard and Pamela’s petty squabbles and slowly (but quickly, considering this film is slightly shorter than 90 minutes) fall in love with one another towards the end of the film, this angle haphazardly shifts the pace and tone that was so effectively established in the film’s beginning half. To their credit, Mr. Donat and Ms. Carroll make for an effective odd-couple pairing thanks in part to Hays’ deft handle of the whippy dialogue in their bickerings but overall their romance doesn’t feel well earned or developed. In fact, just as the mystery behind the shadowy villains begins to expand in addition to Richard and Pamela’s relationship, the film ends, merely hinting at much more excitable prospects that never come to be. While the final image is pretty impressionable — shackled hands in a loving embrace in the foreground with a blurred, dying man in the background — it’s a shame the film never gets the chance to see some mysteries and relationships all the way through.
But hey, Hitchcock pretty much still delivers the goods here! THE 39 STEPS, despite the presence of a globally spanning criminal organization, is a fast and easy thrill ride designed to keep the audiences’ attention and that’s what it accomplishes. To do any further digging into a tale of handsome man on the run from some people out to snuff him would be to overanalyze what is the film equivalent to a nice and greasy (if well presented) hamburger. Sometimes you just got to sit back and enjoy the meal.
3.5/5
