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.
Cast
| Richard Hannay | Robert Donat |
| Pamela | Madeleine Carroll |
| Annabella Smith | Lucie Mannheim |
| Professor Jordan | Godfrey Tearle |
| Margaret, the crofter's wife | Peggy Ashcroft |
| John, the crofter | John Laurie |
Credits
| Director | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Cinematography | Bernard Knowles |
| Producer | Michael Balcon |
| From the novel by | John Buchan |
| Screenplay | Charles Bennett |
| Dialogue | Ian Hay |
| Continuity | Alma Reville |
| Art director | O. Werndoff |
| Editing | D.N. Twist |
| Recordist | A. Birch |
| Musical director | Louis Levy |
Feb 3, 2010
In the wake of J. D. Salinger’s death last week, at age ninety-one, appreciations of the reclusive Catcher in the Rye author will undoubtedly be sprouting up for quite some time. A new http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2010/02/08/100208ta_talk_ross#ixzz0eUipX30E . . .
Dec 17, 2009
When thinking of a movie you’ve seen, what do you first recall? An actor’s face, a snatch of music, a plot twist? For artist Paul Rogers, it all seems to come down to settings and objects; his drawings of films fascinatingly illustrate how the details of a film might stand . . .
Apr 28, 2009
For his ongoing series “Philip French’s Screen Legends,” begun in January 2008 on the Guardian’s website, the British film critic has been profiling the “great actors in film, choosing their key works and assessing . . .
by Marian Keane
Nov 23, 1999
The occasion of the 100th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock’s birth rewards us with a new release of one of his greatest films, The 39 Steps (1935). This DVD provides a newly restored transfer, new critical audio commentary on the film, and supplemental material detailing . . .
by Michael Wilmington
Dec 9, 1985
Movie thrillers may come and go, but after half a century, Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps still reigns supreme. And not only for the sheer, breathless excitement of the story; the seamless construction; the chilling, beautifully realized atmosphere; and the constant, startling stream . . .