The 39 Steps (1935)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, The 39 Steps (1935) is a gripping British spy thriller starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. Loosely based on the novel The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan, the film follows Richard Hannay as he witnesses gunshots at a London music hall theatre. Amidst the chaos, he finds himself with a frightened woman named Annabella Smith who reveals herself to be a spy. Claiming that she is being pursued by assassins, she convinces Hannay to take her back to his flat. Annabella discloses that she has uncovered a plot involving stolen British military information and identifies the mastermind as a man missing part of his finger. Though she mentions ‘The 39 Steps’, she provides no further explanation.
Later that evening, Smith bursts into Hannay’s bedroom and urgently advises him to flee. She passes away from a stab wound in her back. In her possession, Hannay discovers a map of the Scottish Highlands depicting Killin and a structure called ‘Alt-na-Shellach’ marked out. To evade the potential assassins waiting for him, he cleverly disguises himself as a milkman and sneaks out of his flat. He then boards the train known as the Flying Scotsman headed for Scotland. Upon arriving at Waverley Station in Edinburgh, he learns that he is being pursued nationwide as Smith’s killer. Seeing police officers scouring the train, Hannay moves to another compartment and impulsively kisses its sole occupant, Pamela, in an attempt to mislead their pursuers; however, she quickly alerts the authorities.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
| Cast: |
Robert Donat
Madeleine Carroll
Lucie Mannheim
Godfrey TearleDirected by Alfred Hitchcock, The 39 Steps (1935) is a gripping British spy thriller starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. Loosely based on the novel The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan, the film follows Richard Hannay as he witnesses gunshots at a London music hall theatre. Amidst the chaos, he finds himself with a frightened woman named Annabella Smith who reveals herself to be a spy. Claiming that she is being pursued by assassins, she convinces Hannay to take her back to his flat. Annabella discloses that she has uncovered a plot involving stolen British military information and identifies the mastermind as a man missing part of his finger. Though she mentions ‘The 39 Steps’, she provides no further explanation.
Later that evening, Smith bursts into Hannay’s bedroom and urgently advises him to flee. She passes away from a stab wound in her back. In her possession, Hannay discovers a map of the Scottish Highlands depicting Killin and a structure called ‘Alt-na-Shellach’ marked out. To evade the potential assassins waiting for him, he cleverly disguises himself as a milkman and sneaks out of his flat. He then boards the train known as the Flying Scotsman headed for Scotland. Upon arriving at Waverley Station in Edinburgh, he learns that he is being pursued nationwide as Smith’s killer. Seeing police officers scouring the train, Hannay moves to another compartment and impulsively kisses its sole occupant, Pamela, in an attempt to mislead their pursuers; however, she quickly alerts the authorities.
