The 39 Steps (1935)

"What are The 39 Steps?", 15 June 2006

What a wonderful film! In this early effort, Alfred Hitchcock shows why he would one day become arguably the greatest director ever. You want mystery – The 39 Steps has got it. You want comedy – The 39 Steps has got it. You want intrigue – The 39 Steps has got it. You want a little romance – The 39 Steps has got it. It's all here and wonderfully done. And the best part, it's aged rather well. The actors speak in a natural tone and rhythm and it doesn't have that "stagey" feeling that so many early mystery/thrillers seem to have.

And talk about influential. I doubt it was the first, but The 39 Steps sets out the blueprint of the "wrongly accused man on the run trying to find the truth" that has been copied countless numbers of times. The number of films that have followed this formula is staggering. Even Hitchcock himself would revisit this formula over and over again. Why mess with a winner?

The only negative thing I can say about The 39 Steps and the only reason I don't rate it a 10/10 is my problem with the lead actor, Robert Donat. It's not that he's particularly bad, but he's just not a very likable guy.

9/10