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Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Godfrey Tearle, Peggy Ashcroft, Lucie Mannheim ... see more see more... , John Laurie , Wylie Watson , Helen Haye , Frank Cellier , Jerry Verno , Peggy Simpson , Gus McNaughton , Marianne Stone , Miles Malleson , Robert Powell , David Warner , Eric Porter , Karen Dotrice , John Mills , George Baker , Ronald Pickup , Donald Pickering , Timothy West , Miles Anderson , Andrew Keir , Robert Flemyng , William Squire , Paul McDowell , David Collings , John Normington , Edward de Souza , Tony Steedman , John Grieve , Andrew Downie , Donald Bisset , Derek Anders , Oliver Maquire , Joan Henley , Prentis Hancock , Leo Dolan , James Garbutt , Artro Morris , Robert Gillespie , Raymond Young , Paul Jerricho , Michael Bilton , John Welsh

A man in London tries to help a counterespionage agent. But when the agent is killed and he stands accused, he must go on the run to both save himself and also stop a spy ring trying to steal top secr... read more read more...et information.

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84% liked it

21,687 ratings

Critics

97% liked it

35 critics

PG, 1 hr. 27 min.

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Release Date: August 1, 1935

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DVD Release Date: July 20, 1999

 

Stats: 1,130 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,130)

  • FrizzDrop
    December 28, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    A clumsy start to the directing dynasty Hitchcock would later build in America; The 39 Steps is unlike many of his other films in the way it's put together. Hitchcock would later make taut, sometimes action packed thrillers, all with ingenuity and a special zest that would satura... read morete and identify his later films. This, made in his native England, is far from a disappointment. Though it doesn't possess inherent fear or a debonair protagonist, it does have this strange charm that he would never recapture in later films. For the time it was set it reads much more like a romantic thriller than a case of mistaken identity or reviewing a network of spies. Though the chasing of Hannay (Robert Donat) was at first overwhelming and tense, it becomes almost comical how he ends up in place after place. From hiding out in a country inn to being inadvertently thrust onstage to give a speech about a politician he knows nothing about, Hannay continually comes into contact with odd characters and irreverent townspeople. Much of the film is just his hiding out and people who have never met him helping to hide him from various spies, the police, and a bothersome blonde. Eventually the blonde (Madeleine Carroll) becomes the love interest and an ally in his quest to clear his name and stop a spy from leaving the country with viable secret government information. For an espionage film there isn't much in the way of action or strange, exotic accents, except for the first agent who gets killed off. Most of the film hinges on Robert Donat's performance, because it takes a considerable charm and gentility to make this film work without any of the core elements. Still, the film is quite entertaining and enticing. It has a lot of gimmicks and comes off as dated versus later films which are timeless, but this is still a great start to the Hitchcock empire.
  • fb1664868775
    November 16, 2011
    fb1664868775
    One of the most timeless films I know. This was Hitchcock's first masterpiece. Though his films got much more elaborate later in his career, all of the things that I love about Hitchcock are here: suspense, comedy, beautiful cinematography and camera movement, etc. This is pure ... read moreentertainment.
  • axadntpron
    October 10, 2011
    axadntpron
    This may have just reinvigorated my love of film. This case of mistaken identity thriller from 1935 is leaps and bounds better than most schlock to hit the screens in the past 30 years. While technically we may be capable of creating flashier and sharper productions, we've lost o... read moreur ability to tell a good story thoughtfully. The 39 Steps is just that and more importantly, made when cinema was still such a nascent medium. From scene to scene Hitch builds the suspense in such a confident and concise manner, with an awe-inspiring attention to detail. The acting here is top notch, and shoots holes in the misconception that all acting from this period was inflated and over dramatic. In fact, the performances are rather subdued, which is rather refreshing considering the material. Although the film is old, it is still, to use a cliched phrase, young at heart and still kicks the ass of most of the thrillers we have been served in recent memory.
  • fb1341085175
    October 4, 2011
    fb1341085175
    Apesar de constantemente citado entre seus mais importantes trabalhos e certamente o mais popular filme de sua fase britânica, "Os 39 Degraus" não se tornou parte do consciente popular cinematográfico como as futuras produções de Alfred Hitchcock se tornariam. Tal fato não deve d... read moreesmerecer a obra que, apesar de mostrar um diretor ainda em fase de amadurecimento, é capaz de se sustentar no cannon do mestre do suspense como um de seus grandes feitos.

    "Os 39 Degraus" pode ser considerado o arquétipo do que viria a se tornar um tradicional filme de Hitchock, pois aqui somos apresentados a diversos temas que apareceriam constantemente em suas futuras obras: a história do "homem errado" perseguido por um crime que não cometeu; a figura da mulher loira fria, cínica e dominadora; e finamente, o uso do MacGuffin, um recurso narrativo utilizado para mover a história, mas que ao final revela possuir pouca importância. Os mais familiarizados com a filmografia do diretor poderão estabelecer uma conexão entre esta produção e filmes como "Ladrão de Casaca", "O Homem que Sabia Demais" e, especialmente, "Intriga Internacional". Podemos considerar "Os 39 Degraus" como o rascunho de uma obra de arte, que seria refinada e receberia os toques finais com este último filme de 1959.

    Em "Os 39 Degrau"s somos apresentados ao canadense Richard Hannay (Rober Donat) que acaba tendo um encontro ao acaso com Anabelle Smith (Lucile Manheim), uma espiã que diz ter descoberto um plano que pretende levar informações secretas para fora da Inglaterra. Quando a moça é assassinada em seu apartamento, Richard acaba sendo acusado injustamente pelo crime e é obrigado a fugir para a Escócia, seguindo as pistas deixadas pela espiã. No país ele acaba caindo nas mãos da organização por trás do assassinato de Anabelle, e para escapar e desvendar o mistério ele conta com a ajuda da atraente Pamela (Madeleine Carroll). Sendo um filme de Hitchcock, diversas reviravoltas podem ser esperadas até o final, sendo que a revelação dos ditos 39 degraus acaba sendo a de menor importância (vide o MacGuffin).

    Mesmo não apresentando o requinte técnico e visual de suas futuras produções americanas, "Os 39 Degraus" apresenta um diretor educado nas escolas cinematográficas alemãs e russas e já confortável com sua técnica. Hitchcock já demonstra seu talento na composição de quadros, e sua edição já se mostra eficaz o bastante para criar emocionantes cenas de ação e suspense, valendo destacar uma perseguição ambientada em um trem que oferece uma prévia de momentos semelhantes em "A Sombra de uma Dúvida" e "Intriga Internacional". Enquanto não apresentam um profundo estudo de psique, os personagens são iluminados por brilhantes momentos de diálogos. Podemos destacar as cenas guiadas por um humor cínico entre Robert Donat e Madeleine Carrol, tais sendo carregados de certa dose de tensão sexual - basta dizer que um ousado momento envolvendo algemas e meias-calça provavelmente não teria sido aprovado por censores americanos. O enredo em si não nos permite múltiplas interpretações como muitas das melhores obras do mestre (e se tantas comparações com seus demais filmes são feitas, é porque tais parecem inevitáveis), mas isso não altera o fato de que "Os 39 Degraus" foi um importante passo na carreira ascendente do então jovem Alfred Hitchcock, e provavelmente o primeiro filme que o fez ser notado internacionalmente. Mesmo não apresentando a mesma profundidade de outros de seus trabalhos, merece seu lugar entre os melhores filmes do diretor.
  • spielberg00
    August 12, 2011
    spielberg00
    Fantastic
  • RossCollinsUK
    June 16, 2011
    RossCollinsUK
    Typical man on the run Hitchcock flick. May have been great for the time, but now all we see is hammy acting and a swiss-cheese of a plot. Still it's fun seeing folk from the 1930s, particularly in the Scottish highlands.
  • SirPant
    May 31, 2011
    SirPant
    The 39 Steps acts like a blue print, a hint of the greatness that was to come from Hitchcock and the foundations of an amazing body of work. It's where he truly found an audience, it's not his best but it has a certain charm to it unlike any of his other films. In all honesty it'... read mores not a great film but it is of a time that I adore to watch, with acting styles long gone but still enjoyed. It's easy to mock The 39 Steps but at the time it was cutting edge stuff, but as dated as it now is, it's so very easy to watch and I believe it will remain so for many years to come.
  • ajv2688
    October 30, 2010
    ajv2688
    This movie is from 1935, and the cast list on here isn't right either. Anyway, I saw this movie such a long time ago (when I was a kid), I don't remember it well at all. I need to see it again.
  • lewiskendell
    June 18, 2010
    lewiskendell
    This is the oldest movie that I've seen (made in 1935), and it took me a bit of time to get adjusted to it as a film from such and early era. After all, it was only recently that I really started enjoying movies from the 50's.

    But as I was adjusting to the classic black and whit... read moree visuals and the abrupt editing, I began noticing the same Hitchcock themes and flourishes that I've seen in the later favorites like North by Northwest. The train scenes, the cases of mistaken identity and being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the innocent man on the run who meets an icy blonde, it's all here. The 39 Steps is Hitchcock through and through, that's for sure.

    I thought the story was pretty good, if a little abrupt in places. There's lots of tension, a bit of occasional sexually charged humor, and another thrilling escape for the protagonist always seems just around the corner. It's really impressive stuff, considering when it was made. Any fans of Hitchcock's other movies will probably appreciate this.
  • ythelastman89
    April 29, 2010
    ythelastman89
    A great follow up to The Man Who Knew Too Much and debatably just as good. A perfect way to make a low budget thriller, using not that many sets and focusing on time. Itâ??s very much a precursor to Rashamon and Stanley Kubrickâ??s The Killing. On top of that, itâ??s a very excit... read moreing journey to find the truth with odd insertions of people with missing fingers and conspiracies galore. While it isnâ??t flawless, itâ??s clearly an essential part of Hitchcockâ??s career.

View All The 39 Steps Reviews

Critic Reviews

J. Hoberman
September 4, 2008
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

In Hitchcock's hands, however, this well-known espionage adventure provided the basis for a new sort of thriller and a new sort of comedy. Full Review

Variety Staff
August 18, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

It's melodrama and at times far-fetched and improbable, but the story twists and spins artfully from one high-powered sequence to another while the entertainment holds like steel cable from start to f... Full Review

Dave Kehr
July 9, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

As an artist, Alfred Hitchcock surpassed this early achievement many times in his career, but for sheer entertainment value it still stands in the forefront of his work. Full Review

Andre Sennwald
January 1, 2000
Andre Sennwald, New York Times

If you can imagine Anatole France writing a detective story you will have some notion of the artistry that Hitchcock brings to this screen version of John Buchan's novel. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
March 14, 2012
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Holding up extremely well, 39 Steps, Hitchcock's most commercial UK film, mixes successfuly suspense, comedy, and romance, serving as format for many later pictures (especially North by Northwest). Full Review

Scott G. Mignola
January 2, 2011
Scott G. Mignola, Common Sense Media

Far more substance than other thrillers. Full Review

Joshua Rothkopf
September 4, 2008
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York

At 35, with more than a dozen features already under his belt, the director triumphed with this dazzling mixture of spycraft, banter, expository nonsense and manic chases along the Scottish Highlands. Full Review

Daniel Etherington
April 11, 2008
Daniel Etherington, Film4

With its great turns by Donat, Carroll (the original Hitchcock blonde) and all the cast, and immaculate direction of a cracking script, this is timelessly enjoyable. A true classic. Full Review

April 11, 2008
Total Film

All the fun of North By Northwest in a little over half the time, The 39 Steps is - even for the umpteenth viewing - absolutely unmissable. Full Review

Ian Freer
April 11, 2008
Ian Freer, Empire Magazine

Hitchcock at his very best. Full Review

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