The 39 Steps directed by Alfred Hitchcock – A Film Review

Before his move to Hollywood, Alfred Hitchcock had already established himself as an internationally recognized filmmaker. Yet to this day, it seems often that his British films are over looked and swept aside in comparison to the critical acclaim presented to some of his American classics.

That is not to say that some of these films haven’t received venerable recognition. The 39 Steps (1935) for example is one of the films that is said to define his early career. Featuring many of the Hitchcock tropes: an innocent man accused of a crime he didn’t commit, running as he is perused by both the law and the criminal / criminals responsible. It is a suspense thriller in the sense of which Hitchcock was most known for. But how does it stand up in viewing today?

Well the story itself has aged well. The setup stands alone in a timeless way. Even though the crux of the story involves the selling of government information to international spies, the information is overall incidental. It is simply the McGuffin (a driving force that has very little meaning in relation to the overall story).

The presentation of the film does at times however feel dated. Shots often seem structured in a flat manner. Scenes transition over long fades and at times characters end their dialogue abruptly to advance the plot. In the end it gives the story a feeling of artifice that isn’t wanted or needed that really takes the audience out of the film at varying periods during their viewing.

Still the acting overall in the film is a good standout. Other than leading man Robert Donat who plays a Canadian with a London accent, (which is strange because the actor himself is from Manchester?) yet apart from this everyone at least gives a strong performance.

With these issues aside, the directing of the film definitely had hints to the abilities of its director. The final scene and an earlier scene in a hotel are certainly effective uses of suspense. These scenes are defiantly the strong point of Hitchcock’s direction and easily stand out as such. As he develops these set pieces he is able to craft scenes together in a very artistic and eloquent manner that does at times feel lacking in some of the quieter or even subtler moments. In scenes of heavy dialogue it almost seems as though the actions screech to a complete halt that provide lulls for the audience. The expository manner of these instances is something that brings the film down and is certainly improved on in his latter American works.