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Richard Hannay (Donat), a man visiting England from Canada, gets mixed up in international espionage. An adventure that sends him on the run through Scotland, in search of “The 39 Steps”.
Direction
Hitchcock’s films always stand out, in part due to his attention to camera placement, focus and the blocking of his characters in a scene. He intentionally focuses the camera on what he finds most important. Leaving unnecessary aspects out of frame. He sets up the shot and the characters in ways to emphasize that he is showing you a story, not just telling you one. He is suggestive and suspenseful in the way that he omits what he shows his audience on the screen.
An example of this can be seen in the opening sequence. The first shots of The 39 Steps shows an unidentified man get a ticket at a marquee and walk into the show. We are not shown his face for the first couple sequences, in fact we only see his hand and jacket. However, we see his face as he begins to take his seat. He is not a killer or villain, at least it doesn’t appear that way, but his mysterious entrance has already primed the audience to be cautious.
Blocking is something that is integral to Hitchcock’s style. The camera, the lights, the actors, everything is carefully placed in a scene and interacts with one another with precision. One scene that stood out was the Dinner Party scene in which Hannay meets, Professor Jordan (Tearle). Hannay makes his way into the parlor where he is introduced to the other party guests. The camera follows and moves through the space in one long shot. The shot continues until Jordan rejoins the party and sits privately with Hannay. After a short camera shot out of the window, the scene continues again with another long shot. Leading the patrons as they all make their way towards the door and out of the parlor.
The camera moves through the parlor through both of these scenes as if the camera is another patron at the party. There is a natural intimacy created this way. Again, this tricks the audience in the same way that Hannay is being misled by Jordan. Hannay believes he is in safe company when in reality he is about to be face to face with the leader of the nefarious organization behind the 39 steps.
Thrilling Adventure
Hitchcock captured the adventure and thrill of Buchan’s 1915 novel of the same name. Some plot points were changed. For example, the 39 steps changed from a location to an organization collecting top secret information. The essence of the mystery and adventure remains though.
I imagine that the great depression fueled a lot of longing for adventure at this time. A sentiment that is clearly portrayed through the farmer’s wife. She is desperately infatuated with Hannay, due mostly to his gentle personality and exciting situation. With all of the excitement and adventure, it is not difficult to see what 1930’s audiences liked about Hitchcock’s style.
MacGuffin
On the topic of “The 39 steps” and how the book differs from the film. The 1935 film and the 1915 book have completely different definitions of what the 39 steps actually are. This point, however, is not important. What is important is that the protagonist has a goal, an unknown threat labelled “the 39 steps”. That threat lures him down a path of adventure and mystery.
It seems odd that the title of the film and the main driver of the narrative in itself is not very important. Although, it makes sense. It is the journey that is important, not the destination. Angus MacPhail, a british screenwriter from the 1920s – 1950s, coined the term MacGuffin in reference to Hitchcock’s, The 39 Steps. The titular object of concern throughout the film was in itself trivial, taken possibly from the word “guff” or trivial.
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Cinematography: Bernard Knowles
Screenplay by: Charles Bennett & Ian Hay
Based on the Novel, The Thirty-Nine Steps, by: John Buchan
Editing By: Derek N. Twist
Starring: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle.
Runtime: 1h 26m
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Distributed by: Gaumont British Distributors
