The 39 Steps took a while to hook me in and while it was far fetched at times, it turned out to be a decent film by the end. It didn't however do enough to make me want to re-watch it with renewed interest.A woman comes to Hannay for help. He agrees to hide her in his flat, but in the night she is murdered. How did they kill her in the flat? I'll assume they wanted to pin the murder on Hannay instead of killing him while they were already in the flat. Hannay goes to Scotland to find the man the murdered woman was going to see, but why is he going there? He has no information. Robert Donat was solid in the main role and Madeleine Carroll was terrific. Every scene that took place in the hotel was of a high quality, the film needed more of that magic throughout for me.

Two of the most beautiful shots in all of 30's cinema. Firstly, just before Annabella staggers in dying a nightmarish and eerie shot of an open window, the draperies blowing and a nude male bronze figure perfectly poised to attack with a sword. It never fails to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.The other shot and one of the most beautiful shots in world cinema, is the death of Mr. Memory as a line kicking chorus girls in diminishing perspective stretch down the middle of the shot, brilliantly lit, the raucous music hall music blaring away. I must have rewatched this scene a 100 times.Hitchcock and Fellini both shared a love for variety shows and music halls as they knew them in their youth. The opening scene is full of character and life and humor. ("How do you cure pip in chickens?") Peggy Ashcroft's small, intense role as the crofter's wife was exquisite and so sad. She had the most expressive face and eyes.I love all the wonderful things about this film that everyone else does but thought I would just mention a few very, very special moments that mean a lot to me.

Hitchcock is certainly directed over 10 films to the "THE 39 STEPS". The director who promises, or simply he does not succeed to make a good movie. There are many reasons. Hitch persistently raises and cares for their style. This way of expression in the British film industry is not going well. Specific time. Average and commercial novel, a story loosely based on the novel of the same name, a solid budget and freedom to work were the guarantor of director's success.At the heart of the story is a murder around which interfere an innocent man, a beautiful girl, a lot of plot, mystery and conspiracy. The story is solid, at times illogical and very exciting. Hitchcock's convinced me that probability, logic and detailing are not the key to good film. This genre is needed speed, excitement and tension. I condemn some directors called "masters". Hitch is one of them. I will be more clear, the script is well written and composed, only some segments targeted set aside. Complications are in the right place, even though they appear out of nowhere and keep uncertainty at a high level. The characters are quite interesting, and each is special in its own way. Even those who appear in several scenes fit perfectly into the story.Robert Donat as Richard Hannay is a kind of tragic hero who accepts his fate and searches for truth. Donat's choice for leading actor is a hit. Madeleine Caroll (Pamela) is offensive and frightened female character. The change in her character that comes with the knowledge of the truth is impressive. It is more beautiful and charming.I think the director did not take into account the chemistry between the two main actors. Donat and Carroll made sure that it is. There are especially fine performances by John Laurie as the treacherous Scot who harbors the fugitive, Peggy Ashcroft as his sympathetic wife, Godfrey Tearle as the man with the missing finger, and Wylie Watson as the memory expert of the music halls, who proves to be the hub of the mystery. Hitchcock's magic at work.

The 39 Steps has a theme that's common in a lot of Alfred Hitchcock films. That's where an innocent person gets in some deep trouble. Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) is a Canadian in the United Kingdom on a trip. After witnessing the incredible talent of Mr. Memory (Wylie Watson) a man who knows almost everything he hears gunfire in the audience. As Richard is frantically trying to escape he finds a girl named Annabella Smith (Lucie Mannheim) who is seemingly scared. But later in Richard's hotel Annabella tells him that she is a foreign agent investigating a spy ring. Later in the night Annabella is fatally stabbed and dies in Richard's room. Because the police think that he killed her he has to go on a run from the police, prove his innocence and find out who or what the 39 steps is. The script is really good here, and the story is very intriguing. The acting here is also good. And it's really intense like most Hitchcock films. I can definitely recommend to fans of Hitchcock as well as anyone who appreciates a good film.