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The 39 Steps

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The 39 Steps

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Also known as 39 Steps, The Thirty-nine Steps, Thirty-nine Steps, The Thirty Nine Steps

1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock

Film · TMDB

7.3

Richard Hanney has a rude awakening when a glamorous female spy falls into his bed - with a knife in her back. Having a bit of trouble explaining it all to Scotland Yard, he heads for the hills of Scotland to try to clear his name by locating the spy ring known as The 39 Steps.

Released: 1935-06-0686 minDir: Alfred HitchcockMystery, Thriller

Cast

  • Robert Donat as Richard Hannay
  • Madeleine Carroll as Pamela
  • Lucie Mannheim as Annabella Smith
  • Godfrey Tearle as Professor Jordan
  • Peggy Ashcroft as The Crofter's Wife Margaret
  • John Laurie as John the Crofter

Themes

  • london, england
  • based on novel or book
  • scotland
  • falsely accused
  • scotland yard
  • secret agent
  • film noir
  • murder
  • fugitive
  • on the run

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Ratings

IMDb

7.6/10

65,037 votes

Rotten Tomatoes

96%

Metacritic

93/100

Year
1935
Runtime
86 min
Genres
Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Rated
Approved
Awards
3 wins & 1 nomination total

via OMDb · IMDb

Key facts

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay by
Charles Bennett Ian Hay
Based on
The Thirty-Nine Steps , 1915 novel, by John Buchan
Produced by
Michael Balcon
Starring
Robert Donat Madeleine Carroll Lucie Mannheim Godfrey Tearle
Cinematography
Bernard Knowles
Edited by
Derek N. Twist
Music by
Louis Levy Jack Beaver (uncredited)
Production company
Gaumont-British Picture Corporation
Distributed by
Gaumont British Distributors
Release date
6 June 1935 ( 1935-06-06 ) (London)
Running time
86 minutes
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Budget
£50,000

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Duration
86
FilmAffinity ID
607000
Image
The 39 Steps Still (cropped).jpg
Show 4 more facts
publication date
1935-01-01
title
The 39 Steps
Commons category
The 39 Steps (1935 film)
review score
96%
Sources (8)

via Wikidata · CC0

~17 min read

Article

The 39 Steps is a 1935 British spy thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. It is loosely based on the 1915 novel The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan. It concerns a Canadian civilian in London, Richard Hannay, who becomes caught up in preventing an organisation of spies called "The 39 Steps" from stealing British military secrets. Mistakenly accused of the murder of a counter-espionage agent, Hannay goes on the run to Scotland and becomes tangled up with an attractive woman, Pamela, while hoping to stop the spy ring and clear his name.

Since its release, the film has been widely acknowledged as a classic. The film maker and actor Orson Welles referred to it as a "masterpiece". The screenwriter Robert Towne remarked, "It's not much of an exaggeration to say that all contemporary escapist entertainment begins with The 39 Steps."

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