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The 39 Steps (1959) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   572 votes
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Director:
Ralph Thomas
Writers:
Frank Harvey (screenplay)
John Buchan (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for The 39 Steps on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
13 March 1959 (UK) more
Genre:
Thriller | Drama more
Tagline:
The Most Suspenseful Manhunt in History!
User Comments:
Better than it's often given credit for more (20 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Kenneth More ... Richard Hannay
Taina Elg ... Fisher
Brenda De Banzie ... Nellie Lumsden

Barry Jones ... Professor Logan
Reginald Beckwith ... Lumsden
Faith Brook ... Nannie

Michael Goodliffe ... Brown
James Hayter ... Mr. Memory
Duncan Lamont ... Kennedy
Jameson Clark ... McDougal
Andrew Cruickshank ... Sheriff
Leslie Dwyer ... Milkman
Betty Henderson ... Mrs. McDougal
Joan Hickson ... Miss Dobson
Sid James ... Perce (as Sidney James)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Thirty-Nine Steps (UK) (alternative spelling)
more
Runtime:
93 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English | French
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
USA:Approved (certificate #19544) | Finland:K-12 | UK:U

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The first film of Peter Vaughan. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The car following Hannay in Scotland starts off as a grey Ford Zephyr/Zodiac, as the rogue policemen arrive at the school, the car turns into a Ford Consul. Later as the car has a flat tire it is once again a Zephyr. more
Movie Connections:
Version of The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) more

FAQ

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15 out of 17 people found the following comment useful.
Better than it's often given credit for, 28 December 2002
10/10
Author: adam jezard from Ascot, England

Often criticised for being a shot-for-shot remake of the Hitchcock original, this film is in fact a perky little thriller which benefits from Kenneth More being a more sympathetic leading man than Robert Donat (he was somewhat aloof) in the '39 version. True, the film trades heavily off the script for the Hitchcock version, and true it does not go back to the original novel for context, spirit or historical setting in the way the '78 version does; but for me, the film is the jewel among the three. As well as a pacy and fun thriller, it catches the spirit of the England and Scotland of the time. It is also interesting to note the role of the two hit-men characters; they are shadowy background figures in the '39 version, but here they are more fully flushed out (and well played by Duncan Lamont and Michael Goodlife). In the '78 version (and the unofficial remake called North By Northwest) the role of the hit-men is further developed and the suspense increased as a result.

Other things to watch out for in the '59 version are Sidney James, Brian Oulton and a host of supporting players (not to mention Tania Elg's legs in the remake of the stocking-removing scene, all the more intriguing for being in colour). Long available on VHS in the UK, this film now sadly seems to be deleted and is much missed.

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