IMDb > The 39 Steps (1959)

The 39 Steps (1959) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   572 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
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:
This one is a bit sluggish, but if you like Kenneth More (and Brenda de Banzie) it's worth watching 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)
more
Create a character page for: ?

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 oncoming ambulance that we are to presume is to assist Nanny after the "accident", speeds off-screen right and we hear tires skidding to stop in a relatively impossible time. more
Movie Connections:
Version of The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
This one is a bit sluggish, but if you like Kenneth More (and Brenda de Banzie) it's worth watching, 30 January 2008
7/10
Author: Terrell-4 from San Antonio, Texas

It's quite possible to enjoy this 39 Steps, but it helps to see it fresh, without any recent memory of the 1935 Hitchcock version. That one is a classic of suspense, charm, testy romance, and surprises, abetted by two fine performances from Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. This 1959 Kenneth More vehicle maintains more-or-less the same plot line and contains some very good piece parts. While it doesn't add up to being in the same league with its elder sibling, it's good enough for a pleasant hour-and-a-half entertainment.

When a nanny Richard Hannay (More) had met accidentally earlier in the day is murdered in his rooms after telling him there is an international plot involving ballistic missiles, he realizes he will be blamed by the police. So, after looking through the dead woman's purse and discovering a map where Glenkirk in Scotland is circled, off he goes to see if he can discover the man behind the plot...a man with part of a finger missing. What Hannay encounters along the way is a suspicious school teacher, Miss Fisher (Taina Elg), who turns him in on the train going to Scotland; a fortune teller; an all too knowledgeable professor; two killers; a clever escape while handcuffed to Fisher and, finally, the secret only Mr. Memory, a music hall performer, can unlock.

The movie has several good elements, especially the charm and confidence of Kenneth More as Hannay; some wonderful Scottish scenery (the movie is in color); great train rides and one exciting train escape; a ripely eccentric performance by Brenda de Banzie as a fortune-telling realist who helps Hannay; a menacingly friendly appearance by Barry Jones; a funny performance by Joan Hickson as a twittering school teacher that reminded me of a middle- aged Miss Marple on amphetamines; and an all too brief performance by Faith Brook as the nanny. For nostalgia buffs, the movie opens with the great J. Arthur Rank gong doing its reverberating thing.

Sadly, there is little chemistry between More and Elg. She most often only looks irritated. The spirit of the movie aims for light-hearted charm mixed with thrills, something More was very good at. To make the movie work, however, director Ralph Thomas and his editor needed to bring more energy to many of the thrills. Often the music score is used to set the tone, which is not always matched by the pace of the movie. To give Thomas credit, he was capable of delivering some menacing thrills as well as some fine, broad comedy. If you can track them down, The Clouded Yellow (1951), for romantic thrills and menace, and Doctor in the House (1954) and Doctor at Sea (1955), for comedy, are well worth viewing.

If you like Kenneth More and don't mind a relatively undemanding but pleasant adventure, you might enjoy this movie. I did. If you are one of those movie goers who fixate on how awful remakes of classics are, and indignantly make comparisons, this one will probably give you conniptions.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (20 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The 39 Steps (1959)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Worth seeing the original? meakins8
Joan Collins?? jrobertson-5
Locations Daytona-2
Where was that car ferry going? eandtslattery
The 39 Steps original ratio? BillyFisher
the 39 steps 59 miriam2024
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The 39 Steps Three Days of the Condor Billion Dollar Brain The Thirty Nine Steps Goldfinger
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Thriller section IMDb UK section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.