The 39 Steps (TV 2008)

Richard Hannay, a mining engineer on holiday from the African colonies, finds London socialite life terribly dull. Yet it's more then he bargained for when secret agent, Scudder, bursts ... See full summary »

Director:

James Hawes

Writers:

John Buchan (novel), Lizzie Mickery (screenplay)

Stars:

Rupert Penry-Jones, Lydia Leonard, David Haig

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rupert Penry-Jones	...	Richard Hannay
Lydia Leonard	...	Victoria Sinclair
David Haig	...	Sir George Sinclair
Patrick Malahide	...	Professor Fisher
Patrick Kennedy	...	Hellory Sinclair
Eddie Marsan	...	Scudder
Alex Jennings	...	Captain Kell
Steven Elder	...	Vicar / Wakeham
Werner Daehn	...	Ackerman
Peter Stark	...	Engel
Del Synnott	...	London Constable
Roger De Courcey	...	Ventriloquist
David Gallacher	...	Professor's Butler
James Bryce	...	Concierge at Club
Stewart Preston	...	Waiter at Club

Storyline

Richard Hannay, a mining engineer on holiday from the African colonies, finds London socialite life terribly dull. Yet it's more then he bargained for when secret agent, Scudder, bursts into his room and entrusts him a coded notebook with map, concerning the impending start of World War I. In no time both German agents and the British law are chasing him, ruthlessly coveting the Roman numerals code, which Hannay believes he must crack himself. Masquerading as a liberal party pundit, Richard also gets stuck with parliamentary candidate Sir George Sinclair's sister Victoria. They must survive with the secrets and decide who they can trust and how to keep it from others.

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Plot Keywords:

false identity | beating | fall | number in title

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English German

Release Date:

28 December 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

39 Lépcsőfok

Filming Locations:

Argyll's Lodging, Stirling, Scotland, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

The three cars which feature in the film (the grey Morris that Hannay and Victoria steal, the Germans' green Darracq and Hellory's blue Humber) were all registered in the mid 1920s and are models which would not have been available in 1914 when the action in the film takes place.

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Quotes

Victoria Sinclair: Why don't we steal that car and leave it in the next town.
Richard Hannay: Because it belongs to those two men up there. They're German spies who are chasing me with a view to ending my life.
Victoria Sinclair: You're not just a murderer but a delusional maniac - just my luck.

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Connections

Version of The 39 Steps (1959)

User Reviews

More like 'Heartbeat'

Well, it touched the right bases and looked the part. Rupes is a traditionally handsome hero. But that's it. For all the tension generated, it might have been directed by the crowd who do Heartbeat. Perhaps they could have had jaunty 1914 hits of the day: "What a lovely bunch of cockernee jellied eels" as Hannay makes his escape from the police.

Buchan's work doesn't take kindly to softening. Much of this recalls Hitchcock's version, only stripped of atmosphere or tension or integrity. Hannay knows the gang in Scotland is a spy ring, unlike in Hitchcock's version, but still makes his way there to expose them singlehandedly and thereby save himself from the police. Yeah, right! Some very silly stuff going on, this is probably as bad as the Kenneth More film. Feminine presence obliged by an annoying suffragette who decides to tag along with Hannay for no obvious reason. Tying in the plot with the real-life assassination of Franz Ferdinand seemed somewhat in poor taste, I found. Hannay being able to decode Scudder's notebook is implausible, though in fairness I think that may have been in Buchan's novel. Lots of waffley exposition early on help sink it too.

Rupes will have done his Bond ambition no good at all with this. He seemed to lack charisma or range in this part.