ianlouisiana Review of The Thirty Nine Steps

The Thirty Nine Steps (1978)

From the decade that style forgot....it's got style.

[10/10 · 28 September 2006]

John Buchan like Dornford Yates and "Sapper" is terribly unfashionable and Ur - British with his ex-public school men roaming the Empire and having "Good" wars before settling down and marrying upper middle class gels who may not be particularly bright but have a good seat and are fearless in The Hunt.Richard Hannay is one such hero,recently returned from the colonies and at a bit of a loose end in London,he is drawn into a plot to drag Britain into a war with a European neighbour. As played by Mr Robert Powell,Hannay is courageous,resourceful and clever,attributes that will be tested to the utmost before good triumphs over evil as,fortunately,it tended to in the innocent days before the first world war. Whilst Robert Donat was rather effete and Kenneth More too hearty by half,Mr Powell makes Hannay a formidable opponent for the diabolical machinations of David Warner. Director Don Sharpe brings with him the lessons learned from his TV work,this is a clean,no frills,crisply - photographed film with every shot counting.You can feel the cold of the British winter in every exterior. The late Sir John Mills has a small part as Col. Scudder.However handsome and charming Mr Powell is,Sir John is the focal point for all their scenes together - his very presence compels you to watch him for the whole time he is on the screen.It is one of my favourites amongst his later performances. "The 39 Steps" is the sort of film I like to recommend to my friends and sit back smugly - mightily pleased with myself - when ,without fail, they say how much they enjoyed it. From the decade that style forgot - it's got style.