The Thirty Nine Steps

I had a fun time with this one!

'The Thirty Nine Steps' gave me a lot of entertainment. Robert Powell puts in a top performance, as does John Mills; the whole cast are good, in fairness. Pacing is on point and the music is stellar. There are some nice set pieces too, namely on the railway and at Big Ben. I also really enjoyed the adventure feel.

One of many adaptations of John Buchan's novel, I see. This is my first experience of it in any form, I evidently chose a good one to start with. I ought to check out the other three (!) pictures at some point, especially the first that was directed by Alfred Hitchcock; I am still yet watch a movie of his, poor from me!

Hannay (Robert Powell) might have wished he hadnt answered his front door when he encounters the fleeing Scudder (Sir John Mills) who seeks shelter in his flat. Quickly, he has regaled his host with tales of international espionage, murder and duplicity and before he knows it, Hannay is on a train heading for the highlands with the police and some murderous spies in hot pursuit. Luckily, he is quite a quick-witted sort of a gent, and so when he stumbles upon a grouse shoot at a grand country estate, he manages to befriend Alex (Karen Dotrice) and David (Miles Anderson) and with a bout of divertion at the local Liberal election hustings finds he must race back to London to alert Insp. Lomas (Eric Porter) to the dangers of the 39 Steps, Ariad...