The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) Directed by Don Sharp
Adventure / Drama / Thriller
Film Review
This third screen adaptation of John Buchan's thriller novel The Thirty-Nine Steps may be the
one that is most faithful to the original story, but it is by far the
weakest and appears hopelessly pedestrian compared with Hitchcock's The 39 Steps (1935) and the
subsequent 1959 version by Ralph Thomas. The glossy production
values and distinguished cast are merely window dressing for what is
pretty well an aimless run-around which is singularly lacking in charm
and tension. The film is most memorable for its fantastic climax,
in which Richard Hannay ends up suspended from the minute hand of Big
Ben, a sequence that was inspired by the Will Hay comedy My Learned Friend (1943) and looks
as ridiculous as it sounds. Heaven alone knows what prompted
Thames Television to allow Robert Powell to reprise his role in a
spin-off series, Hannay - the
actor is painfully miscast and looks as if he is slowly dying of boredom throughout the
film (and you can see why). The flaws in a lacklustre script are
magnified by the totally uninspired direction, and no amount of acting talent can
prevent this from being a lumbering misfire.
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Film Synopsis
England, 1914. With Europe on the brink of war, several prominent
British politicians are assassinated. Former intelligence officer
Colonel Scudder uncovers a plot to murder the Greek Prime Minister in
an attempt to plunge Europe into war. Pursued by enemy agents,
Scudder appeals to mining engineer Richard Hannay to hide him in his
London apartment. Whilst Hannay is buying tickets for a railway
journey to Scotland, Scudder is killed, in a way that makes Hannay
appear to be his assassin. Adopting various disguises to avoid
capture by the police, Hannay makes his way up to Scotland, to recover
a notebook which Scudder posted to a village there before his
death. The notebook contains details of the imminent
assassination plot and is desperately sought after by Scudder's killers...
Cast: Robert Powell (Hannay),
David Warner (Appleton),
Eric Porter (Lomas),
Karen Dotrice (Alex),
John Mills (Scudder),
George Baker (Sir Walter Bullivant),
Ronald Pickup (Bayliss),
Donald Pickering (Marshall),
Timothy West (Porton),
Miles Anderson (David),
Andrew Keir (Lord Rohan),
Robert Flemyng (Magistrate),
William Squire (Harkness),
Paul McDowell (McLean),
David Collings (Tillotson),
John Normington (Fletcher),
John Welsh (Lord Belthane),
Edward de Souza (Woodville),
Tony Steedman (Admiral),
John Grieve (P.C. Forbes)
Country: UK
Language: English
Support: Color / Color
Runtime: 102 min
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