The 39 Steps Is A Light On Its Feet Thriller

Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) did not intend to get swept up in a world of espionage. He merely intended to go out and see this guy who can commit any fact to memory. That outing ended with somebody pulling out a gun and causing the crowd to devolve into chaos. Oh well. Not every night out can go according to plan. At least he managed to get a pretty lady named Annabella Smith (Lucie Mannheim) to come home with him. Of course, she’s got some very serious matters on her brain by the time she returns to Richard’s domicile. Turns out, she’s actually a spy whose being pursued by two gentleman who proceed to murder Annabella during the night.

Now, Richard’s been framed for the crime. To clear his name, he’ll have to complete Annabella Smith’s mission, which entails traveling to the Scottish Highlands and foil the stealing of vital British military information. The premise that ensues in The 39 Steps is like a proto-version of Alfred Hitchock’s later directorial effort North by Northwest. Both concern everyday men who accidentally get embroiled in a larger spy plot that’s way over their head. 39 Steps may be reminiscent of North by Northwest but it’s still able to establish its own identity separate from that Cary Grant vehicle.

Among the most distinctive qualities of the 39 Steps screenplay penned by Charles Bennett and Ian Hay is how it creates tension out of making Richard suffer relentless defeats. As if to hammer home how he’s far from an expert spy, none of Richard’s plans for avoiding trouble work. An attempt to appeal to the emotions of a female train passenger, Pamela (Madeleine Carroll), in an attempt to evade the police simply results in Pamela selling Richard out. Later, it appears Richard has solved all his problems thanks to a helpful Scottish sheriff. Turns out, the sheriff’s got his own agenda and has called in a slew of officers to take Richard down.

There’s danger lurking around every corner of 39 Steps, even in the most seemingly helpful of places. Only a pocket bible that stops a bullet from entering Richard’s heart proves all that handy in his escapades. This onslaught of complications keeps the plot consistently engaging. You really get engrossed in figuring out just how Richard will get out of this problem or if he’ll even get out at all. All the while, Bennett and Hay execute the story with a light-on-its-feet approach that keeps the story moving at a steady clip. Their ability to make sure nothing in the story goes to waste also proves commendable.

From helpful innkeepers to a coat Richard snags to even the man who memorizes fact from the opening scene, everyone and everything in 39 Steps is bound to be some kind of Chekov’s Gun just waiting to go off. Just as fun as the writing is the lead performance of Robert Donat, who keeps a confident and polite air about him even when Richard is practically shoulder-deep into quicksand. That quality of his performance provides a kind of anchor viewers can latch onto during the torrential storm of disappointments his character endures. No matter how bad things get, Donat’s performance will be reliably composed, even when he’s portraying Richard giving an improvised political campaign speech.

Donat also proves to be a lot of fun bouncing off of Madeleine Carroll once Pamela re-enters The 39 Steps as a co-lead in the third act. Initially, their chemistry is mostly just humorous, with Donat’s Richard sarcastically acting like the experienced killer Carroll’s Pamela believes he is. Later on, though, once Pamela finally realizes that Richard is actually innocent, the two do develop some enjoyably sweet chemistry as the two characters form a romantic bond. Look at that! Richard did get something good out of that night out gone awry! True, he had to avoid bullets and murder charges all through The 39 Steps, but still! He’s romantically involved with a character played by Madeleine Carroll! That ain’t half-bad!