Nearly every era in Hitchcock's directing career has incredible strengths. When we view a later film like "North by Northwest" we are tempted to say that "The 39 Steps" is simply a training film for the bigger budget, star studded film that came later. This is not true. This movie stands on its own. With wonderful actors like Robert Donat and Madeline Carrol, we are led on an intense ride, culminating in a crowded theater. There are amazing shots of the characters weaving their way through crowds, close ups used strictly for the purpose of moving the plot. With Hitchcock there is no excess. He is a poet with a camera. As the tension mounts and Donat's character becomes swept away in its arms, we are taken with it. His wisecracking character is out of words and must act, just as Cary Grant did in the aforementioned film. There is something lurking and we have to find out who it is and why does he need to know what he knows? I've seen this many times and will see it again.

I've seen this film twice. The first time, I thought it was an exciting and wonderful film that I would have probably scored a 9 had the IMDb been around then. I saw it again today and found that it only merited an 8 because of one glaring problem. Again and again and again, the hero (Donat) kept "miraculously escaping". Whether it was cops or spies--whoever caught him went all brain dead and allowed him to escape. Now the police think he is a murderer and the spies are afraid he'd uncover their ring--and yet BOTH seem to let this ordinary guy simply escape!? This does strain credibility a bit.

Now if you ignore this basic problem, you'll find that the rest of the film is rather cleaver. The dialog is good and the plot, though highly improbable, is very entertaining. So give it a try and try not to count how many improbable escapes occur!

While The 39 Steps doesn't quite make my top 5 of my favourite Hitchcocks, it easily makes it in my top 10. It is taut, well made and very exciting, with a clever plot that served as a common theme in later Hitchcock films, especially North By Northwest and an invigorating pace that makes it one of the faster paced Hitchcock films. Hitchcock's direction is once again superb, full of his fashioned, suspenseful touches, that helps give justice to some truly great set pieces, whether it is the well rounded climax, the scene when Donat and Caroll are forced to share a room(quite shocking in those days),the chase across the moors, the Crofter's cottage scene and the train sequence. Also helping is the splendid black and white cinematography, some excellent scenery and a rousing music score. Not to mention the performances, with Robert Donat winning as Hannay and Madelleine Caroll both alluring and icy as Pamela. Godfrey Tearle, Wylie Watson, Lucie Mannheim and Peggy Ashcroft give solid supporting turns, if careful not to overshadow the treat-of-a chemistry between Donat and Caroll. My only minor problem is that I feel the film, at just over 80 minutes, is a tad too short. Other than that, it is a truly great film. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox