Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
While it's true that this 1959 screen adaptation of The 39 Steps pales in comparison to Alfred Hitchcock's seminal 1935 version, it's still a thoroughly enjoyable romp that compensates for a lack of any tension whatsoever with a generous dose of genial good humour. Affable Kenneth More's Richard Hannay more closely resembles the kind of roles Cary Grant was playing for Hitch in the late 1950s; Finnish blonde Taina Elg, in the somewhat unlikely role of a prim Scottish schoolmistress, is his love interest. Although handcuffed together, More and Elg fail to radiate any sexual chemistry, even when scandalously forced to share a room and a bed. Much better are the delightful cameos: Sid James as a roguish lorry driver; Brenda De Banzie as voluptuous psychic Nellie; and Joan Hickson as a simpering teacher. As a thriller it's hardly in the same league as North by Northwest, but as a window on life in England and Scotland in the 1950s, this 39 Steps has much to recommend it. --Mark Walker
DVD Description
In Ralph Thomas' 1959 version of John Buchan’s classic thriller, The 39 Steps, Kenneth More ("Reach For the Sky") plays Richard Hannay--the innocent man caught up in international intrigue. After Richard meets a young nanny and takes her back to his flat, he soon learns that she is not all that she seemed to be. When she is murdered and Richard becomes the prime suspect, he suddenly finds himself on the run from the police and heading toward Scotland in search of the secret behind the mysterious "39 Steps".
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kenneth More Classic,
By Paul Ryan (MELBOURNE, VICTORIA Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The 39 Steps [DVD] (DVD)
I love this movie and rate The 39 Steps in the league of Reach for the Sky. The suspense, the acting and the country-side in this film all add to its timeless charm. In fact I love and own most of Keneth More's movies. He is a great actor and adds that little extra to his various roles. I presently own a VHS edition but now it has been released on DVD - it is a must have. I can't recommend this and other Kenneth More's movies more highly for the true movie buff.
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The 39 Steps - Kenneth More, 1959, Color,
By
This review is from: The 39 Steps [DVD] (DVD)
Director Ralph Thomas is back with his 1959 color version of the Hitchcock classic, "The 39 Steps." After his successful directing of "The Clouded Yellow," the 1951 black and white classic (with Trevor Howard and Jean Simmons) in a similar vein, we can now see actor Kenneth More (also in "The Clouded Yellow") as a man of the world accidentally mixed up in murder and espionage. An attractive British agent recruits him at the moment of her death to foil the plot of foreign enemy agents to get a secret British ballistic missile plan out of the country. He must also clear his name of the agent's murder, murdered in his flat minutes after her arrival. A perfect mix of intrigue and lighthearted entertainment, it has elements of Hitchcock throughout with a lighter twist reflecting the post World War, present Cold War atmosphere of the U.K. in the late 1950s. Great chemistry between Kenneth More and Taina Elg. The impossible-to-find, original Rank film is now at last available again on dvd. A must-see for any Hitchcock fan.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent update of the 1935 Hitchcock classic,
By
This review is from: The 39 Steps [DVD] (DVD)
A British diplomat (Kenneth More) finds himself embroiled in an espionage crisis when a spy (Faith Brook) is murdered in his flat and he is accused of her murder. With the information provided to him from the woman before she was killed, More escapes to Scotland where he hopes to pass on this information to one of her confederates. But, of course, it's never as easy as that and miscalculations and complications ensue. Based on the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film (itself based on the John Buchan novel), this film has a broader comedic element to it than the original film version as well as color and location shooting. It's pleasing in a docile, inoffensive sort of way though lacking the bite and wit of the Hitchcock film. Directed by Ralph Thomas, the film is also less successful in the casting of the new lead roles. More is a rather stodgy hero and Taina Elg (LES GIRLS) as the heroine handcuffed to More, while lovely, seems most uncomfortable. Music by Clifton Parker. With Brenda De Banzie, Joan Hickson and Barry Jones.
The ITV DVD from Great Britain is a nicely rendered transfer in a 1.33 ratio which is a little tight since it seems designed for 1.85 exhibition.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
