Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free First Class Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
14 used & new from £3.45
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Thirty Nine Steps [DVD] [1959]
 
See larger image 

See 1 customer image
Share your own customer images

The Thirty Nine Steps [DVD] [1959]

DVD ~ Kenneth More
3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
Price: £3.98 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £6.01 (60%)
In stock.
Items for dispatch to UK will be sold by Amazon's Preferred Merchant. (Why?) Gift-wrap available.

13 new from £3.67 1 used from £3.45
Learn about Lovefilm
Amazon's choice for DVD rental.
With a 14 day FREE trial. Learn more

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this item with The 39 Steps [DVD] [1935] DVD ~ Robert Donat

The Thirty Nine Steps [DVD] [1959] + The 39 Steps [DVD] [1935]
Price For Both: £10.76

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: The Thirty Nine Steps [DVD] [1959] DVD ~ Kenneth More

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    Eligible for FREE UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • The 39 Steps [DVD] [1935] DVD ~ Robert Donat

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Thirty Nine Steps [DVD] [1959]
75% buy the item featured on this page:
The Thirty Nine Steps [DVD] [1959] 3.8 out of 5 stars (6)
£3.98
The 39 Steps [DVD] [1935]
17% buy
The 39 Steps [DVD] [1935] 4.3 out of 5 stars (21)
£6.78
The 39 Steps [1978] [DVD]
3% buy
The 39 Steps [1978] [DVD] 4.4 out of 5 stars (12)
The 39 Steps [DVD] [2008]
2% buy
The 39 Steps [DVD] [2008] 3.5 out of 5 stars (26)
£6.98
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Actors: Kenneth More, Taina Elg, Brenda De Banzie, Faith Brook
  • Directors: Ralph Thomas
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: U
  • Studio: ITV DVD
  • DVD Release Date: 7 Jul 2003
  • Run Time: 91 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00009QNTV
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 8,258 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

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".

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The 39 Steps [DVD] [1935]

The 39 Steps [DVD] [1935]

DVD ~ Robert Donat
4.3 out of 5 stars (21)  £6.78
The 39 Steps [1978] [DVD]

The 39 Steps [1978] [DVD]

DVD ~ Robert Powell
4.4 out of 5 stars (12) 
The 39 Steps [DVD] [2008]

The 39 Steps [DVD] [2008]

DVD ~ Rupert Penry-Jones
3.5 out of 5 stars (26)  £6.98
Genevieve -- Special Edition [DVD] [1953]

Genevieve -- Special Edition [DVD] [1953]

DVD ~ Dinah Sheridan
4.7 out of 5 stars (10)  £11.48
Hannay - The Complete Series [DVD] [2006]

Hannay - The Complete Series [DVD] [2006]

DVD ~ Robert Powell
4.0 out of 5 stars (5)  £29.98
› Explore similar items

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
(2)
(4)
(3)
(3)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(2)
(2)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Kenneth More Classic, 13 Jun 2003
By Paul Ryan (MELBOURNE, VICTORIA Australia) - See all my reviews
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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The 39 Steps - Kenneth More, 1959, Color, 16 Jun 2003
By Keith N. Moore (S.F. CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars This one is a bit sluggish, but if you like Kenneth More (and Brenda de Banzie) it's worth watching, 25 Aug 2007
By C. O. DeRiemer (San Antonio, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
It's quite possible to enjoy this 39 Steps, but it helps to see it fresh, without any recent memory of the 1935 Hitchcock version. That one is a classic of suspense, charm, testy romance, and surprises, abetted by two fine performances from Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. This 1959 Kenneth More vehicle maintains more-or-less the same plot line and contains some very good piece parts. While it doesn't add up to being in the same league with its elder sibling, it's good enough for a pleasant hour-and-a-half entertainment.

When a nanny Richard Hannay (More) had met accidently earlier in the day is murdered in his rooms after telling him there is an international plot involving ballistic missiles, he realizes he will be blamed by the police. So, after looking through the dead woman's purse and discovering a map where Glenkirk in Scotland is circled, off he goes to see if he can discover the man behind the plot...a man with part of a finger missing. What Hannay encounters along the way is a suspicious school teacher, Miss Fisher (Taina Elg), who turns him in on the train going to Scotland; a fortune teller; an all too knowledgeable professor; two killers; a clever escape while handcuffed to Fisher and, finally, the secret only Mr. Memory, a music hall performer, can unlock.

The movie has several good elements, especially the charm and confidence of Kenneth More as Hannay; some wonderful Scottish scenery (the movie is in color); great train rides and one exciting train escape; a ripely eccentric performance by Brenda de Banzie as a fortune-telling realist who helps Hannay; a menacingly friendly appearance by Barry Jones; a funny performance by Joan Hickson as a twittering school teacher that reminded me of a middle-aged Miss Marple on amphetamines; and an all too brief performance by Faith Brook as the nanny. For nostalgia buffs, the movie opens with the great J. Arthur Rank gong doing its reverberating thing.

Sadly, there is little chemistry between More and Elg. She most often only looks irritated. The spirit of the movie aims for light-hearted charm mixed with thrills, something More was very good at. To make the movie work, however, director Ralph Thomas and his editor needed to bring more energy to many of the thrills. Often the music score is used to set the tone, which is not always matched by the pace of the movie. To give Thomas credit, he was capable of delivering some menacing thrills as well as some fine, broad comedy. If you can track them down, The Clouded Yellow (1951), for romantic thrills and menace, and Doctor in the House (1954) and Doctor at Sea (1955), for comedy, are well worth viewing.

If you like Kenneth More and don't mind a relatively undemanding but pleasant adventure, you might enjoy this movie. I did. If you are one of those movie goers who fixate on how awful remakes of classics are, and indignantly make comparisons, this one will probably give you conniptions. The DVD looks a little soft but otherwise is just fine.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars The 39 steps - now in colour!
It almost seems like a legal requirement for the film industry to make a new film translation of Buchan's original book every decade or so, and this is the late fifties version... Read more
Published 5 months ago by DangermouseZilla

5.0 out of 5 stars A TRUE CLASSIC.
Absolutely fantastic. Terrific acting my More (as always) and a stunning supporting cast. Possibly one of the best films ever made. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. N. C. Kendell

3.0 out of 5 stars Not too bad.
This film is often maligned as being a very poor version of Buchan's story. Well, compared to the 30s version it is, but then most thrillers are. Read more
Published on 13 Nov 2005 by D. Pyke

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject






i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

Beauty without the Beast

Olay Regenerist Daily 3 Point Treatment Cream
From au naturel to party glam, we have all the best names in cosmetics and skincare.

›Discover Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

  

Train Hard...Play Hard

Nike, Gola, Converse, and more
Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

›Shop now

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates