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User Reviews for: The 39 Steps

CinemaSerf
/10  3 years ago
Although it could never be anywhere near as good as the 1935 version, Kenneth More does a reasonable job as John Buchan's "Hannay" here. On leaving the theatre one evening, he finds himself with a new friend (Betty Henderson) whom he invites back to his flat. When he returns from the kitchen to tell her he has no sugar for the tea, he finds that isn't her top priority any more and he is soon embroiled in a murder and espionage mystery that could strike at the very heart of the kingdom. Armed only with a clue about a village in Scotland and a man with a missing finger, he sets off to get to the bottom of it all. Colour photography can be the enemy of films like this. The sense of peril and menace is frequently compromised by the brightness of the light. More tries hard, but he just hasn't the weight (nor the wit) to carry of this character - and the arrival of Taina Elg ("Fisher") once he gets to Scotland adds very little to the gravitas of the culmination to the story. It's fine to watch, a decent supporting cast - Brenda de Banzie, Reginald Beckwith and James Hayter all add a little, but in the end it isn't so much a thriller as a light-weight adventure film.
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