I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

A great film and underrated because of its predecessors over inflated significance. Robert Powell's finest hour and a great cast of actors and actresses. The period setting of very late Edwardian and early 1900's feel is very accurate and pleasing to the eye. The steam train and Big Ben scenes are magnificent. The characterization is superb and the acting first class. Making any other version very unlikely to reach the zenith of the performances in this dramatization.The Late Sir John Mills adds urgency and class to the film, and the scene where Scudder's identity is revealed to the Prussian agents outside in the street, outside his apartment, is brilliantly played, and draws us into the film and the musical score adds excitement, urgency, verve and great atmosphere and grace.The film's warning of impending war with Germany only adds to the fascination with the film, and through retrospect we know that the First World happens, but the film's message of British agents and anyone caught up in espionage, during these tense years. Only goes to show how Britain was buying time, and trying to hold off the advances of its rapidly catching up super-power neighbour, that was becoming Germany.The Grand finale at Big Ben at Westminster was a treat to watch.The film cannot be faulted, because everything is flowing in pure visual delight.

I read one contribution here stating quite correctly that this is not a remake of the Hitchcock film, it is an entirely different treatment of the John Buchan book.Where I thoroughly disagree with that reviewer though is in his comment that some parts of the Hitchcock film were 'stodgy', "particularly the crofter scene"! How he could say that is beyond belief. The crofter scene is BRILLIANT! It involves fantastic acting from all 3 in the scene (including a young John Laurie from Dad's Army) who convey amazing thoughts and emotions without dialogue simply with their eyes and small gestures. It is pure cinema and pure genius as is the rest of that film.The Hitchcock version is light years better than this as a film (near perfect actually) but is only loosely based on a few ideas from the Buchan novel. This is more close to the novel but still strays from its source, wrongly so in this case. The novel is very good but this film drags and is quite poorly directed. It loses most suspense or interest and is very disappointing, I think.

John Buchan like Dornford Yates and "Sapper" is terribly unfashionable and Ur - British with his ex-public school men roaming the Empire and having "Good" wars before settling down and marrying upper middle class gels who may not be particularly bright but have a good seat and are fearless in The Hunt.Richard Hannay is one such hero,recently returned from the colonies and at a bit of a loose end in London,he is drawn into a plot to drag Britain into a war with a European neighbour. As played by Mr Robert Powell,Hannay is courageous,resourceful and clever,attributes that will be tested to the utmost before good triumphs over evil as,fortunately,it tended to in the innocent days before the first world war. Whilst Robert Donat was rather effete and Kenneth More too hearty by half,Mr Powell makes Hannay a formidable opponent for the diabolical machinations of David Warner. Director Don Sharpe brings with him the lessons learned from his TV work,this is a clean,no frills,crisply - photographed film with every shot counting.You can feel the cold of the British winter in every exterior. The late Sir John Mills has a small part as Col. Scudder.However handsome and charming Mr Powell is,Sir John is the focal point for all their scenes together - his very presence compels you to watch him for the whole time he is on the screen.It is one of my favourites amongst his later performances. "The 39 Steps" is the sort of film I like to recommend to my friends and sit back smugly - mightily pleased with myself - when ,without fail, they say how much they enjoyed it. From the decade that style forgot - it's got style.

I remember watching this film for the first time in India at the Lido in the city of Bangalore in the company of 18 people. I came away fascinated and the memory of the movie in the company of friends when you are a teen only adds to the nostalgia. Anyway, this is a period piece (pre WWI) whose plot is to drag England into a European war by assassinating the premier of Greece as he plans a speech at the parliament. They got the atmosphere down very well indeed with all the fog, gray London and the dampness of the English countryside. The Prussian agents are perfectly cast (stern and determined) as is the villain, David Warner (see him in Titanic, Holocaust, etc). Some sections of the film are very slapstick studio such as the rolling of a car in the thick of a London fog. All in all the atmosphere is very English and so is the direction. If it were not for the nice old motorcars, it'd be a period piece from the Victorian years. Anyway, this is early Georgian England in the wake of the Victorian era and consequently you'll see top hats worn by men and long bubble dresses worn by ladies (with umbrella and all). There are other nice touches in that an old bus with Shepard's bush written on the plates i thought was rather cute. The film is gripping and fast paced (and the English very well spoken and also with some South African slang such as 'dorp'). I wish there can be an NTSC version. However, it looks like IMDb needs to update the availability section because i purchased this film in DVD format at the Virgin store in London and the availability section makes no mention of the various formats.