User reviews

It's hardly fair to compare this to the Hitchcock version (which was made when Buchan was not yet a well-known author). I think the Hitchcock film is the better as a film, although there are a few stodgy moments (with the crofter, for instance), but lots of lovely visual ideas to compensate (the Bridge scene, the missing digit, and the ending). But Hitchcock's is not a filming of Buchan's novel. It's something quite different. The first remake (with Kenneth More) was a remake of the Hitchcock film, not the book. With this version, we were told it would be faithful to the original, but, yes, the ending is stolen from an old Will Hay film (which was very much before its time, with its black humour). So this is not really a remake of the Hitchcock film, but neither is it faithful to Buchan (which I must re-read). But it is enjoyable, the period feel is good, and I personally like Ed Welch's concerto score.

Although it is not 100% faithful to the book, it is the most faithful in spirit of the four versions I've seen. Of the four though on its own, I do prefer Hitchcock's 1935 film, for how well made and directed it is and how suspenseful it is. This version is better however than the well done if slightly flat 1959 film and the awful 2008 TV adaptation. The pace sags in the middle perhaps, but this is a very well done film both as an adaptation and on its own merits. The locations look beautiful and are very atmospherically photographed, while the score adds much to the often thrilling and suspenseful tone. The script is intelligent and does feel as though it's flowing naturally, and the story is securely paced and the suspense is in equal measure with Hitchcock's like with Hannay's escape from the train. If there is one scene though that I prefer over the Hitchcock film, it's the climax, which I found thrilling and not as rushed. Robert Powell has both the bearing and charm for Richard Hannay, Karen Dotrice is a likable female interest and David Warner is an ever charismatic presence. The villains are suitably ruthless also. All in all, a very well done film, well made, engaging and mostly faithful. 8/10 Bethany Cox

R Houghton's review claims that "...with this version, we finally get the story as it was written."

This is a very long way from true. To note only three departures, the thirty-nine steps of the original text do not refer to the steps leading up to Beg Ben, but to a staircase leading from a house in Bradgate down to the sea; in the original text, Scudder is knifed in Hannay's flat; and the scene of Hannay clinging to the hands of the clock appears nowhere in Buchan's novel.

But all that said, this production is a fine piece of work in its own right, having great pace, style and atmosphere, and with some first-class acting from Robert Powell.

Most of the people I spoke with about the 39 steps refer to the Hitchcock's 1935 version as the best one. Well most of these people haven't seen the 1978 version. If any of you will have a chance to see it, don't miss it as this version is story closer to John Buchan's book than Mr. Hitchcock's film.

Unfortunately, the 1978 version wasn't released on video in Europe (I believe it was released only in the US).

Robert Powell - stunning; David Warner - excellent; Prussian Agents - villains at their best.

b.t.w. very good music by Ed Welch.

This is about as far removed from the Hitchcock version as you could imagine. For starters, instead of a beautiful female spy you get John Mills, (though his demise with a knife in his back in the arms of the hero in a public place might be taken as a tribute to "North by Northwest"; it's even got Hannay menaced by a plane on a lonely moor). It is, in fact, a reasonably faithful rendition of the book where Hitchcock's was a fanciful re-imagining, (and a good deal more fun), but it's no disgrace. Indeed as a Boy's Own Adventure it's thoroughly enjoyable; a Ripping Yarn in fact, with a splendid cast of British character actors, good use of locations and a spiffing climax involving Big Ben.

Robert Powell's Hannay is considerably more po-faced than Robert Donat's, (he's too stiff to be a proper action hero), and comes over as a bit of a boor. Still, you wish him well and are happy to perch close to the edge of your seat as he dodges both the police and the dastardly Huns as he attempts to clear his name. Love interest, for what it's worth, is provided by Karen Dotrice, and whose character is an amalgam of Peggy Ashcroft's and Madeline Carrol's, but this is a film in which soppy girls needn't bother us; the heroes and villains keep it ticking along nicely.

Good remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic. Not as good as the original, but entertaining enough. Plot is not identical to the original - less complex, more contemporary, though, interestingly, is set in an earlier period.

Decent performances, though none stand out.

I was never really crazy about the Hitchcock version of this story. Hitch too often "fiddled" with an original story, and although so often made a great movie, it was seldom true to the story as it was first written. The later remake with Kenneth Moore, was a little more glossy, but flat. But with this version, we finally get the story as it was written. Superior photography on location, really help to make this a real winner. Evenly paced, with fine acting performances by the entire cast, the whole film just flows. Excellent production values, recreate the period flawlessly. If I had a criticism, it would be of the rather fanciful climax, but it was still fun. This movie is for enjoying over and over again.

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.

This is an exciting, well acted version of the Thirty Nine Steps. David Warner is appropriately evil as the head of the Nazi's moles, Robert Powell is a convincing reluctant hero who has been thrust into mystery & danger, Sir John Mills is great as the voice of warning and reason against the pending threat of war, and Karen Dotrice is very sweet as the romantic interest now that she is all grown up. Compared to the earlier Hitchcock version (which we also like) this story is much more believable and less campy.

We love it and watch it every few months. Our only disappointment is that our VHS is getting worn and we can't find a replacement in either VHS or DVD.

This is a dated and rather corny remake of one of Alfred Hitchcock's finest films. The plot is preposterous, Hannay for example jumps the London to Scotland train to avoid the police somewhere across the border and is within minutes tracked by his enemies, this despite being set in the 1st world war period when transport was severely limited. The music soundtrack is bombastic and over-egged ( I thought I was watching a 70's ITV drama serial,) but typical of British films in the 70's.

The characterisation is either stereotyped or totally lacking in emotion. David the fiancé of the female lead is murdered and she shows no sign of mouning or trauma smiling at her new love Hannay over a "cup of breakfast tea" Robert Powell was a matinée idol and this vehicle was all abhout showcasing him and taking advantage of his then UK popularity.

End scene at Big Ben is the signature moment and is spectacular. The best past of this below par work.

This 1978 version of "The 39 Steps" is an excellent film, well worth one's time. The film follows the John Buchan novel closely, except for its climax which, according to Halliwell, is taken from Will Hay's "My Learned Friend"; thus, there is little similarity in plot and characters between this film and the Hitchcock version. There are no handcuffed characters racing about (Thank God!) nor villains with truncated digits.

This film is well cast and performed throughout, with special mention of Robert Powell, John Mills, and David Warner. Made in color, it features beautiful scenery, especially the train trip to Scotland and Hannay's flight over the moors. It has fine period detail and costumes, the equal of anything in Merchant-Ivory films. And it has a lush, romantic score that swept me right along into the film.

The film does reference Hitchcock in a number of ways, most obviously in the plane search for Hannay, which recalls the plane attacking Cary Grant in "North by Northwest." And the climax that takes place on the face of Big Ben is exactly the sort of thing Hitchcock might have done, what with his fondness for using famous landmarks in his films.

The suspenseful climax is as good as anything Hitchcock ever did. But throughout, the film has good suspense. Hannay's escape from the train on the bridge here is better than the Hitchcock scene. And the terrorists' activities as shown here are very modern in that they are ruthless killers.

The people who were involved in making this film have nothing to apologize for. It's a fine film, and it's too bad that it has been overshadowed by the Hitchcock version. Don't miss this one.

THE THIRTY NINE STEPS is the third adaptation of John Buchan's famous spy novel, following the Hitchcock film and the 1950s-era remake with Kenneth More. The 1950s version remade the Hitchcock film and copied a lot of the elements like the villain with a missing digit and the hero being handcuffed for an extended time. This fresh-faced '70s outing ignores the Hitchcock film totally and goes back to basis to provide a more authentic version of the original novel.

And it's a great little movie! Okay, Don Sharp was no Hitchcock, but he always knew how to shoot fine-looking films and THE THIRTY NINE STEPS is no exception. It has bags of atmosphere to boot, and out of the three adaptations it's the one that has the best spy genre feel to it. It moves along at a cracking pace, slipping in humour and suspense and providing a great time for the viewer along the way.

Robert Powell had a decent decade of playing leading man roles before he disappeared off cinema screens in the mid '80s and this is one of his best productions. His Richard Hannay is more realistic and less cinematic than most, more ordinary and a bit stand-offish to begin with. His character grows on you as the story progresses thanks to his sheer determination so that by the halfway mark the viewer is fully behind him.

The supporting cast is a cracker too: John Mills as the ally, David Warner as the villain, plus a meaty turn from Ronald Pickup as a heavy. The only weak spot is Karen Dotrice, whose bland love interest threatens to drag things down; thankfully she doesn't, and the thrills and spills carry on right until the climax as set-piece builds on set-piece. It sounds strange to say it, but I find THE THIRTY NINE STEPS to be the definitive version of the story and a film that narrowly outdoes Hitchcock at his own game.

I still look upon the Robert Donat performance as the measure of this story, the essence of his Hannay being his naivity and innocence when catapulted into the situation. Robert Powell was far too wordly wise and knowing.

And so much of the story has been perverted and changed. A grave mistake. Neverthless, I have scored it 7 as I would have thought better of it if I had not had experience of the "genuine" article!

I can now say I have watched all the film (not television) adaptations of this story that was originally brought to the big screen by legendary director Alfred Hitchcock in 1935 and I was pleasently surprised by how much enjoyment I got out of watching it after being in the minority it appears in liking the 1959 Kenneth More version.

I liked the casting of Robert Powell as Hannay. He puts in a good performance throughout. Suspenseful, dashing, and a little bit Hitchcockian in the final sequence I thought. A sequence atop Big Ben that shows all the 1970s pre-CGI effects in their glory! It's a sequence that Hitchcock would have been proud of yet it is original to this film. Another mark of originality was Hannay's escape from the train that wasn't on the Forth bridge.

Hannay's bike disappears. When Hannay leaves the political rally, he steals a bike. Later he is seen running across the moors and his bike reappears. All in all a very good film for a Sunday Snooze. The love interest scenes tend to drag on a little bit for my taste, but the scenes where he is drugged are funny.It is a remake of the Kenneth Moore film and Robert Powell put his own stamp on it the payoff where Hannay escapes from the room whilst paralysed is excellent. the locations are rather twee and typical of the major b films of the seventies. Obviously the final scene at the Palace of Westminster are a fitting climax to the film

The finale on Big Ben is thrilling, but in the main, this version of John Buchan's classic adventure 'The 39 Steps' only suggests that little has been learnt since Hitchcock made his celebrated version over 40 years earlier. There's minimal atmosphere, and plot, characterisation and acting are all poor. At one point, the heroine's fiance is murdered and she barely bats an eyelid (it's also quite funny watching her attempt to run away from the evil Prussian agents). Ridiculous and dull.