The 39 Steps (1959) Before any cinema purists start howling.........we're not handing out any great accolades for this fast, lighthearted, breezy attempt at a technicolor carbon copy of Hitchcock's classic 1935 original............
But that doesn't mean we didn't enjoy it..........being a long time Anglophile, we loved Kenneth More's cheeky yet stiff-upper-lip heroism.......as well as all his encounters with a veritable Who's Who of our favorite British character actors......(Sid James, James Hayter, Brenda de Banzie, Barry Jones, Michael Goodliffe and countless others.....)
Yep, we're well aware that director Ralph Thomas was no Hitchcock.........as brisk and colorful as this remake is, it's devoid of any real perverse sense of humor or stylistic touches......the unimaginative filmmaking here gets rescued over and over again by More's button-downed wit and the wondrous supporting cast.
At almost the exact 90 minute running time of the original, the remake hops, skips and races through all the "39 Steps" high points........the amazing human encyclopedia Mr. Memory, the murder of the woman secret agent in the apartment of Richard Hannay (More), the wrongly accused Hannay's cross country escape across the Scottish Highlands (this time using the real Highlands in rich color), the villain with the missing finger, and Hannay's romance with the innocent girl (Taina Elg) he finds himself handcuffed to.......it's all there, and still huge fun to watch even without the Hitchcock flourishes.
And before we close this post, let's not forget to mention Clifton Parker's sprightly music score, which knows not to take the film too seriously......
No great claims to make about this one........but if you warm to all things British (as we do), don't be a cinema snob and turn your nose up at it just cause it's a remake. The BQ still had a jolly good time......3 stars (***)
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