The 39 Steps

Released Jun 18, 1935

1 hr. 20 min.

Mystery & Thriller

List

96%

55 Reviews

Tomatometer

86%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

While on vacation in London, Canadian Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) becomes embroiled in an international spy ring related to the mysterious "39 steps." Then he meets agent Annabella Smith (Lucie Mannheim), who is soon killed in his apartment. He must elude the police, who are hunting him for murder, while he tries to stop Professor Jordan (Godfrey Tearle) from sending secrets out of the country. Hannay is assisted by Pamela (Madeleine Carroll), an unwilling accomplice who discovers the truth.

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Critics Consensus

Packed with twists and turns, this essential early Alfred Hitchcock feature hints at the dazzling heights he'd reach later in his career.

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Eric S

Impossible to top this classic. Gets better with each viewing. Donat perfectly cast as the innocent Canadian drawn into spy thriller.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/11/24

Full Review

harwee h

Masterpiece Hitchcock, amongst the best of his pre-hollywood films. You see the talent, the technique here years before he moved to hollywood.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/25/24

Full Review

acsdoug D

I felt the set up to be very implausible and the ending a little too pat. Hitchcock's direction is excellent however.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/25/24

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Alec B

Near perfectly executed entertainment elevated by Hitchcock's craft. The last 5 minutes are just astounding.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

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Steve D

I don't get the hype at all.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/04/24

Full Review

nick s

The directing and cinematography were good. The story was interesting, though not stitched together in a plausible or satisfying way. Worth a watch but not Hitchcock at his best.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/11/23

Full Review

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Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Robert Donat

Richard Hannay

Madeleine Carroll

Pamela

Godfrey Tearle

Professor Jordan

Lucie Mannheim

Miss Annabella Smith

Peggy Ashcroft

Margaret, crofter's wife

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Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

The 39 Steps is a masterclass in propulsive narrative cinema that even today's so-called blockbuster auteurs should study.

Sep 9, 2015

Full Review

Martin Chilton

Daily Telegraph (UK)

The scene in which Mr Memory is asked at the London Palladium "What are the 39 Steps?" remains one of 20th-century cinema's most gripping moments.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 30, 2014

Full Review

TIME Magazine

The Thirty-Nine Steps neatly converts its essential implausihility into an asset by stressing the difficulties which confront its hero when he tries to tell outsiders about the predicament he is in.

Aug 5, 2014

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... an effortless balance of romance and adventure set against a picaresque landscape populated by eccentrics and social register smoothies, none of whom what they appear to be.

Oct 5, 2023

Full Review

Jorge Luis Borges

Sur

From an absolutely dull adventure story -- The Thirty-nine Steps by John Buchan -- Hitchcock has drawn a good film. He has invented episodes. He has inserted wittiness and mischievousness where the original contained only heroism.

Dec 15, 2021

Full Review

Forsyth Hardy

Cinema Quarterly

[Hitchcock] tells the story clearly and convincingly and the wildly melodramatic moments are in part offset by such well observed sequences as the Scottish political meeting, the Forth Bridge episode, and the discreetly managed scene in the inn bedroom.

Feb 4, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

While on vacation in London, Canadian Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) becomes embroiled in an international spy ring related to the mysterious "39 steps." Then he meets agent Annabella Smith (Lucie Mannheim), who is soon killed in his apartment. He must elude the police, who are hunting him for murder, while he tries to stop Professor Jordan (Godfrey Tearle) from sending secrets out of the country. Hannay is assisted by Pamela (Madeleine Carroll), an unwilling accomplice who discovers the truth.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter: John Buchan, Charles Bennett, Ian Hay
Distributor: Gaumont British Distributors, LS Video, Grapevine Video
Production Co: Gaumont British Picture Corporation Ltd.
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 18, 1935, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 12, 2017
Sound Mix: Mono

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