 |
|
The Thirty Nine Steps
|
Article Index: [Background Info] [DVD Review] [Biographies] [Articles/Resources] [Link To This Article] Looking To Buy? |
Background Information: The Thirty Nine Steps
[Top]
The Thirty-Nine Steps is an adventure novel by John Buchan, first published in 1915. It is one of a number of Buchans works to feature Richard Hannay, an all-action hero with a stiff upper lip & a miraculous habit of getting himself out of sticky situations. The novel formed the basis for a number of film adaptations, notably Alfred Hitchcock s 1935 adaptation The 39 Steps. if { var tocShowText = show; var tocHideText = hide; showTocToggle; } John Buchan wrote The Thirty-Nine Steps while he was ill in bed with a duodenal ulcer, an illness which remained with him all his life. a story combining personal & political dramas. The novel marked a turning point in Buchan’s literary career & introduced his famous adventuring hero, Richard Hannay. He described a shocker as an adventure where the events in the story are unlikely & the reader is only just able to believe that they really happened. In May 1914, Europe is close to war & spies are everywhere.
Editorial DVD Review
[Top]
While its true that this 1959 screen adaptation of The 39 Steps pales in comparison to Alfred Hitchcocks seminal 1935 version, its still a thoroughly enjoyable romp that compensates for a lack of any tension whatsoever with a generous dose of genial good humour. Affable Kenneth Mores Richard Hannay more closely resembles the kind of roles Cary Grant was playing for Hitch in the late 1950s; Finnish blonde Taina Elg, in the somewhat unlikely role of a prim Scottish schoolmistress, is his love interest. Although handcuffed together, More & Elg fail to radiate any sexual chemistry, even when scandalously forced to share a room & a bed. Much better are the delightful cameos: Sid James as a roguish lorry driver; Brenda De Banzie as voluptuous psychic Nellie; & Joan Hickson as a simpering teacher. As a thriller its hardly in the same league as North by Northwest, but as a window on life in England & Scotland in the 1950s, this 39 Steps has much to recommend it.
Biography: Kenneth More
[Top]
 | Kenneth More CBE, was a successful British actor, best known for his films, though he also appeared on the stage & television. The two roles for which he became best known were that of real-life war hero Douglas Bader in Reach for the Sky & that of young Jolyon in the BBC s landmark 1967 dramatisation of The Forsyte Saga. More was married to the actress, Angela Douglas. http.//www .kennethmore .fsnet .co .uk/kennethmore .html.
Posters Of A Night To Remember Editors Choice: Reach For The Sky, Northwest Frontier, The Thirty Nine Steps, A Night To Remember, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, Sink The Bismarck, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Enid, View DVDology |
Additional Articles & Resources:
[Top]
Link To This Article:
[Top]
©2004-2008 DVDArk.co.uk
* Some data on DVD Ark is derived from this GNU FDL article.