It seems that every day THE 39 STEPS is on TV. Someone at the BBC seems to think that before he went to America, Hitchcock only ever made that and LADY VANISHES but this lesser known gem very nearly is just as good .....in fact it's very similar in style, story and feel.
If you like THE 39 STEPS you've probably watched this already but if you've not, watch it now!
Although this is so typical of 30s Hitchcock, it's also typical of his 40s and 50s output as well - all the tell tale signs are there but what comes screaming across more so is that subtle dark humour he infused into every scene. Quentin Tarantino did not invent subversion! Without being silly or comedic, this is a lot more fun than your usual murder mystery.
This is also a wonderfully joined up film where everything doesn't just get tied up at the end but you get clues masquerading as symbolism of how it will get tied up as it goes along. Such as up the scene near the beginning with the raincoat belt on the beach in the shape of a question mark to its big reveal at the end. Spotting things like this are very satisfying!
It's not 100% as good or as flashy as LADY or STEPS but it's still a big budget Gaumont-British production. If this had been the only film Mr Hitchcock ever made, I'm sure he'd still be famous just because of this.
What about the relatively B-list cast? A good director makes good actors and this is no exception to that rule. 17 year old Nova Pilbeam and 21 year old Derrick de Marney are both brilliant - they make acting look so easy which for us fans of 1930s films, we know is not always that easy!
If you like THE 39 STEPS you've probably watched this already but if you've not, watch it now!
Although this is so typical of 30s Hitchcock, it's also typical of his 40s and 50s output as well - all the tell tale signs are there but what comes screaming across more so is that subtle dark humour he infused into every scene. Quentin Tarantino did not invent subversion! Without being silly or comedic, this is a lot more fun than your usual murder mystery.
This is also a wonderfully joined up film where everything doesn't just get tied up at the end but you get clues masquerading as symbolism of how it will get tied up as it goes along. Such as up the scene near the beginning with the raincoat belt on the beach in the shape of a question mark to its big reveal at the end. Spotting things like this are very satisfying!
It's not 100% as good or as flashy as LADY or STEPS but it's still a big budget Gaumont-British production. If this had been the only film Mr Hitchcock ever made, I'm sure he'd still be famous just because of this.
What about the relatively B-list cast? A good director makes good actors and this is no exception to that rule. 17 year old Nova Pilbeam and 21 year old Derrick de Marney are both brilliant - they make acting look so easy which for us fans of 1930s films, we know is not always that easy!