3 x Very Nostalgic Classic DVD Movies The 39 Steps:SUPERB!!

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay UK

Iam Offering For~Sale The Three Superb Classic Movie Versions of The 39-Steps From the 1935 Hitchcock masterpiece to the 1978 Robert Powel version & the 1959 Kenneth More version In the Middle all quite individual potrails of this wonderful story of Suspense & Intrigue 1935 Actors: Robert Donat , Madeleine Carroll , Lucie Mannheim , Godfrey Tearle , Peggy Ashcroft Directors: Alfred Hitchcock Writers: Charles Bennett , Ian Hay , John Buchan Producers: Ivor Montagu , Michael Balcon Format: PAL Language: English Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired: English Region: Region 2 Number of discs: 1 Classification: U Studio: ITV Studios Home Entertainment A high point of Hitchcock's pre-Hollywood career, 1935's The Thirty-Nine Steps is the first and best of three film versions of John Buchan's rather stiff novel . Robert Donat plays Richard Hannay, who becomes embroiled in a plot to steal military secrets. He finds himself on the run; falsely accused of murder, while also pursuing the dastardly web of spies alluded to in the title. With a plot whose twists and turns match the hilly Scottish terrain in which much of the film is set, The Thirty-Nine Steps combines a breezy suavity with a palpable psychological tension. Hitchcock was already a master at conveying such tension through his cinematic methods, rather than relying just on situation or dialogue. Sometimes his ways of bringing the best out of his actors brought the worst out in himself. If the scene in which Donat is handcuffed to co-star Madeline Carroll has a certain edge, for instance, that's perhaps because the director mischievously cuffed them together in a rehearsal, then left them attached for a whole afternoon, pretending to have lost the key. The movie also introduces Hitchcock's favoured plot device, the "McGuffin" (here, the military secret), the unexplained device or "non-point" on which the movie turns. -- David Stubbs 1959 Product details Format: PAL Language: English Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired: English Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats. ) Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1 Number of discs: 1 Classification: U Studio: ITV Studios Home Entertainmen While it's true that this 1959 screen adaptation of The 39 Steps pales in comparison to Alfred Hitchcock's seminal 1935 version, it's still a thoroughly enjoyable romp that compensates for a lack of any tension whatsoever with a generous dose of genial good humour. Affable Kenneth More's 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 and Elg fail to radiate any sexual chemistry, even when scandalously forced to share a room and a bed. Much better are the delightful cameos: Sid James as a roguish lorry driver; Brenda De Banzie as voluptuous psychic Nellie; and Joan Hickson as a simpering teacher. As a thriller it's hardly in the same league as North by Northwest , but as a window on life in England and Scotland in the 1950s, this 39 Steps has much to recommend it. -- Mark Walker 1978 Actors: Robert Powell , David Warner , John Mills , Eric Porter , Karen Dotrice Directors: Don Sharp Format: Import, PAL, Widescreen Region: Region 2 (Read more about DVD formats. ) Number of discs: 1 Rated: Unrated Run Time: 98 minutes This 1978 production is well mounted, the period recreation impeccable, and the cast ideally suited to their roles especially Robert Powell as Hanney, David Warner as the villainous Appleton and John Mills as the spy who sets everything into motion. The young woman playing the love interest is Karen Dotrice, the daughter of actor Roy Dotrice (AMADEUS). If she looks somewhat familiar but you can't place her, she was the little girl Jane in Walt Disney's MARY POPPINS 14 years earlier. Special mention should be made of the cinematography by John Coqui... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.