The 39 Steps (1935)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The 39 steps too: 39 steps |
| Original title | The 39 steps |
| Country of production | Great Britain |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1935 |
| length | 86 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Alfred Hitchcock |
| script | Charles Bennett |
| production |
Michael Balcon for Gaumont British Picture Corporation |
| music |
Louis Levy , Hubert Bath |
| camera | Bernard Knowles |
| cut | Derek N. Twist |
| occupation | |
| |
The 39 Steps (Original title: The 39 Steps ) is a film by Alfred Hitchcock in the year 1935 based on the novel The Thirty-nine Steps (The Thirty-Nine Steps) by John Buchan .
action
During a performance by "Mister Memory", a man who makes his living at fairs with his incredible memory that finds an answer to every question, shots are fired. Panic breaks out, people storm out and Annabelle Smith literally falls into the arms of Canadian Richard Hannay. She feels persecuted and invites herself to Hannay's home, where she confides in him that she is a spy. A certain foreign power has stolen secret documents, everything revolves around the mysterious "39 steps", she confides in Hannay, who, however, is unable to make any correct sense of it. She mentions a place in Scotland and that the leader of the spies has a mutilated little finger.
At night Annabelle rushes to Hannay's bed, where after a few words she dies with a knife in her back, a map with a marked location in Scotland in her hand. Pursued by the police, who believe he is Annabelle's killer, Hannay escapes and takes the train to the Scottish moor. When the train is searched by the police, he kisses an unknown young woman, Pamela, in order to deceive his pursuers. He explains the situation to her and asks her to cover him up, which she does not do, but identifies him to the police as the wanted man. Hannay escapes from the train by jumping and escapes on foot. He comes to a lonely house in the mountains, where he asks for shelter. Margaret, the young wife of the sullen, much older tenant, recognizes Hannay because of his clumsy reaction to a report about him in the newspaper. She helps him escape and gives him her husband's coat.
At the location he was looking for, Hannay meets Professor Jordan, an obviously respected citizen with a wife and children, whom he lets in on his story. However, the professor turns out to be the spy with the mutilated little finger and shoots Hannay. A hymn book in the breast pocket of his coat saves Hannay's life. He is now looking for support from the police who do not believe him. Hannay has to flee again and ends up in a campaign event where he is thought to be the main speaker. He improvises a speech, even answers questions from the audience and is cheered at the end. In the meantime, however, Pamela, of all people, turned up and handed him over to the "police". The "policemen" (actually Professor Jordan 's employees) also take Pamela (who thinks he is guilty) and handcuff her to Hannay.
Hannay can escape, but has to drag the unwilling Pamela with her. With the help of threats he can get them to cooperate in a certain way. As an allegedly newly wedded couple whose car breaks down, they find shelter in an inn. At night Pamela frees herself from the handcuffs there and overhears a phone conversation of the persecutors and now understands that they are not police officers. Now she finally trusts Hannay and tries to help him solve the problem by telling the story to Scotland Yard . However, Scotland Yard is unaware of the stolen documents and has Pamela monitored in order to locate Hannay in this way.
At an event in London at which the professor is supposed to get the secret information, Hannay and Pamela meet "Mister Memory" again. Now it becomes clear to Hannay that “Mister Memory” memorized the contents of the stolen documents and that these were then put back. Hannay asks him in front of the entire audience about the "39 steps". Since "Mister Memory" answers every question asked during the performance with great professional ethics , he comes out with the truth: it is a foreign espionage organization. Professor Jordan, who is hiding in a box, shoots him, causing "Mister Memory" to collapse. Jordan is caught by the police. With the last of his strength, "Mister Memory" reveals the contents of the stolen documents, the formula for a silent airplane engine. In the final scene the love between Hannay and Pamela is indicated.
background
- The film is based on the novel The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan from 1915, but only takes over the main theme and a few plot motifs.
- 39 levels is an early classic from the director. It follows the principle that the logic and course of the film are based on the tension and not necessarily on the chronology of the plot. The result is an episode film in which situations with the typical Hitchcock patterns like the innocent hero who has to restore his reputation in the course of an escape or search are strung together. A principle that Hitchcock also uses in The Invisible Third Party or Saboteure .
- This film also features the first encounter with a MacGuffin , the "39 Steps". Behind this is a spy ring, information that only serves to advance the plot.
- Hitchcock has a cameo in the film (approx. 00:05:46) as a passer-by who walks past a bus in a group and throws away a piece of paper.
- In 1959 Ralph Thomas shot a remake of the same name with Kenneth More and Taina Elg , which shows strong parallels to Hitchcock's version in several scenes in terms of camera work, editing and dialogue.
- The third film adaptation by British director Don Sharp followed in 1978 with Robert Powell in the lead role.
German versions
The original German cinema and television title was "39 steps" without "Die". The article was not added until the DVD was released. There are two German dubbed versions , the older one being replaced by a new version on behalf of ZDF in 1966 (dubbing book: Eberhard Storeck , dubbing director: Lothar Michael Schmitt ). This version has been shown since then.
| role | actor | Voice actor (version 1935) | Voice actor (version 1966) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Hannay | Robert Donat | Axel Monjé | Claus Jurichs |
| Pamela | Madeleine Carroll | Else Bernhard | Lis Verhoeven |
| Professor Jordan | Godfrey Tearle | Werner Pledath | Hans Cossy |
| Miss Smith | Lucie Mannheim | Till Klockow | Ingrid Andree |
| Mrs. Margaret Crofter | Peggy Ashcroft | Ursula War | Eva Kinsky |
| Mr. Crofter | John Laurie | Karl Hellmer | Hans Jürgen Diedrich |
| Mrs. Jordan, wife of the professor | Helen Haye | Luise Morland | Toni Treutler |
| Scottish sheriff | Frank Cellier | Karl Hannemann | Wolf Ackva |
| Mr. Memory | Wylie Watson | Willi Rose | Thomas Reiner |
Awards
The British Film Institute voted The 39 Steps in 1999 as the fourth greatest British film of all time .
Reviews
"Halfway clever conception, good image ideas, unsuccessful synchronization."
“The film jumps from one climax to another. A masterpiece of pre-war English cinema. "
“With an unrealistic but refined plot, intelligent dialogues and a director who uses all cinematic means in a virtuoso manner, the agent thriller is a happy synthesis of high crime suspense and absurd joke. Best cinema entertainment. "
“The absurd plot, which is woven around a chain of unbelievable coincidences, left Hitchcock free space to develop his powers of imagination. So the film develops in a rapid succession of constantly changing locations (...), but keeps a consistently brisk rhythm. Robert Donat's cosmopolitanism is admirably complemented by the cool charm of Madeleine Carroll, who led Hitchcock to her best portrayal here. Both performances and the funny and exciting script make the film a masterpiece of the humorous thriller. "
media
DVD release
- The 39 Steps - The 39 Steps . Euro Video 2002
- 39 steps . Falcon New Media
Soundtrack
- Hubert Bath , Jack Beaver , Charles Williams , Louis Levy : The Thirty Nine Steps - Excerpts from the Original Motion Picture Score , on: Rebecca. Music From the Alfred Hitchcock Movies . Disconforme sl / The Soundtrack Factory, Andorra 2001. Record no. SFCD33561 - Original Soundtracks.
- Jack Beaver , Louis Levy : The The Thirty Nine Steps - Suite , on: Psycho. The Essential Alfred Hitchcock . 2 CD set. Silva Screen Records, London 1999. Sound carrier no. FILMXCD 320 - digital new recording by the Prague Philharmonic conducted by Paul Bateman .
literature
- John Buchan : The Thirty Nine Steps . Roman (OT: The thirty-Nine steps ). Diogenes, Zurich 1980, ISBN 3-257-20210-5
- Robert A. Harris, Michael S. Lasky, eds. Joe Hembus : Alfred Hitchcock and his films (OT: The Films of Alfred Hitchcock ). Citadel film book from Goldmann, Munich 1976, ISBN 3-442-10201-4
Web links
- The 39 Steps in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The 39 Steps at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- Download the film from the Internet Archive
Individual evidence
- ↑ Thomas Bräutigam : Lexicon of film and television synchronization. More than 2000 films and series with their German voice actors etc. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-289-X , p. 273
- ↑ The 39 levels in the German synchronous index
- ↑ The 39 levels in the German synchronous index
- ↑ 6000 films. Critical notes from the cinema years 1945 to 1958 . Handbook V of the Catholic film criticism, 3rd edition, Verlag Haus Altenberg, Düsseldorf 1963, p. 322
- ↑ The 39 steps. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ Wolfram Tichy , Liz-Anne Bawden , et al .: rororo Filmlexikon. Volume 3: Films T – Z (OT: The Oxford Companion to Film ). Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1978, ISBN 3-499-16230-X , p. 664