The 39 Steps (1959 film)
| The 39 Steps | |
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Original British cinema poster
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| Directed by | Ralph Thomas |
| Produced by | Betty E. Box |
| Screenplay by | Frank Harvey |
| Based on |
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan |
| Starring |
Kenneth More Taina Elg Brenda De Banzie Sid James James Hayter Barry Jones Reginald Beckwith |
| Music by | Clifton Parker |
| Cinematography | Ernest Steward |
| Edited by | Alfred Roome |
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Production
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| Distributed by |
Rank Film Distributors (UK) 20th Century Fox (US) |
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Release date
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Running time
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93 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The 39 Steps is a 1959 British thriller film produced by Betty Box, directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Kenneth More and Taina Elg. It is a remake of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film, loosely based on the novel The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan.
In the film, diplomat Richard Hannay returns home to London, only to become inadvertently embroiled in the death of a British spy investigating the head of an organisation planning to sell the secret of a British ballistic missile. Hannay thus travels to Scotland to escape the police, and attempts to complete the spy's work.
It is the first colour version of the Buchan tale, and, unlike the mainly studio-bound original, features extensive location shooting. Several large set pieces (such as Hannay's escape from the train on the Forth Bridge and the music hall finale) and much of the dialogue are taken from the original film. As with the Hitchcock version, the scenario was contemporary rather than the pre-Great War setting of Buchan's original.
Coming to the assistance of a nanny who is almost killed during a bungled hit-and-run assassination attempt, Richard Hannay (More) is surprised to find that there is no baby in her pram. Curious, he meets her at the Palace Music Hall where she has gone to see the act of Mr Memory (James Hayter). Afterwards, she goes back to Hannay's flat with him, where she reveals that she is a spy working for British Intelligence following a group called "The Thirty-Nine Steps"; all they know about their elusive leader is that he is missing the tip of a finger. The Thirty-Nine Steps are in possession of a set of top-secret plans for "Boomerang", a British ballistic missile project that could tip the balance of power in Europe. She tells Hannay that she must leave for Scotland immediately, but while Hannay is out of the room, she is killed by two hitmen.
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