the thirty-nine steps (pt.i)

a while back i mentioned in the golden fish summer reading list (# ) that i would be reading john buchan’s excellent mystery thriller ”mr. standfast”. well, i read it through at breakneck speed and was truly disappointed when it finally came to an end. the good news i discovered is that the protagonist in that story richard hannay also has lead roles in four other books. it is this that enriches amazon’s overflowing coffers!

the first in the series is buchan’s most famous novel, “the thirty nine steps”, it is followed by ”greenmantle”, which in turn is followed by the previously mentioned “mr. standfast. hannay then appears in ”the three hostages”. hannay also appears in a minor role in ”the courts of the morning”, returning to the protagonist’s role in ”the island of sheep” and finally in ”sick heart river” which was published posthumously.

i remember reading the thirty-nine steps when i was in grade six, way back in 1969 and at the time i sort of understood it but to be honest i was much more interested in scott young’s hockey books, the hobbit, and the hardy boys and so i didn’t really sink my teeth into the thirty nine steps. however, as an adult i have seen a couple of the film versions and it is one of those that i will start to share here today.

the three versions of the thirty nine steps were filmed in 1935, 1959, and again in 1978. the version i prefer, and the one that is most widely considered the best is the one i’ll share here today directed by none other than the great alfred hitchcock. hitchcock took several liberties with the plot, crafting it to match his fascination with innocent men on the run. a theme that carries through into his excellent films, “saboteur” and “north by northwest”. that having been said, the film more than holds together and through the introduction of a love interest, is more colourful for the “adjustments”.

today richard meets a beautiful, mysterious woman pursued by gunmen. hmmmm perhaps it’s time to try and figure out who she is and what she wants richard for!

here then is the first of three installments of the thirty nine steps.
part one.
part two.
part three.

should you have lots of time on your hands and not wish to see the serialized version i will present over the next three posts then you can watch this version in its entirety here:

should you wish to read the book, it is available here as a pdf.