The 39 Steps, 1935


When a man finds a woman he’s just met has been murdered in a his apartment, he leaves town on a train to save his own life. The next morning, he sees a newspaper article naming him as the murderer. He believes this woman was trying to stop an enemy spy, so he follows the clues she left him. He tries to find allies to help him, but few would believe the truth.

I’ve heard about this movie for years and finally saw it. The movie is an adaptation of the novel by John Buchan. When I found out it was a Hitchcock directed movie, I couldn’t pass it up any longer.

Robert Donat played the main character with extraordinary good humor despite insurmountable odds. I think anyone in their right mind would’ve freaked out a few times. However, the fact that he didn’t ever truly freak out makes me like the character more.

This is the same Donat who won his only Best Actor Academy Award for his 1939 performance in Goodbye, Mr. Chips by beating out competitors like Clark Gable (Gone With The Wind), Laurence Olivier (Wuthering Heights), Mickey Rooney (Babes in Arms), and James Stewart (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington). I cannot imagine heavier competition than that.

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