THE 39 STEPS (1935) | Movie Reaction | I Don't Believe You…
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- First time watching and reacting to THE 39 STEPS (1935) movie.
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Thoughts 18:48
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The movie doesn't have any background music most of the time. It makes me wonder if the silence is done on purpose to bring more attention to the Mr. Memory tune.
Hannay is an intelligent man who is good at improvising on the spot. We can see this when he changed the story he told the milkman, when he had to come up with a sudden speech, when he figured out Mr. Memory, etc.
If Annabella Smith had approached anyone else, they wouldn't have made it half as far as Hannay.
There's one thing I noticed about Crofter (the man who let Hannay stay the night in his house). He dislikes towns. As his wife puts it, "He says it's best not to think of such places and all the wickedness that goes on there". He stays in the countryside because "God made the country". He appears to be a religious person, yet he is also insecure and greedy.
In a very short period of time, he already suspects that his wife is cheating on him. Maybe this is due to jealousy towards Hannay, insecurity, or lack of trust with his wife. He collected money from Hannay before allowing him to stay the night (this is still fine and fair). But then, he extorted money from Hannay (when he promised to hide Hannay from the police) and asked the police for a reward for handing over Hannay! The guy can't be trusted.
"Talking" movies were relatively new at this point. Background music wasn't as sophisticated as it was then.
Go in Peace and Walk with God. 😎 👍
At least it has some music. In the first few years of "talking pictures" , there was no music at all, except for the credits. It was thought that audiences would wonder where is the music coming from
Yup, I knew this was right after the silent movie era. Still, I didn't expect the silence to be so jarring 😂. Guess I'm too used to having background music in movies.
"Audiences would wonder where is the music coming from." 😂 I thought there would be music playing during a silent movie, just no talking.
There's a chase scene with music in it, but listening to the waterfall and hearing the sheep baa and for an instant not having any heavy orchestral accompaniment to highlight every moment I find kind of refreshing as it allows the background noise not to be drowned out, which creates a daily life atmosphere.
A good example of this used well in modern films is Chinatown, if you look at the chase scene within the fields, or the nose-cutting scene, or the scene where Mr Giddies finally gets his way at the end - each major action part has no music, and this makes the action all the more tense for me for some reason.
Robert Donat is one of my favorite actors of all time. He was the original Mr. Chips (He won a best actor Oscar for the role against very stiff competition- James Stewart for “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington”, Clark Gable for
”Gone With The Wind”, and Laurence Olivier for “Wuthering Heights”). Thanks for reviewing this film. It doesn’t get reviewed too often.
1:57 The guy littering the street was Alfred Hitchcock.
one of the first movies i remember ever seeing. i did not fully understand the story as a 6 yo. But the iconic '' Who are the 39 steps?!'' question still remains in memory
One of a common theme in many Hitchcock films is the idea of the "common man" being caught up in big diabolical events beyond his understanding (at least at first).
i always liked that, its relatable but unrealistic in a nice way
Mr Memory was hypnotised surely. Love this movie. Robert Donat is a great all time star who doesn’t get his fair status now. Love him in The Winslow Boy. I think Hitchcock films run on dream logic, it’s all about generating the biggest feels
I feel the same way about Donat. He’s one of my favorite actors of all time. My favorite films of his are this one, “Goodbye Mr. Chips”, “The Citadel”, “The Count Of Monte Cristo”, “Knight Without Armor”, and most importantly to me “The Winslow Boy”. I grew up watching that movie on standard TV when I was a kid. I always loved it’s message about self sacrifice for what one believes in. Donat’s portrayal was so different from anything else I ever saw him do. He was a wonderful actor.
Bear in mind that this is nearly a century old now, on the far side of the last World War. Time performs an enchantment all its own
Hitchcock was still perfecting his craft in this film which came out in 1935. Later films use many of the same tropes, themes and plot devices but in more subtle or witty or dramatic ways. Compare this with later films such as Foreign Correspondent (1940) and North by Northwest (1959.)
At that point in his career, Hitchcock was still not given an especially large budget to work with, and he used a fair amount to hire Robert Donat and Madeline Carroll who were popular stars at the time. So, perhaps reducing the amount for a soundtrack was the result…?
Mr. Memory seemed to be somewhat controlled by a near-hypnotic mentality for things he memorized, and the more complex it was, the more he had to blurt out the full answer as if he was reading it aloud. Perhaps the 39 Steps was something he tried to suppress or hide or ignore, but when asked, he had to respond with the entire honest truth.
Hitchcock often leaves several parts of his films with unanswered questions, or vague assumptions, or with some ambiguity. Audiences in the past didn’t expect every aspect of a film to be completely explained; it created more discussion afterwards if some details were left for audiences to think about and answer for themselves.
Indeed, I understand this is still considered an early point in his career. Perhaps it is as you said, most of the budget was focused elsewhere.
It makes me wonder if Mr. Memory started his career on stage, then later became a spy, or the other way around. Memorizing so many things seems to have affected his overall logical thought 😂
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! 😊
I find North By Northwest quite stiff with the acting. The romance is cringe even.
Hollywood is always very smooth (and obviously draws on actors who are developed into big stars) and people can be programmed to think that's the only way to do films. It can be refreshing to see other films set in a different film studio or different culture/era. Sabotage may be the peak of 30s Hitchcock and one of his best in general.
And one of Hitchcock's best in Hollywood doesn't have much Hollywood glamour, The Wrong Man.
''We're Doomed'' Frazier, Dad's Army, about 35 years later
"I know what it is to feel lonely and helpless and to have the whole world against me, and those are things that no men or women ought to feel."
Fun Fact: Theatrical movie debut of Vida Hope.
Teacher's Pet Fact: Sir Alfred Hitchcock always regarded this as one of his favorite movies.
Author Approved Fact: During a private screening, Sir Alfred Hitchcock asked John Buchan, whose original plot had been used only very loosely, what he thought of the movie so far. Buchan replied: "Fascinating! I wonder how it will end."
Sheep Wangler Fact: The sixty-two imported sheep, upon arriving at the soundstage, immediately went to work on the bracken and bushes that had been brought with them. The infuriated crew had to replace the plants with ones hastily bought from a local nursery.
Method Director Fact: Before filming the scene where Hannay (Robert Donat) and Pamela (Madeleine Carroll) run through the countryside, Sir Alfred Hitchcock handcuffed them together and pretended for several hours to have lost the key in order to put them in the right frame of mind for such a situation.
The sheep weren't getting paid for their acting, so they ate everything they could 😂
That's just like Hitchcock to "lose" the key to the cuffs. Seems like he does that with a lot of the people in his movies.
Thanks for sharing! 😊
Sound movies were in their infancy when this movie came out; the recording equipment was crude and the cameras had to be put in special cases to muffle the sound of their motors. The fact that Hitchcock was able to make such a good film while dealing with the technical limitations of the time is quite impressive!
Oh, I didn't know that recording equipment was noisy back then. It seems like quite a lot of challenges to go through to make a sound movie (when it was considered a new thing).
That guy near the beginning who was littering was a fellow called Alfred Hitchcock!!!
He made sure there was a cameo appearance of him in every one of his films.
I always thought the two men at the phone booth outside Hannay's apartment knew their assignment was to assasinate Annabella, but being not entirely competent and acting on one order at a time had to call back Mr. No Pinky Finger to find out what to do with him. For some that dark London side street atmosphere, quiet and unassuming, helps carry that, What do we do with him? pause in the narrative and of course the boss says, We'll make it look like Hannay killed her, but this can't be revealed because Hitchcock only deals with the protagonist's point of view and we have to learn things only when he learns them. So some things are left unnerving and not entirely explained. Hitchcock's all about subjective experiences.
"Incompetent henchmen". Yes, that could be it. The two men assassinated Annabella but didn't know what to do with Hannay 😂.
It was partly remade in Hollywood with Saboteur. The scene at the farmhouse has an equivalent scene, but it's not as good as the earlier version. Hitchcock had no say in who the leading actress would be in Saboteur either to his annoyance, and she is inferior. So while that later film has a higher budget it's never talked about as being as good as The 39 Steps.
I like Saboteur, lots of memorable scenes and I like Priscilla Lane ,
@@darrenhoskins8382 It has its moments with some composition and staging though I disagree on the actress. The lead actor is less convincing in this role for me anyway. I prefer Robert Donat or Henry Fonda to him or Cary Grant in that 'wrong man' role.
5:20 A very clever sound cue. It made me jump when i saw it the first time.
I jumped too, on the inside 😂
Thank you very much for doing this movie! You're the first.
Really enjoyable watching your reactions! You notice details, and in fact cause me to view these films through new eyes. Having grown up watching classic movies I find I take for granted things that your comments cause me to rethink. For example, actions that don't really make sense, such as Mr. Memory answering Hannay's question about the 39 steps. I also enjoy your character analysis and observations about human nature. It is nice to see someone enjoying favorite films for the first time. Keep 'em coming! 👏
Glad you enjoyed it! 😊
There's more to come, and you're welcome to suggest any movies you'd like me to watch too 😉
I always assumed that question is the trigger/password for him to recount the information.
@@joebloggs396 yeah, most people i know who watched the film think it was a trigger, like the old trope of sleeper agents having an activation phrase
@@joebloggs396 So, once triggered by being asked the question Mr. Memory would be compelled to answer regardless of the circumstances. That is an explanation that makes sense.
Since do you like Hitchcock, react to high anxiety which is Mel Brooks’ homage to Alfred Hitchcock
I have High Anxiety on my list 😉. I plan to watch some more Hitchcock movies before High Anxiety, so I don't miss any jokes or references.
Another firearm mistake was made in this movie. The small pistol is not a revolver, it is an auto-loader.
You're right. I didn't even realize I said "revolver" 😂
@@henryellow No worries. It's Hitchcock's fault for using the wrong description and misleading the audience.
You're right about the cuffs. The earliest ones weren't really designed for women. The caption spelled it completely wrong when the innkeeper's said I kenned it all the time. Scotts say ken for know or understand. So kenned, or kent, means knew.
Mr Memory has an ideic recall. His guard was down and he memorizes by rote, not even bothering to truely understand much of it.
The 39 Steps is good but The Lady Vanishes, from 1938 is my favorite Hitchcock film during that period.
Did you know Hitchcock made The Man Who Knew Too Much twice? Once in the 30s and then again in Hollywood in the 1950. The second one had a much bigger budget and stars Jimmy Stewart. Both are good. 🧓🎭📽️😎
I prefer the earlier Man Who Knew Too Much. Though Sabotage may be his best 30s film.
@@joebloggs396 Oh, Hitchcock did love American icons. Can't say more 'til our young man sees it, but you know what I mean. 🧓📽️😎
Yes, Lady Vanishes is a pure delight. Michael Redgrave is another great Hitchcock leading man - with the typical witty, charming, clever and honest personality. And the film is nearly stolen by 2 supporting characters Caldicott and Charters.
@@Dej24601 I'm patiently waiting for Rebecca! Laurence Olivier's taste for excellent parts was spot on. Though I have to admit I really fell in love with him in As You Like It, as I first fell in love with all of Shakespeare's comedies .
I got the gist of what the innkeeper was trying to say 😂. I thought it was a slang word or something. There was also the time (when Hannay spent a night at the house in the country) the woman said "catched" instead of "caught".
Just like how students memorize things for their exams 😂. After the exam, all is forgotten.
The Lady Vanishes reaction will be out soon! 😉
Oh yes I noticed the two "The Man Who Knew Too Much" because I plan on watching it too.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! 😊