The 39 Steps [1978] [DVD]

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Robert Powell was cast in part because of his success in the mini series Jesus of Nazareth. The script did add a romantic interest for Hannay, played by Karen Dotrice. "You can't make a movie without women", said Smith. "You can't go through life without women." [1]

Meanwhile, the police, led by Hannay's former detective nemesis Lomas (Eric Porter), burst into the tower and shoot it out with the German spies. This whole Big Ben sequence is sometimes criticised for its improbability, but it does make for a spectacular finale and it's at least as entertaining as it is absurd. Inspired a TV series, Hannay, also starring Robert Powell in adventures not based on any of Buchan's other novels. Powell later reprised the role in the ITV series Hannay which ran for 13 episodes from 1988 to 1989.The film was directed by Don Sharp, an Australian who had worked in British films since the 1950s, mostly on thrillers, adventure films and the occasional horror movie. These included some Hammer horrors and a 1978 version of The Four Feathers, co-starring Robert Powell. As Big Ben is silenced for four years, Robert Powell recalls THAT scene from The 39 Steps". BBC PM. 21 August 2017. Kachka, Boris (13 January 2008). "How 'The 39 Steps' Went From Tense British Thriller to Broadway Comedy". New York Magazine . Retrieved 29 December 2016. The novel has been adapted many times, including several films and a long-running stage play. [2] In 2003, the book was listed on the BBC's Big Read poll of Britain's "best-loved novels." [4] Plot [ edit ] a b c Harper, Sue, Women in British cinema: mad, bad, and dangerous to know (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000) ISBN 978-0-8264-4733-3 p. 160

The Thirty Nine Steps". scotlandthemovie.com. Scotland the Movie Location Guide . Retrieved 8 April 2012. At the railway station, just seconds before he can reach Hannay, Scudder is murdered by the agents. With his dying breath he gives Hannay a message he doesn't understand. Hannay is mistaken by witnesses at the railway station as being the assailant and is arrested but is soon captured by the Prussians while being transferred to jail. During their interrogation of Hannay, they ask what he knows of the "Thirty Nine Steps". The Prussians allow him to escape in the hope he will lead them to the secret notebook. At St Pancras, Hannay manages to find Scudder's second notebook, but this turns out to be a dummy, with only a three-word riddle in it. Only Hannay can understand the riddle, which sends him to Scotland to find the real notebook. Hannay flees to Scotland on a train, but he is forced to make a daredevil escape on a bridge when the police board. The film's period setting gives it quite a different flavour to other spy films, including the previous film versions of this story. The re are splendid old cars, steam trains and an early monoplane. The period trappings are not completely authentic, and the railway train is a 1950s one with "Midland" painted on the carriages to represent the more period appropriate Midland Railway. But the film has good production values, with a generally convincing sense of period and it benefits from a pleasing score by Ed Welch . During the journey, he has a chance encounter with Miss Fisher ( Taina Elg), a netball coach at a boarding school for girls. He is forced to pretend they are lovers to avoid the police detectives who boarded at Edinburgh. However, Miss Fisher gives him away and Hannay jumps from the stationary train on the Forth Bridge. The casting of Finnish actress and dancer Taina Elg, meanwhile, was unpopular with contemporary critics, who felt her performance to be unconvincing, feeling that "her beauty is frozen by the uncertainties of ignorance, if not of neuroticism". [12] Other players were largely character actors with long associations with Pinewood Studios and producer Betty E. Box. [5] [13]A 2013, Scottish developer The Story Mechanics used the Unity game engine to create The 39 Steps, a digital adaptation. [44] [45] Interactive fiction [ edit ] The Thirty-Nine Steps first edition dustwrapper". Johnbuchansociety.co.uk. 19 October 1915. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013 . Retrieved 12 October 2013.

So while another screen version might seem redundant, the 1978 film makes a good case for itself by hewing much more closely to John Buchan's novel and by turning the story into an eve-of-war period piece. The adaptation was originally planned to be broadcast on BBC One on Boxing Day, [4] but was later moved to a Sunday night slot on 28 December. It was simulcast in high-definition on BBC HD. Love, Damien (28 December 2008). "TV preview: When the only intrigue is why it exists, you know this is a 39 Steps too far". Sunday Herald. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009 . Retrieved 1 January 2009. When Scudder leaves the apartment, he is recognised and followed to the railway station, where he is about to meet up with Hannay. But he is then stabbed by his pursuers and, to the dozens of witnesses, it looks as if Hannay is the man responsible. This sets into motion a man hunt, as Hannay escapes by train to Scotland, pursued by the police intent on arresting him and the enemy spies determined to kill him and claim Scudder's valuable notebook. There have been many full cast adaptations for BBC Radio and all are based directly on Buchan's novel. [2]

Caven, Bill (26 December 2008). "Scots Enthusiasts Called in to Provide Old Motors For New TV Adaptation of Spy Novel The 39 Steps". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 29 December 2008 . Retrieved 31 December 2008. Alt URL