5 of 1001 Movies: The 39 Steps (1935)

Summary
Richard Hanney is enjoying London during his vacation until a woman runs into him after a brawl breakout asking him for help. He allows her to follow him back to his place where she then begins telling him about The 39 Steps. When the woman turns up in the middle of the night with a knife in her back Richard is sent in into a spiraling mystery that sends him from England to Scotland.

My Thoughts
I was really wanting to enjoy my first Alfred Hitchcock film, but this one I struggled to get into. It was short at 86 minutes, so you didn't have to keep your attention long, but I still found myself zoning away from it. I am wondering also if another Hitchcock film would have been better to begin with. As far as I know the most critical claim this one has garnered is in British films.

I was curious to find out what was the huge mystery about The 39 Steps, but it's so silently slipped in at the end that if you were like me, and struggling to stay focused you probably had to go back again to make sure you got it. I felt that Madeleine Carroll made the  movie a lot better though. She was very entertaining, and I thought she added some comical relief. Robert Donat did a good job acting, but I found the makeup on him very distracting. That probably sounds odd, but he seemed way too primped.

There are some interesting shots in the film, and since this movie was made in 1935 you can't help but think about all the events happening around the time of this movie. I got to thinking about how World War 2 had not even happened yet for some reason. Also, for a time where special effects didn't quite exist yet they did a really good job at making certain scenes seem sort of real. The black and white film probably helped that out a little.

Despite the fact it was legendary director, Hitchcock, who directed, I was disappointed I didn't get into the movie more. I thought his directing style was good, and the plot had potential, but for some reason it didn't fully reach me.  Even the actors were good, and had chemistry with each other. Perhaps, one of his films will click with me in the future.