The 39 Steps: 90 Years On

Alfred Hitchcock’s sublime, sexually charged adaptation of John Buchan’s spy thriller remains one of his greatest films

Credit: Gaumont British Distributors

Warning: Contains spoilers

Before packing his bags for Hollywood, Alfred Hitchcock had a splendid career in British cinema during the 1920s and 1930s. This fact is often overlooked by those taking the most superficial samplings from Hitchcock’s illustrious back catalogue. However, I highly recommend a deep dive into his earlier works, as they contain an abundance of curiosities and gems. These include sinister silents like The Lodger (1927), landmark British “talkie” Blackmail (1929), and the first version of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934); from a feminist perspective, more progressive than the better-known 1956 remake. I consider The Lady Vanishes (1938) the pinnacle of this early body of work, alongside his 1935 adaptation of John Buchan’s 1915 novel The Thirty-Nine Steps (rendered onscreen as The 39 Steps). Both are espionage thriller classics that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Hitchcock’s later masterpieces.