The 39 Steps (1959)
8/10
Colour remake of a classic in black and white falling in the shadow of Hitchcock's black and white
3 May 2020
The colour version of "The 39 Steps" of 1959 is a remake of Hitchcock's black and white classic of 1935 and adds nothing new to the story or the film. There was even a third version on a high budget some 20 years later, and then another after another 20 years, but nothing beats Hitchcock. Kenneth More is good enough and well up to Robert Donat's original, but although in colour there is less blood in this version than in Hitchcock's with his special knack for suggestive innovations. If you don't know the story and haven't seen Hitchcock's version, it might be highly rewarding and exciting, but if you have been through Hitchcock's treatment you will yawn here. Ralph Thomas is no Hitchcock, although he was better than Hitchcock at comedies, and although all his films are good, it might have been a mistake to try to remake a classic Hitchcock film.
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