the commentary was patronizing and not useful for modern audiences but the movie is an historical gem. Acting styles are so old fashioned... over telegraphing their internal emotions. Really interesting.

This was a rather entertaining film; a clever plot; suspenseful; the viewer often does not know where the story is heading. For such an old film (1935) its rather smooth, not clunky as one might anticipate.

I enjoyed the commentary & the extras that were on this dvd. I enjoyed them more than the movie.

I'm very glad I watched this with the commentary playing. For the first time, I understood what Hitchcock was up to when he made the movie.

Don't think I had seen this Hitchcock film before. Classic spy mystery involving secret agents with crucial information that must be protected. Unfortunately, it falls into the hands of an innocent couple who are pursued through the Scottish countryside knowing they have information that cannot be released or understood by them.

Watched it twice. Had to rewatch because I didn't really get it. Had one freaky part then got dull again. Ending was fine but a bit anti-climactic.

"The 39 Steps", written by John Buchan in 1915 is a terrific movie and a book. (Buchan himself is quite the man in real life.) World War I was a year old and now one was unaware of sabotage and its potential devasting effects on peoples and worlds. Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll are brilliantly directed by a young Alfred Hitchcock. The ability of Hitchcock to insert horrific behavior of some people into the ordinary, common everyday human behavior is masterful. Everyone who has seen Hitchcock's movies and television presentations understands that Hitchcock views life on more than one level. The remakes of 'The 39 Steps' never make even a dent in the impact of the original movie. In the novel by the same name there is no woman involved, no man with the missing digit, no one named Memory. Buchan wrote other 'shockers' with Richard Hannay as the protagonist.

One of the all-time great capital-R Romantic movies. Mistaken identity, kidnap, handcuffed to a naïve young beauty, a dark and lonely road, moonlight, fog, babbling brook, open moors, dastardly foreign agents, quirky British characters and a two British music hall scenes! Pair this with The Lady Vanishes. See the originals first as all of the remakes are inferior.

This is a 1935 British spy-thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on the 1915 adventure novel "The Thirty-Nine Steps" by John Buchan.
Richard Hannay becomes caught up in preventing an organization of spies called "The 39 Steps" from stealing British military secrets.
After being mistakenly accused of the murder of a counter-espionage agent, Hannay goes on the run to Scotland with an attractive woman in the hopes of stopping the spy ring and clearing his name.
In the middle of the film, Hannay is shot in the chest with a revolver at close range, and a long fade out suggests that he has been killed.
Suddenly, however, he appears alive.
This is nonsense!
What an ill-contrived trick!
In any case, it is an good entertaining piece with some funny moments while the young couple are on the run.

Made several times over the years but none better than the original "39 Steps" with Robert Donat in the leading role. The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. This is a story of spies, coded messages, and a wonderful love story on top of it all. I haven't read the other reviews, but for my money, put this on the Top Ten Movies of All Time!