The Thirty Nine Steps official wallpaper
The Thirty Nine Steps poster

The Thirty Nine Steps

  • 6.6 /10

  • 38

Plot

The year is 1914 and Richard Hannay, Mining Engineer who is visiting Britain for a short time before returning to South Africa, is shocked when one of his neighbours, Colonel Scudder, bursts into his rooms one night and tells him a story that Prussian 'sleeper' agents are planning to pre-start World War I by murdering a visiting foreign minister. However, Scudder is murdered and Hannay is framed for the death by the 'sleepers'. Fleeing to Scotland Hannay attempts to clear his name and to stop the agents with the aid of Alex Mackenzie but not only is he is chased by Chief Supt Lomas for Scudder's death but by the agents who are headed by Appleton who has managed to hide himself in a high-placed position in the British Government...

Cast

Robert Powell as Richard Hannay
Robert Powell

as Richard Hannay

David Warner as Sir Edmund Appleton
David Warner

as Sir Edmund Appleton

Eric Porter as Chief Superintendent Lomas
Eric Porter

as Chief Superintendent Lomas

Karen Dotrice as Alex Mackenzie
Karen Dotrice

as Alex Mackenzie

John Mills as Scudder
John Mills

as Scudder

George Baker as Sir Walter Bullivant
George Baker

as Sir Walter Bullivant

Ronald Pickup as Bayliss
Ronald Pickup

as Bayliss

Donald Pickering as Marshall
Donald Pickering

as Marshall

Timothy West as Porton
Timothy West

as Porton

Miles Anderson as David
Miles Anderson

as David

Movie Facts

Rated

  • PG

Status

  • Released

Release Date

  • November 4, 1978

Production Companies

  • Norfolk International Pictures

  • The Rank Organisation

Production Countries

  • United Kingdom

Spoken Language

  • English

Budget

  • $0.00

Revenue

  • -

Runtime

  • 1.70 hrs

Links

Gallery

Reviews

I had a fun time with this one! 'The Thirty Nine Steps' gave me a lot of entertainment. Robert Powell puts in a top performance, as does John Mills; the whole cast are good, in fairness. Pacing is on point and the music is stellar. There are some nice set pieces too, namely on the railway and at Big Ben. I also really enjoyed the adventure feel. One of many adaptations of John Buch…

“Hannay” (Robert Powell) might have wished he hadn’t answered his front door when he encounters the fleeing “Scudder” (Sir John Mills) who seeks shelter in his flat. Quickly, he has regaled his host with tales of international espionage, murder and duplicity and before he knows it, “Hannay” is on a train heading for the highlands with the police and some murderous spies in hot pursuit. Luckily, h…