May 18, 2012

The 39 Steps


The 39 Steps, 1935. A man goes on the run when a secret agent is murdered in his home.

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Written by Ian Hay, adapted by Charles Bennett from a novel by John Buchan. Starring Robert Donat & Madeleine Carroll.

Concept: 3/4 (Good)
Story: 3/4 (Good). The plot's not exactly air tight, but the holes don't seem to matter.
Characters: 3/4 (Good). Carroll's character is pretty great. We don't really know anything about Donat's character except that he's good at spouting an endless stream of 1930s film dialog. Also, he's Canadian, so when the pursuing police say please, he has no choice but to go with them.
Dialog: 4/4 (Great)
Pacing: 4/4 (Great). Maybe a little too fast.
Cinematography: 3/4 (Good)
Special effects/design: 3/4 (Good)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 1/4 (Bad)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). A nice balance of humor and suspense.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.0/4 (Good)

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