DVDs in the Works

To those who wonder why anyone would dare to remake The 39 Steps, the thriller that clinched Alfred Hitchcock’s international reputation, we have just three words in reply: Rupert Penry-Jones. The action credentials he established as Adam Carter in MI-5 and his extensive experience in period drama make him the ideal leading man to play Richard Hannay. (Actually, there were two previous remakes: in 1959 with Kenneth More and in 1978 with Robert Powell.) This version returns to the spirit of the original novel by setting the action in the days leading up to World War I. However, it keeps the original film’s invention of a prickly love interest, played this time by Lydia Leonard (The Line of Beauty) as an opinionated suffragette named Victoria Sinclair. We just finished watching it and promise a good solid romp in stunning Scottish locations. Note that Hitchcock’s idea for the plane chase in North by Northwest clearly had its roots in John Buchan’s novel, though the influence may have been subconscious. For those who’d like to revisit the 1935 Hitchcock film starring Robert Donat (Goodbye Mr. Chips) and Madeleine Carroll, Criterion has recently released their expertly restored DVD as a popularly priced single, which will be available for ordering soon.