The 39 Steps – A pint and a chase

Alright, so The 39 Steps. I watched Hitchcock’s classic again last Thursday—yeah, right after I totally failed at making raggmunk for dinner. Think it was raining, which honestly helped with the mood.

This one, for anyone who’s been living under a stone, is from 1935! Feels ancient, but not in that dull, flickery sort of way where you sort of squint at the screen and think, “Does anyone even talk like this…??” Robert Donat (absolutely smooth here) and Madeleine Carroll (icy, but in a good way) lead the way, all tangled up in accusation and running round the countryside. And let’s not forget Alfred Hitchcock. Seems weird to call him just ‘the director,’ when we all know he’s basically the godfather of running-from-baddies, right? You feel his invisible hand on your shoulder the whole bloody movie.

I remember the first time pappa and I caught this on a worn-out VHS in the early 90s in our sommarstuga up by Mölnlycke. We had this crackling fire, and every shadow outside felt like a spy ready to come crashing in through the window, probably to steal… what, our knäckebröd and surströmming? It’s wild how a black and white film can make you paranoid in the most Swedish of forests.

There’s such a weird, charming, jittery energy in this film – the dialogue proper snappy, the music going brum-brum (who needs big orchestras anyway), and the Scottish highlands looking like something straight from an IKEA ad. But, honestly, sometimes the plot takes turns so fast you’re left shaking your head. Like, “Did I blink or did I miss three explanations?” Feels very much like Hitchcock had a train to catch himself and just said, “Aaah, close enough, let’s get these two kissing.”

If you’re into slightly bonkers thrillers with cheeky humour (and can forgive some plot leaps the size of Vänern), this still holds up. Maybe pair it with a proper kopp kaffe and a cinnamon bun for extra atmosphere.

watch the full movie on Mavshack Movies on YouTube

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