BBC aired the latest version of "Thirty-Nine Steps" at the end of 2008. The story is an adaptation of a famous book. The whole film was very flat, with a sense of cutting corners in the suspenseful design, and even the protagonist seemed absent-minded. On the whole, it couldn't compare with other adaptations of "Thirty-Nine Steps."
The novel "Thirty-Nine Steps" by the Scottish writer John Buchan tells the story of an Englishman Hannei who has lived in Africa for many years was accidentally involved in a spy case and stepped forward to deal with the enemy. It caused a sensation immediately after its publication in 1915, and was later made into a movie or TV four times. What's interesting is that for each adaptation, the screenwriters often borrow the classic scenes that appeared in the last adaptation, so that some of the recurring plots are actually not derived from the original work. The meaning of "Thirty-Nine Steps" has also been changed, and by 2008, it is still back to the real "steps."
Hitchcock adapted this novel for the first time in 1935, and it is a classic in the minds of many people. But before I watched this version, I was completely overwhelmed by the 1978 version, so the plot of Hitchcock's black and white film once made me puzzled. This version is a relatively large adaptation of the novel. Hitchcock designed several plots that will become classics later: the protagonist jumps and escapes on the train to Scotland, the affair on the way to escape (there is no heroine in the original book), the imposter and then Was pushed onto the podium and so on, these plots were inherited in later adapted versions. But Hitchcock’s plot arrangements are sometimes too coincidental to the point of bizarre, including the invention of "Mr. Memory".
The 1959 color version was starring Kenneth Moore, a red star at the time. He acted like a traditional English gentleman in a slow and nonchalant manner. He was hunted all the way from London to Scotland, but it looked like he was going on a walking vacation to the countryside on weekends. The fake speech at the girls' middle school was also pretending to be crazy and stupid. Amuse everyone, no tension. Watching this film now, the more attractive is the steam train, the train stations in London and Edinburgh. Of course, the most famous plot is that when the hero jumped off the car and escaped, he chose the Forth Bridge in the north of Edinburgh. The steel structure railway bridge proud of by the British. This plot is actually borrowed from Hitchcock's invention, even the location is the same. In this version, "Thirty-Nine Steps" became the name of the German spy organization.
My favorite is the 1978 version. Not only because this is the first version I have seen, but also the protagonist is attractive: he is a gentleman with a sense of honor, but also has the ability to survive in the wild and adapt to changes. This film has spent a lot of effort on the plot, it is exciting and it is a real suspense film. The scenery is also very British. In addition to the London railway station, steam train, and Big Ben, there are also Scottish countryside and castles. BBC's country program "Country File" (Country File) once produced an album to track down the country scenes in this version of "Thirty-Nine Steps." Of course, the most talked about is the last climax of the movie. The actor Hannei wants to climb outside Big Ben, climbing the minute hand with both hands to stop Big Ben.
China once introduced this version and dubbed it by Shanghai Translation Studio. It was a very discerning decision, making this version a classic in the minds of Chinese audiences. Robert Powell played the role of Hannei with such a successful image. After that, he continued to star in the TV series "Hannay" (Hannay), but the plot has nothing to do with John Buchan's novel.
In the 2008 TV movie, many plots borrowed the above three versions, including the introduction of a heroine who is not in the book-now it is really hard to imagine that this movie does not have a heroine. But the difference is that in the first three versions, the heroine is basically a decoration, and the transition from meeting the hero to being overwhelmed by his wit and bravery is complete, but in this version, the heroine is nagging at first. The feminist who was obediently obedient, then became the actor's partner, and finally surpassed the actor's status. This in itself is an interesting and trendy design, but on the one hand, the plot is too far-fetched, and on the other hand, there is no feeling between the hero and the protagonist, making it seem like a blunt match. As for the famous train escape section, it was cut corners and turned into a flat escape, just letting the hero sway twice on the fire ladder of the building, which is regarded as a "tribute."
In addition to the above 4 film and television versions, a theater version of "Thirty-Nine Steps" appeared in 2005, and it has now moved from London to Broadway in New York to perform. This is an adaptation of the "spoof" version. There are only 4 actors in the whole play, and more than one hundred roles are to be played. It was well received during the performance.
"Thirty-Nine Steps" is constantly being adapted, reflecting the influence of John Buchan's novel, Hitchcock's version, ranked 4th in the "100 British Film Classics of the 20th Century" by the British Film Institute (BFI) . However, as a modern action mystery film, the 1978 version is actually not inferior.
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