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The 39 Steps (1935)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock · Cinematography by Bernard Knowles

Approved86 min65 frames

MysteryThriller

Handcuffed to the girl who double-crossed him

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Stills, screencaps & shots from The 39 Steps

16 of 65 frames — the full set is searchable by lighting, lens, shot size, color and mood with a free account.

The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: medium — A cramped train sleeper compartment with curtains draped behind the subjects. One woman leans over a man…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: wide — A dark figure traverses a jagged ridge line beneath a vast, cloudy sky. The rocky terrain dominates the…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: wide — A rugged mountainous landscape features a historic stone arched bridge over a small stream. A lone person in…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: medium — An exterior farm setting features a rough-hewn stone wall and a small hut. Two men stand together talking…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: wide — A dark, misty moorland landscape at night with a prominent gnarled tree in foreground. Two small figures…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: closeup — A man in a tuxedo stands against a backdrop of draped vertical curtains. He looks slightly off-camera…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: establishing — The Forth Bridge spans a wide body of water under a flat overcast sky. A large tree silhouette…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: medium — A dark, dimly lit wooden staircase features carved balusters and deep, angular shadows. A woman leans over…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: medium — A dimly lit room features a desk with a telephone and a book. Two men in formal business attire face each…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: wide — An empty room contains furniture items covered in large white dust sheets. A man and a woman walk through…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: establishing — A desolate mountain valley is framed by steep, rocky slopes under a heavy, clouded sky. Patches of…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: medium — A dark, crowded public space with rows of seats occupied by an audience. A man and a woman sit closely…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: closeup — A dark, cramped space with wooden bars foregrounding the subject. The man looks toward the camera with…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: medium — A plain interior wall serves as the backdrop for a conversation. A woman stands facing a man while another…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: fullbody — Three men stand on a grassy ridge against a dark and cloudy sky. The central figure holds a hat and cane…The 39 Steps (1935) movie still: closeup — A close-up view of a marquee sign featuring illuminated incandescent light bulbs. The letters spell out…
The 39 Steps (1935) — © Gaumont-British Picture Corporation

The 39 Steps — official trailer

What is The 39 Steps about?

Richard Hanney has a rude awakening when a glamorous female spy falls into his bed - with a knife in her back. Having a bit of trouble explaining it all to Scotland Yard, he heads for the hills of Scotland to try to clear his name by locating the spy ring known as The 39 Steps.

The 39 Steps is a 1935 British spy thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. It is loosely based on the 1915 novel The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan. It concerns a Canadian civilian in London, Richard Hannay, who becomes caught up in preventing an organisation of spies called "The 39 Steps" from stealing British military secrets. Mistakenly accused of the murder of a counter-espionage agent, Hannay goes on the run to Scotland and becomes tangled up with an attractive woman, Pamela, while hoping to stop the spy ring and clear his name.

Second paragraph from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where can you watch The 39 Steps?

US availability for The 39 Steps (1935). Data by JustWatch, listings on TMDB. Availability changes — check the provider for current listings.

Who stars in The 39 Steps?

Who made The 39 Steps?

What does the cinematography of The 39 Steps look like?

Sampled across 65 frames, the coverage of The 39 Steps leans on medium shots (51% of the sample) and close-ups (23%). Cinematographer Bernard Knowles keeps 55% of it in soft, low-key light. Night and dusk account for 58% of the frames. Vintage glass shapes the frame. Focus stays shallow in 65% of the frames, isolating subjects from their surroundings. The production design places the film in the 1940s.

What is the color palette of The 39 Steps?

The dominant colors across the sampled frames of The 39 Steps (1935) are #040404, #8c8b8b, #4c4c4b, #2e2e2e, #cccccc, #6f6f6f — measured from the per-frame color data FrameThrower extracts for every film.

  • #040404
  • #8c8b8b
  • #4c4c4b
  • #2e2e2e
  • #cccccc
  • #6f6f6f

See the full The 39 Steps colour palette — every hex with its share, plus warmth, saturation and luminance.

The 39 Steps ranks in

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Techniques in this film

More films by Alfred Hitchcock

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