Following a chance encounter in the park, Richard Hannay finds himself unwittingly caught up in a nefarious plot of foreign intrigue.
Robert Donat was Hannay in Hitchcock's seminal version, and Robert Powell did the honours in the third version. The 1959 version is filmed in widescreen and vivid summer colour, and features Kenneth More as the unfortunate Hannay.
The problem is that this version of Hannay doesn't feel unfortunate. He is resourceful, unflappable, and relentlessly good humoured, and you get the feeling that he is not so much in jeopardy as on a rather unconventional activity holiday. This makes this into a colourful light adventure rather than a dark, chilly, suspense thriller. It's enjoyable, but Hannay is never in serious danger, and the film suffers for that.
Robert Donat was Hannay in Hitchcock's seminal version, and Robert Powell did the honours in the third version. The 1959 version is filmed in widescreen and vivid summer colour, and features Kenneth More as the unfortunate Hannay.
The problem is that this version of Hannay doesn't feel unfortunate. He is resourceful, unflappable, and relentlessly good humoured, and you get the feeling that he is not so much in jeopardy as on a rather unconventional activity holiday. This makes this into a colourful light adventure rather than a dark, chilly, suspense thriller. It's enjoyable, but Hannay is never in serious danger, and the film suffers for that.