Kenneth More is badly miscast as the dashing young hero, Richard Hannah, playing a desperate man 'on the run.' A young Roger Moore, would have been a far better choice whereas Kenneth More, looks looks and sounds too much like a middle aged civil servant, who sees his predicament as nothing more than a bit of a lark - and with his cheery demeanour, he renders the character as totally unconvincing. Hannay's escape from the train has our 'hero' still wearing his suit and tie as he hitches a lift from lorry driver, Sid James. The problem in this scene is that the make up and costume department didn't take the trouble to make sure Hannay look dishevelled and sweaty. Instead we see him sitting in the cab of the lorry, without a spot of grime or dirt on his face or clothes. His jolly exterior throughout all his trials and tribulations wears very thin by the end of the film. Instead of a thriller, we have a light comedy, where there are few real dramatic or nerve tingling moments. It's all too sanitised and even when the flirtatious landlady, played by Brenda de Banzie tries to compromise him, he cheerily dismisses any such sexual impropriety and quickly escapes from her amorous clutches. The film is is essentially a light hearted romp through the Scottish countryside with our very unlikely hero always keeping one step ahead of the police. The film hasn't aged well.
Review of The 39 Steps
