The picaresque The 39 Steps deftly folds Alfred Hitchcock’s patented blend of winking comedy, teasing romance, and ratcheting suspense into a spy plot that features what we now recognize as many of the director’s trademark elements: wrongly accused man and fetching blonde, suave villain and wrong-headed policemen, train rides and thrilling chases, unexpected betrayals and dramatic reversals of fortune. Based on a novel by Scottish author John Buchan – whose work exerted a strong early influence over Hitchcock – the film stars a well-matched sparring couple: irresistibly charming Robert Donat as the innocent, unexpectedly resourceful man-on-the-run and coolly skeptical Madeleine Carroll as his reluctant and equally capable traveling partner. The endlessly entertaining narrative drives forward at a headlong pace, but even The 39 Steps’ occasional respites – a highly charged overnight stay with a baleful crofter and his wife, a delightfully comic interlude at an inn – offer fulsome rewards.

To attend both the film screening and post-screening discussion, please purchase a ticket for the Thursday 1:00 PM screening. Discussions are offered exclusively at this Thursday matinee.

This presentation is part of the film & lectures series Getting Hitched in partnership with St. Louis Oasis. Thursday matinees for six of the films: Blackmail, The 39 Steps, Shadow of a Doubt, Notorious, Rear Window, and Vertigo. will be followed by a discussion of 30 minutes led by Cliff Froehlich, retired executive director of Cinema St. Louis and former film critic for The Riverfront Times.