39 Steps (BBC/DVD)
Given that Alfred Hitchcock built much of his mystic on the success of the 1935 film version of John Buchan’s thriller-novel and that the master of suspense is now long dead, whatever made BBC think they’d have a winner on their hands with this weirdly-dull remake It’s almost as if they hadn’t seen Gun Van Sant’s pointless remake of Hitch’s PSYCHO (2005 – otherwise, they might have woken up).
The original is thoroughly dated by today’s standards, but great fun to watch. However this remake – handsomely shot and well-acted as it is – is equally pointless. They’ve reverted back to Buchan’s original time-set, just prior to the assassination of Austria’s Archduke Ferdinand in June, 1914, leading to spies and German’s and killers trying to compromise Britain’s naval war plans before “the guns of August” change everything.
Rupert Penry-Jones, well-admired for previous work in CAMBRDIGE SPIES and MI-5/SPOOKS, carries on manfully, but the plot is so uninteresting that even the gorgeous Scottish scenery and the period costumes and set-dressings don’t hold one’s attention for very long. The manufactured love-appeal with Lydia Leonard isn’t real; her role is ridiculous and as a stocking-filler of thrilling drama, it’s a non-starter. Best to have another go at the 1935 version and try and ignore the rip-off plane-strafing-our hero, a la NORTH-BY-NORTHWEST. Silly beyond belief.