The 39 Steps

Director James Hawes's BBC made-for-TV thriller is the fourth screen adaptation of John Buchan's 1915 novel; the most notable, of course, being Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1935 film. Whereas Buchan's original work was a spy thriller set in the days leading up to World War I, this version centers on pre–World War II intrigue. Rupert Penry-Jones stars as Richard Hannay, a disillusioned soldier suddenly plunged into a conspiracy involving a British secret agent, enemy spies, and top-secret information hidden in a code-book. Hannay is an amateur adventurer in the Cary Grant mold, a chauvinist and playboy on the run from both Nazi spies and British police, with a headstrong suffragette (Lydia Leonard) in tow—a character borrowed from Hitchcock's film, but presented with an entirely new twist here (in another nod to Hitchcock, Hannay is chased by a biplane in a scene recalling North by Northwest). Sprightly, fun, and romantic, The 39 Steps is recommended. (S. Axmaker)