MovieChat Forums > The 39 Steps (2008) Discussion > Hannay not really the hero of the thirty...

Hannay not really the hero of the thirty-nine steps!!! SPOILERS

posted 15 years ago by tyronemayo
9 replies | jump to latest

Why bother to make a version of the story that completely rewrites the thing - all the previous versions have taken liberties and added a romantic subplot etc., but Hannay is always the hero. This new version puts a twist on it by making the romantic interest into a female James Bond, with Hannay as a bemused and unwitting decoy who is increasingly reduced to functioning as a sidekick to the heroine.

Quite why the writer Lizzie Mickery subverted the love interest addition by making her an expert driver/marksman/athlete/gymnast and multilingual with an eidetic memory [which is apparently inherited(!) through the male line of her family(!!)] made it absurd. Why not make a film about Mata Hari or simply use the character that she'd invented to create an original story with a female lead rather than gutting Buchan's classic novel.

This also leads to bizarre plotting, if she's a British spy, then why does she force their car off the road, allowing the pursuing German agents to catch up & take them prisoner, running the risk of: a) them being shot or b) the German spies spotting her picking Hannay's pocket and/or hiding the all-important notebook near the car [in a location invisible to the German agents who are later ordered to return to search the area thoroughly!].

There's some classic thespianism too, during the scene after the election meeting, where the duo try to escape from the German spies by stealing their unguarded car - they spot 2 children walking past the car & bribe the boy to pull the girl's hair to make her scream whilst they turn the crank handle, after the 2nd or 3rd time the girl screams before the boy even pulls her hair :-)

[–] By-TorX-1 15 years ago

Classic BBC revisionism. What next, Sherlock Holmes with Mrs. Hudson solving the mysteries?

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. A hat made of jelly, green jelly.

[–] sam_roberts1967 15 years ago

Of course to film a Buchan story now, you need a strong female lead. Incidentally Buchan could do as well himself - see Mary's role in Mr Standfast and also The Three Hostages.

But worse still is the reversal of the book's whole premise. The book was written in the era of the sainted amateur, in which Government was always asleep at the wheel, and Joe Bloggs had to step in to save the day. In this adaptation, Hannay is just a pawn - the Government, through the Secret Service, knew what was happening all along, with the exception of the identity of the mole.

And how the blank did they manage to fake Victoria's death?

Only good thing is that they left the door open for sequels...next step Greenmantle! I fancy John Goodman as Blenkiron....

I never loved your mind, Dewey Daniels, I never loved your mind!

[–] thatsnumberwang 15 years ago

I would love to see them do Greenmantle if they'd leave the Suffragette behind.

http://saucybetty.blogspot.com

[–] sesarp101 7 years ago

I agree about the BBC. Every time they make a new version they add a bit on to make it more pc. A woman dominates this one. The next time Hannay will probably be a woman himself. By about 2050 Hannay will probably be a black muslim lesbian.

[–] liz-401 15 years ago

Yes, I agree - all very irritating.
The story is worth revisiting and I'm sure it will sell well around the world, making a lot of money for its makers. The original book is dreadful - anti women, anti semite, dreadfully outdated generally. So I sympathise with the need to re-work it. Pity it was so clumsily done. At least it was nice to watch. Beautiful locations, attractive cast!

[–] combatreview 15 years ago

I'm not sure Buchan's original book is actually anti-semitic, even if it does contain a character who is anti-semitic - though he's also clearly steeped in paranoia and conspiracy theories which puts his voice in perspective. Mind you, Hannay's judgement of Scudder is quite sanguine.

Similarly, I have to say... I read chapter 1 again last night, and was very struck by what an *beep* Hannay seemed!

The thing I personally found annoying about this adaptation was not the changes per se but the damage done to concept and character. For me, the strength of 39 Steps is that it is, by and large, about a lone individual on the run. Lots of other stories work on these terms (Rogue Male and Day of the Jackal spring instantly to mind). Things got seriously cosy after Hannay ran into his female sidekick, to the extent that he ceased to have any purpose except standing around letting her do everything for him. I was reminded strongly of the film 'Enigma', which I enjoy very much but which nonetheless features a character who effectively follows the plot around, observing it and interpreting it on our behalf, but never actually influencing it. That's what Hannay was reduced to in this version.

I like the idea of a series of Hannay adaptations, but not with this as the starting point. Still, at least Radio 4 did a pretty good with their adaptations...

[–] bobh99 15 years ago

This does seem par for the course at the moment. I see no reason whatsoever to rewrite existing books, add new characters, change endings etc. They are doing the same with the recent Poirot and Miss Marple stories, which adds nothing to the enjoyment of the work but adds unnecessary and unconvincing complexity to the plot.
I recall a recent interview with PD James where she was extremely scathing about screen writers who have messed about with her books. The implication was that screen writers are not good enough to write their own books so they spend their time massacring other people's work.
I also thought that killing off the girl and then bringing her back was really lame and pointless. This left so many holes in the plot to make it leak like a sieve. I too was amused by the hair pulling. There was a definite lag between the scream and the hair pulling.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] pietro99 15 years ago

I think if John Buchan saw this adaptation he'd get an idea for a new book.

Incidentally....was the Submarine CGI? It didn't look quite right to me.