“The 39 Steps” is a film
that follows Richard Hannay, a Canadian staying in London that is on the run
after he is accused of murdering a woman in his flat. I liked the motifs Hitchcock
used in the film. I noticed that when a bridge or water was near, it was used
as a hint that Hannay would be able to escape the spies that were after him.
Hannay escaped from the train when it suddenly stopped over a bridge. He was
able to not get caught because the train conductor insisted that the train had
to keep moving because it was against safety regulations that it could stop on
a bridge. When the spies captured Hannay
and Pamela and they were taking them to Professor Jordan, the car was stalled
over a bridge by a flock of sheep. This gave Hannay a chance to escape from
ultimately being killed. While escaping, Hannay and Pamela were also able to
hide from the spies by ducking behind a waterfall. I think that the bridge
symbolizes a transition of the movie. In the train sequence, Hannay was on his
way to see a man that the double spy was going to see in Scotland. Since his
destination changed, he was able to meet the farmer and his wife. This meeting
ultimately saved his life because he was wearing the farmer’s coat with the
hymn book in the pocket, this is the object that protected his life from
Professor Jordan’s bullet. When Hannay and Pamela got out of the car on the bridge,
they found an inn to sleep for the night. The lady working at the inn saved
their lives by kicking out the spies that were after them. I think that the
water from the river and waterfall symbolized the attempt of the main character
in cleansing himself and trying to prove his innocence to everyone. Hitchcock
also used handcuffs to also symbolize Hannay’s innocence and being falsely
accused of murdering Annabelle.
Another motif I found is
that Hitchcock used women to save Hannay. In the beginning of the film,
Annabelle saved Hannay from being murdered by the spies by showing him the map
of Scotland and circling were he needs to go to meet a man that may help him.
Pamela mistakenly saves him by pointing him out to the police on the train,
this caused the police to stop the train over a bridge and he was able to
escape for the time being. The old woman in the inn believed the couple so she
helped them by kicking out the spies looking for them in the middle of the
night.
Very perceptive, Virdi! The water motif has to be important. Keep an eye out for it in later films. It's sort of present in *The Lodger* in the form of fog, which suggests mystery. See Ana's post below about the use of smoke in both films.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the question of Hitchcock's women is crucial. What I noticed was how the female characters are either very strong or very vulnerable, or both, but no in-between. Pamela is forcibly kissed, and later handcuffed, but she also has Hannay's fate in her hands. The Scottish innkeeper's wife clearly "wears the pants." I wonder what to make of this polarity.