Week 2 39 Steps

Throughout the film, the bridge and the flowing water are recurring themes that appear as Mr. Hannay is being chased. The first appearance was at time 27:00 where the train is stopped in the middle of the Forth Bridge as police officers search the train for the suspected murderer, Mr. Hannay. The second appearance was at 37:35 as the officers chase Mr. Hannay from his momentary respite at the Scottish farmers home, where the officers tumble and fall as they give chase. The third scene was at time 55:48 where members from 39 steps are stopped by a flock of sheep over a bridge.

What I noticed about these three seperate scenes is that the scale of the bridges and body of water is downsized each time they appear. The first scene (27:00) featured a big bridge called the Forth Bridge, which serves as a major artery into Scotland over a large body of water. The second bridge was noticably smaller than before but the flow of the river was noticable and quite fast. The third bridge was the smallest of the three and the flow of the river here was essentially very small. I think that each bridge scene lets the audience identify with Mr. Hannay. The Forth Bridge, with its size and importance, helps to accentuate the gravity of the situation Mr. Hannay finds himself in. It puts a comparison between Mr. Hannay and the bridge to show that he is just a small man in a world out to get him even though he is innocent but on the run as a result of association with Anne Smith, the spy. He finds himself alone because no one listens to him, not the milk man he is familiar with, or Pamela, whom Mr. Hannay kisses to avoid detection. One big characteristic of the second bridge is that the river underneath it is fast flowing. Coincidentally, Mr. Hannay is being chased by police officers so this bridge serves to intensify this chase scene, and we see that the officers are stumbling as they travel through the water to provide a comical edge. By the time of the third scene, it is clear that Mr. Hannay is innocent because the Professor tried to kill him and Pamela to silence their voices. In this scene, the contrast is very dark and the river is merely a tiny trickle. Contrary to the previous bridge scene where it is lighter, Mr. Hannay is being pursued by members of the 39 steps to show that not only is he being chased by a government institution, but also by an underground secret institution. We see Mr. Hannay and Pamela hide under a very small waterfall which is consistent with the slow flow of the river. This scene helps to accentuate the mood of the audience. Whereas, before Mr. Hannay was trying to avoid the authorities in the daylight, now Mr. Hannay is with Pamela trying to avoid a shadow organization where stealth is required.

An interesting aspect of this film I noticed was the handcuffs that were put on Mr. Hannay by the sheriff after the Professor shot him. Only one side of the cuffs were ever put on him even as the officers tried to drag him out of the sheriffs room, or even when the 39 step agents put him in the car. He gets shackled to Pamela, and these cuffs remain on him till the end of the movie. I thought that this might have suggested that Mr. Hannay's fate was shackled to Pamela. Without her help, he would ultimately be wrongfully accused for murder. Pamela is able to slip the cuffs and we see that she clearly holds Mr. Hannay's fate in her hands because she chooses to stay with him and not expose him at the hotel they stay at. I also noticed that it is not just Pamela Mr. Hannay's fate depends on but those of the women he meets on his journey to prove his innocence.