Week 2: The 39 Steps

Within Alfred Hitchcock’s film “The 39 Steps,” there is a scene in which some men are chasing the protagonist, Richard Hannay (36:00 ~ 38:00). The scene at a cursory viewing may seem to not present very many profound additions to this film, that is, it may just seem like an energized chase scene, however, this scene conveys a commentary on the overzealous and perhaps even incompetent nature of the police force.
Firstly, we see that this police force is pushing itself to strenuous extents in order to catch one man. Deep space is used frequently in this scene to convey that these men are all moving across great distances in a fairly large group (36:16). When added with a cut to a helicopter, or something like it anyways, (36:56) we see an inordinate amount of effort on the part of the police used up all for naught. These officers do not apprehend Hannay despite their numbers and technology, but the willingness of officers to pursue but a single potential murderer is questionably unwise.
Secondly, there is a commentary on the ineptitude of the police force as seen by the usage of a deeper focus at frames like 37:17 or 37:27 where the officers are seen stumbling and essentially making fools of themselves. Additionally, the usage of a following shots at frames such as 37:16-28 beckon to a similar scene of bumbling stooges that might appear in other films and works. To add insult to injury, the clumsy antics of the officers are juxtaposed to frames of a mere citizen, Hannay, braving the terrain with relative ease compared to the officers.
Therefore, it would be plausible to suggest that this scene essentially makes comments on the seeming ridiculousness of common law enforcement. This can be further corroborated with the rest of the film since the film constantly places the authorities in positions of a mistake.