# The 39 Steps

> 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock

**Wikidata**: [Q501105](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q501105)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_39_Steps_(1935_film))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/the-39-steps

## Summary
The 39 Steps is a 1935 film directed by the renowned British filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. Produced by the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, this work is a seminal example of the spy, mystery, crime, drama, and thriller film genres. It remains a significant cultural artifact from the United Kingdom, representing a specific era of British cinema history.

## Key Facts
*   **Release Date:** The film was published on January 1, 1935.
*   **Director:** Alfred Hitchcock, a British filmmaker active from 1899 to 1980.
*   **Production Company:** Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, a British film company founded in 1898.
*   **Country of Origin:** United Kingdom, an island country in north-west Europe.
*   **Primary Genre:** Spy film, a category with 34 related sitelinks.
*   **Sub-Genres:** Mystery film, crime film, drama film, and thriller film.
*   **Wikidata Sitelinks:** The entity has 49 total sitelinks across various language versions.
*   **Wikipedia Title:** The official title on Wikipedia is "The 39 Steps (1935 film)".
*   **Aliases:** The work is also known as "39 Steps", "The Thirty-nine Steps", "Thirty-nine Steps", and "The Thirty Nine Steps".
*   **Film Class:** It is classified as a sequence of images that give the impression of movement, stored on film stock.

## FAQs
**Who created and produced The 39 Steps?**
The film was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation. Hitchcock was a British filmmaker with a career spanning from 1899 to 1980, while the production company was established in 1898.

**What genres does this film belong to?**
This work is primarily categorized as a spy film, but it also encompasses elements of mystery, crime, drama, and thriller genres. These classifications reflect its ability to evoke excitement and suspense while adhering to the narrative structures of crime and mystery sub-genres.

**Where was the film produced and what is its historical context?**
The production originated in the United Kingdom, an island nation in north-west Europe. The country's modern inception dates are tied to the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 and the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, providing the geopolitical backdrop for this British film company's output.

**What are the alternative titles for this movie?**
Beyond its primary title, the film is frequently referenced as "The Thirty-nine Steps," "Thirty-nine Steps," or simply "39 Steps." These variations appear in various databases and archives alongside the formal title "The 39 Steps (1935 film)."

## Why It Matters
The 39 Steps holds significant importance as a foundational work in the spy and thriller film genres, establishing narrative tropes that would influence cinema for decades. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, a figure with 183 related sitelinks indicating his massive historical footprint, the film demonstrates the peak of British filmmaking capabilities during the 1930s. Its production by Gaumont-British Picture Corporation highlights the industrial capacity of the UK film industry, which was active since the late 19th century. As a multi-genre work spanning mystery, crime, and drama, it serves as a critical case study for understanding how film stock and sequential imagery were used to create suspense and movement in early cinema. The film's enduring presence across 49 different language sitelinks underscores its global relevance and its role in defining the "British thriller" archetype.

## Notable For
*   **Genre Versatility:** Successfully integrates spy, mystery, crime, drama, and thriller elements into a single cohesive narrative.
*   **Director Legacy:** Represents a key entry in the filmography of Alfred Hitchcock, one of the most cited filmmakers in history.
*   **Historical Production:** A product of the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, a major British entity founded in 1898.
*   **Cultural Reach:** Maintains a high volume of cross-references, with 49 sitelinks and connections to 235 other film entities.
*   **Technical Classification:** Exemplifies the "film" class definition of moving images stored on film stock.
*   **Naming Variations:** Recognized by five distinct aliases, reflecting its widespread recognition and cataloging.

## Body

### Production and Corporate History
The 39 Steps was brought to life by the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, a prominent British film company. This corporation was established in 1898, marking its long-standing presence in the industry before the film's release. The company operated within the United Kingdom, an island country in north-west Europe. The UK's modern political identity was formalized through the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 and the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, providing the national context for the film's creation. The production represents a specific moment in the history of British cinema, leveraging the infrastructure of a company that had been active for nearly four decades by the time of the film's release.

### Director and Creative Leadership
Alfred Hitchcock served as the director for this 1935 release. Hitchcock was a British filmmaker whose career spanned from 1899 to 1980. His professional profile is extensive, with 183 related sitelinks indicating his vast influence across multiple domains including directing, producing, and screenwriting. His citizenship included the United Kingdom, the United States, and other jurisdictions, reflecting his international stature. The film stands as a testament to his early mastery of the thriller genre, evoking excitement and suspense in the audience through the medium of film stock.

### Genre Classification and Narrative Scope
This entity is classified fundamentally as a spy film, a genre with 34 associated sitelinks. However, its narrative complexity extends into several other categories. It is recognized as a mystery film, which acts as a sub-genre of the broader crime film category and often overlaps with the thriller genre. The work also fits within the drama film genre, which has 63 related sitelinks. As a thriller film, its primary function is to evoke excitement and suspense. The crime film classification (51 sitelinks) further cements its place within the legal and investigative storytelling traditions. This multi-genre approach allows the film to appeal to a broad audience while maintaining the specific tension required of a spy narrative.

### Technical and Archival Details
The film belongs to the "film" class, defined technically as a sequence of images that give the impression of movement, stored on film stock. This medium was the standard for the era, with 235 related sitelinks indicating the vast ecosystem of film-based media. The official publication date is recorded as January 1, 1935. In digital archives, the entity is identified by the Wikipedia title "The 39 Steps (1935 film)". It possesses 49 sitelinks in total, demonstrating its accessibility across various language versions and databases. The film is also known by several aliases: "39 Steps", "The Thirty-nine Steps", "Thirty-nine Steps", and "The Thirty Nine Steps". These variations ensure the work is discoverable regardless of the specific nomenclature used in different regions or catalogs.

## References

1. IMDb
2. FilmAffinity
3. [Source](http://decine21.com/Peliculas/39-escalones-2113)
4. AlloCiné
5. [Source](https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/lists/10-great-spy-films)
6. [Source](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026029/fullcredits)
7. Česko-Slovenská filmová databáze
8. Letterboxd
9. The Movie Database
10. The 39 Steps. Rotten Tomatoes
11. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
12. [Source](https://www.worldcat.org/title/39-steps/oclc/930139165&referer=brief_results)
13. BBC Things
14. terjesztesre_kerulo_filmalkotasok_nyilvantartasa.xlsx
15. List of film licenses issued from 1945 to 2020
16. film distribution certificate
17. Online-Filmdatenbank
18. Bechdel Test Movie List
19. mymovies.it
20. www.acmi.net.au
21. Trakt.tv
22. FilmVandaag.nl
23. Virtual Study of Theatre Institute