Athlone Film Club will screen the original Hitchcock masterpiece, The 39 Steps (1935 ) on Tuesday February 24 at 8pm in the Dean Crowe Theatre.
The 39 Steps is an unforgettable mystery thriller which lauched the auspicious career of Alfred Hitchcock and is widely perceived as one of the greatest British films of all time.
Richard Hannay is a Canadian visitor to London. At the end of 'Mr Memory's' show in a music hall, he meets Annabella Smith who is running away from secret agents. He agrees to hide her in his flat, but in the night she is murdered. Fearing he could be accused of the girl's murder, Hannay goes on the run to break the spy ring.
This production made film history in 1935 when Alfred Hitchcock, who was at the time an active but little known and somewhat run of the mill film director, received a contract to create a low budget potboiler type spy thriller and used the opportunity to provide his studio with a masterpiece which has never been forgotten.
In addition he established his reputation as the master of suspense, something which remained unchallenged throughout the remainder of his career.
This film is quintessential Hitchcock, and those who know his films can pick out sequences in any of his later ones which were based on, or inspired by, his work in this early thriller. Similarly, sequences from this film have also been imitated by many other directors. Because of this The 39 steps has become a must see classic that most movie buffs still regard as an essential element in their personal film collection.
So come along and be held captive by the master of suspense, Tuesday February 24 at 8pm in the Dean Crowe Theatre. Temporary membership is only €7. There will be a complimentary wine reception in the bar at 7.30pm to calm those pre-thriller nerves and suspense!
