Angela Devas, in her piece How to be a Hero: Space, Place and Masculinity in ‘The 39 Steps’, “articulates the characteristics necessary to become a filmic hero” through an examination of Richard Hannay and his actions.

Devas argues that Hannay is, from the beginning of the film, established as a masculine hero. When the audience first is introduced to him in the music hall during Mr. Memory’s first performance, he stands out from the crowd as well dressed, handsome and tall. His question “How far is Winnipeg from Montreal?” immediately identifies him as an outsider, a wanderer. This disconnection from place is reinforced with his relationship to his apartment. Devas notes that he is “living in a borrowed flat” and, more importantly, “his name. . . is not engraved on the front entrance” but rather scrawled on a piece of paper. His lack of connection with the domestic environment is evidence of his independent masculinity. This masculinity is repeated in his displays of physical prowess, most notably when he escapes from the train on the bridge to Scotland. His daring flight, in which he perches perilously from the girder of the gigantic bridge, illuminates his capacity not only as a physical specimen of masculinity but also as capable of dominating nature and his environment. In becoming a part of the bridge, Hannay connects with its power over the landscape and the audience is again led to a realization of Hannay’s masculine power and domination.

Devas’ piece sheds light on Hannay’s role as a masculine hero in The 39 Steps. Not only is he the savior of state secrets and the love interest of the beautiful Pamela, he represents an ultimate image of filmic masculinity and herodom.

 

 

In their book After Hitchcock, David Boyd and Barton Palmer write about the “misidentification” of Hitchcock’s protagonist in The 39 Steps. Rather than suggesting that the protagonist is simply randomly suggested to “malevolent forces,” Boyd and Palmer argue that Hannay is misidentified as a spy in order to serve as a “barrier to his romantic fulfilment.” This initial misidentification as an agent or spy leads to his own pursuit towards those who would misidentify him in what Hitchcock terms the ‘double pursuit.’

Before the introduction of Annabelle to his life, Hannay lives as an independent, if transient, being. Through his association with her, his identity becomes misconstrued. Interpreted by her enemies as a spy, this group of malevolent agents threaten his independent lifestyle. Boyd and Palmer argue that Hannay’s quest to retrieve the secrets is really a journey to reclaim the identity that was stolen from him. He must engage in Hitchcock’s ‘double pursuit’ in order to realign the perception of his identity with the reality. They go on to assert that this entire tale of misidentification is further poignant for its function as a barrier to Hannay’s “romantic fulfilment.” This returns to what many authors comment on – his natural fulfilment of stereotypical masculine desires. By misconstruing and, in effect, thieving Hannay’s independent identity, the enemy agents launch him on a quest to regain it which finds him fulfilling his stereotypical identity as the masculine role in a romantic relationship.

Boyd and Palmer present an interesting perspective on the motivation and goal of Hannay’s journey. Rather than a purely masculine quest, Hannay is simply trying to reassert his personal identification and in doing so finds the identity that, by filmic convention, he is destined for.

Alfred Hitchcocks 39 Steps has found fame as a not only a quintessential Hitchcock, but an exemplary model of the spy movie genre. Based on a novel by John Buchan, it tells the story of Richard Hannay, Hitchcocks everyman who finds himself mixed up in the high stakes world of international intrigue. Through the extraordinary actions of this everyman, Hitchcock builds an identity that comments on masculinity and gender roles. As Richard Hannay retrieves the secrets of the state, the audience is treated to a dialogue on masculinity, the capacity of the man and their stereotypical goals within filmic narrative.