The high-density drama woven into Hitchcock's British-era masterpiece spy suspense film ``The 39 Steps.''

``The 39 Steps'' is even described in detail in that masterpiece of youth novels! ?

By the way, did you know that ``The 39 Steps'' also appears in J.D. Salinger's novel ` `The Catcher in the Rye'' ? Phoebe, the red-haired sister of the main character Holden, loves this movie so much that she recites the characters' lines by heart, and when certain memorable scenes occur, she always sticks out her little finger in time with the footage. And. This description continues for half a page (*5).

Counting backwards from his date of birth, ``The 39 Steps'' was first released in the United States when the author, Salinger, was 16 years old. He may have been around the same age as Holden at the time of its release when he saw this movie in theaters.If you think about it that way, the two historical masterpieces are so close to each other, and it becomes even more endearing. It seems to me.

In any case, we now live in an era where you can easily enjoy this historical masterpiece, ``The 39 Steps,'' not only in movie theaters or on DVD, but also on some video distribution services. If you have a chance, please give it a try, even if it's just the first 10 minutes. It's so addictive that it's no surprise that Phoebe and Holden have seen this movie 10 times.

*5) From “ Catcher in the Rye ” (Hardcover version) P.114

Citations/References

“ Standard Film Art Hitchcock/Truffaut ” François Truffaut/Koichi Yamada and Shigehiko Hasumi translation/1990/Shobunsha

“ Hitchcock The Movie Himself ” Sidney Godlieb / Keisuke Suzuki translation / 1999 / Chikuma Shobo

“ Catcher in the Rye ” JD Salinger/Translated by Haruki Murakami/2003/Hakusuisha

Text: USHIZU ATSUNOBU

Born in Nagasaki in 1977. When he was 3 years old, he saw ``Superman II'' with his father and became fascinated with movies. After The Graduate from Meiji University, he worked for a movie broadcasting channel and then became a movie writer. Currently, in addition to writing for Eiga.com, EYESCREAM, Real Sound Movie Club, etc., he also contributes to media press and theater programs.

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