Orson Welles was no fan of Alfred Hitchcock, but he had high praise for one particular film from his fellow director, albeit not one that’s generally counted among his best films. Directed by Hitchcock, The 39 Steps is a lesser-known mystery thriller – and apparently, a favorite of Orson Welles’.
Today, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock are widely regarded as two of the greatest movie directors of all time. Orson Welles directed Citizen Kane, a movie that’s in contention with Casablanca for the тιтle of the greatest movie ever made. He’s also received critical acclaim for various other movies, including Touch of Evil and The Stranger.
Alfred Hitchcock, for his part, is responsible for a significantly larger number of perceived classics, with Rear Window, Notorious, Psycho, and North by Northwest being just a handful of the great contributions he’s credited with making to movie history. Interestingly, Orson Welles didn’t have a very high opinion of Alfred Hitchcock’s work, although there were some exceptions.
Orson Welles Called The 39 Steps A “Masterpiece”
Orson Welles Loved The 39 Steps
In an interview, Orson Welles voiced his thoughts on some of Alfred Hitchcock’s movies, expressing his great dislike for some of the most celebrated films in Alfred Hitchcock’s directorial credits, including Rear Window and Vertigo. He had very different thoughts on The 39 Steps, remarking, “Oh my god, what a masterpiece,” [via Far Out Magazine].
the 1935 film currently holds a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, underscoring its reputation as an under-the-radar Alfred Hitchcock gem.
Starring Robert Donat, The 39 Steps was a fast-paced British thriller that saw an ordinary man get wrapped up in the murder of a foreign spy, causing him to become a target of enemy agents and police. Based on a 1915 book by John Buchan, the 1935 film currently holds a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, underscoring its reputation as an under-the-radar Alfred Hitchcock gem.
In 1938, Orson Welles hosted a five-part radio drama program called The Mercury Theatre on the Air, which included his infamous “War of the Worlds” broadcast. One of the other four radio dramas he did for the program was an adaptation of The Thirty-Nine Steps, three years after Hitchcock’s version.
The 39 Steps was one of the many British movies Hitchcock made before his transition to Hollywood, where he made his biggest hits. In Orson Welles’ mind, Hitchcock’s early movies – in spite of being lower-budget productions – were “better than the American pictures.” He felt that these movies – including The 39 Steps – had a “foreign charm” to them because of the unfamiliarity of the actors.
Why Orson Welles Was So Critical Of Alfred Hitchcock’s Movies, But Not The 39 Steps
Orson Welles Hated Movies Commonly Regarded As Some Of Alfred Hitchcock’s Best Films
Orson Welles’ candid interview revealed a strong distaste for Alfred Hitchcock’s work, though it would seem that most of his disdain was reserved for the films made in the final decades of his career. Welles claimed that “egotism and laziness” hurt the director’s movies.
To Welles, Hitchcock’s supposed decline in quality began when the director started making movies in color
To Welles, Hitchcock’s supposed decline in quality began when the director started making movies in color, which would indicate that he saw the late 1940s as the start of the director’s downward spiral. In Welles’ words, this was when Hitchcock “stopped looking through the camera,” indicating that he became less innovative in his directing style.
This could also refer to the many ways in which Hitchcock utilized lighting and shadows in his black and white movies, such as Notorious, Shadow of a Doubt, and, of course, The 39 Steps.
Over the years, Hitchcock received a great deal of acclaim for his creative use of these techniques to convey suspense and other emotions. This was a priority for Welles as well, considering how big of a factor it was in Citizen Kane, especially. In that regard, it’s no wonder that Orson Welles was able to appreciate The 39 Steps.
The 39 Steps Was One Of Alfred Hitchcock’s Favorite Movies Too
Alfred Hitchcock Liked The Fast Pace He Employed When Making The 39 Steps
Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock clearly didn’t see eye-to-eye on several of the latter’s movies, considering that Alfred Hitchcock viewed Rear Window as one of his proudest achievements. But it seems that they were closer to the same page on The 39 Steps, which Hitchcock has cited as one of his favorite films of his own [via The Hitchcock Zone].
Reflecting on The 39 Steps, Hitchcock spoke fondly of his work on the movie, explaining that what he liked about the film was “the sudden switches and the jumping from one situation to another with such rapidity.” In some ways, The 39 Steps can be seen as the opposite of a film like Rear Window, Rope, or Lifeboat, which confined their characters to one area for the entirety of a movie.
The 39 Steps, on the other hand, took its main character – Richard Hannay – through all sorts of situations, putting him through intense episodes taking place on a farm, a train, on top of a clock tower, and more. The pacing in The 39 Steps enabled it to deliver a truly engaging story.
Sources: Far Out Magazine, The Hitchcock Zone
