The 39 Steps and North by Northwest

It is said there are only 37 basic plots in literature. If that is true, it must be so for serious movies. I want to compare two films to illustrate what a writer can do with a tested, successful plot to inspire his own.

In 1935 Hitchcock made the film “The 39 Steps,” acclaimed to be his first among his great ones. This plot was adapted from a book by John Buchan, published in 1915. In 1959 Hitchcock’s film “North by Northwest” came out without its having been a book, so far as I can ascertain. Hitchcock might have assigned a scriptwriter or writers to adapt the first Steps to make a similar film. Now we have a remake of Steps. It’s possible some viewers can see the new Steps and North without realizing the similarities. Let’s compare the 1959 “North by Northwest” with the 2008 “The 39 Steps.”

Steps’s main character, played by Rupert Penry-Jones, flees, falsely accused of murder. North’s main character, Cary Grant, flees, accused of a false identity. Both are single men concerned with the next business adventure, Penry-Jones in Africa and Grant in New York. Both make part of their get-away by train. Both have money in their pockets, and use it generously to make progress in their fleeing from both the law and spies on the wrong side. Both are helped early on by females who turn out to be spies on the right side. Both are chased by an airplane but escape, Penry-Jones by a 1914 plane and Grant by a crop-duster. Both really run for their lives, Penry-Jones running longer than Grant. They learn at last, someone in high intelligence kept track of them all along, and used them to get the bad spies. As for being realistic, they are about equal in my estimation, perhaps Steps out ahead by a short distance. Cary Grant seems to add a touch of humor to his attitude, no matter how serious the plot. Penry-Jones is always sensible but laughs in the right places and it's a most attractive laugh, just the way someone would laugh in real life. This 2008 movie is one of the best I’ve ever seen. When I get a new suspense film, I study it as a writer, watching it several times and will view it still in the future.

In spite of the similarities mentioned above, these two films are quite, quite different, making it difficult to guess what is about to happen even with this much knowledge about them. If any writer is tempted to adapt a plot from elsewhere, I strongly suggest you watch these two and see how it’s done and NOT get yourself charged with plagiarism.

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