9. «The 39 steps»

SUMMARY

The action of the film is laid in G.B. (partly in London, England and partly in Scotland), on the eve of World War I. Retired Colonel Scudder, a former agent of the British Intelligence Service, has unearthed evidence proving that before long the whole of Europe will be plunged into war, with Prussia behind the conspiracy. However hard he tries to bring it home to Mr. Portman and Lord Harkness, seniour officials of the British Intelligence office, neither of them will see the mortal danger looming over the country, its fleet and the Greek Prime- minister Karolides who is to be assassinated on the 15th. On the contrary, they go on to accuse him of overstating the danger and crying wolf. Their complacency and short-sightedness cost them their lives; both of them get assassinated by Prussian agents-'sleepers'.

Colonel Scudder does realize that the sleepers won't stop short of anything in order to dispose of all those who might jeopardize or frustrate their vicious plans. Unfortunately, there is little he can do, for sleepers dexterously pass themselves off as natives in any social or otherwise situation resorting to outrageous bluff. His desperate attempt to escape so as to gain time for collating the facts amassed ends in failure. He also dies a violent death. However before he dies he succeeds in confiding the results of his background research to a certain Mr. Hannay, who appears to be his co-tenant.

At first Mr. Hannay, a mining engineer in South Africa and a sheer dilettante where politics is concerned, doesn't believe a single word of Scudder's, being altogether unable to make out the latter's message. He is a fast learner, though, and by and by he begins to get an insight into what is going on. Meanwhile the situation develops like a house on fire taking quite an unexpected turn. Hannay gets arrested by the Metropolitan Police for allegedly murdering Colonel Scudder. He is kept in custody pending trial. Having become inadvertently involved in a stark-dangerous cloak-and - dagger game, Hannay automatically turns into the target object for the sleepers who kidnap (abduct) him hoping to find on him the Late Colonel

Scudder's note-book. Upon finding none whatsoever, they leave him to his own devices convinced that he will lead the way in an attempt to reach the note-book.

Ingenious Hannay happens to outwit the Prussians and escape from them, which triggers off a dangerously exhilarating manhunt. Guided by an only clue-phrase in the black note-book, Hannay heads for Strathallan, a Scottish one-horse dorp. It takes colossal physical effort as well as extraordinary ingenuity and resourcefulness on his part to always be one step ahead of his pursuers, who are far from being amateurs. He owes a great deal of his luck to David Hamilton, a Scottish landowner, and Miss Alex Mackenzie, David's fiancee who help Hannay out of the worst predicaments imaginable, with David Hamilton at the cost of his life. In the long run Mr Hannay and Miss Mackenzie accompanied by superintendent Lomas who is now well aware of Hannay's innocence reach London equipped with the precious note-book whose contents are ciphered in Colonel Scudder's personal code extremely difficult to crack the key to. They arrive just in time to prevent the Prussians from translating their monstrous plan into life. Many a time do Hannay and his Brothers-in-arms have to risk their necks. Hannay stops the minute hand of the Big Ben clock before it reaches 11.45 and preventing an explosion in Parliament, so that the Greek Premier's life is saved as well as those of a great many MP's. The plot is disclosed, Edmund Appleton, the principal conspirator-convicted of treason and sentenced to the gallows. Owing to Richard Hannay's courageous exertions Colonel Scudder's will is fulfilled to the letter - the British fleet stays intact and Great Britain gains valuable time to prepare for the war.