The 39 Steps

The 39 Steps (1935)
[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026029/]

The Gist:
Early phase Hitchcock that is significantly reminiscent of North By Northwest. It's even referenced of being reminiscent of the other film on the DVD cover. There's the normal citizen who gets swept up in a spy plot, who is dogged by both enemy spies and by the government, there is a mistaken case of murder (by knifing in both films), the escape takes place on a train, there is a woman who helps the man evade his captors, and so on. In fact, there is at least one shot of the train riding on the tracks that is literally the exact same shot in the other film, and as deliberate as Hitchcock is I imagine that choice was specifically orchestrated. Anyway, for my money this is a stronger film than Hitchcock's better known reincarnation. It has the privilege of being one of the best most beautiful films the director has made in terms of cinematography and setting, it is at times terribly clever as in a scene where the protagonist addresses a crowd impersonating a public official as he attempts to evade his captors, and finally it just has an intangible charm to it (much the same as The Lady Vanishes).