A Short Jane Austen Actor Love: The 39 Steps

Okay, so my AP students from  last year could (sadly) tell you that I have a bit of a crush on Captain Wentworth from Jane Austen's Persuasion.  This certifiable crush was sealed when I saw the newest film version with Rupert *sigh* Penry-Jones.  Yep.  He made my single girl heart go pitter pat.  I'm not much for the blondies, but I definitely made an exception from him.

Thanks to my Mr. Penry-Jones, I set aside my issues with mysteries to record an episode of Masterpiece Theater on PBS, The 39 Steps.  I hadn't watched it yet, so I settled down this evening to give it a go.  What a treat!!!  The premise of the story is that Jones's character, circa 1918, is given a booklet that contains coded messages from a German spy that will leave the British navy vulnerable to their enemies.  Said man who gave him the booklet is murdered in a hotel in front of him, and then he is blamed for the murder and must go on the run to Scotland.  His goal is then to try to get himself out of the murder accusation, and to uncover the German spy ring threatening home and country.

I have to say that this was a great spy thriller, and one that I could easily recommend to just about anyone.  Not only did it have one of my favorite leading men in it, but it had action, espionage, and even a romance.  Even the romance though was different than I might have expected.  The female lead was strong-willed and didn't need to be saved at every turn of the story, and Penry-Jones's lead wasn't as self-assured as a James Bond character might be, but was confused by his role in the espionage.  His fears and anxiety over what was happening to himself and could happen to his country had me eager to keep watching.  Regardless of any fear Penry-Jones might have displayed through his character, he was still quite the swash-buckling, handsome lead!  Also, he somehow managed to be more than a gentleman throughout all the action, which made him even  more charming.

Based on the novel The 39 Steps by John Buchan, I can absolutely say that the film version of this novel is a must see!  I'm not certain if it will be appearing again on Masterpiece Theater again, but it is well worth an effort to track down if you like spy thrillers or are even a fan of Rupert Penry-Jones.  In just under an hour and a half, this is a really great movie to watch!