The Lady Vanishes (1938)

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Small wonder that every critic seems to agree that this film is remarkable; it hits the top notes on all aspects of what makes a great film. The wonderful team of Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne make it a masterpiece and probably Hitchock's greatest film.

The Lady Vanishes (Alarma en el Expreso in Spanish) is film made by Alfred Hitchcock. That alone should be more than enough to encourage us to watch it or to influence us into thinking we have come across a great movie. Let0s add another piece of data: it was chosen by the British Film Institute as one of the best Bristis films ever made (number 35 if memory serves). And I agree. Yet, it isn't by far one of Hitchcock's more renowned creations. However, all the ingredients that made up his art and make it so instantly recognizable are still there: irony, sharp sense of humour, John Ford-like environment, mystery, unexpected twists and turns.Going into the details, The Lady Vanishes, tells us the story of and old English lady, Miss Froy, who's traveling by train to London from Bandrika, a made-up country in mid Europe. Another of the passengers, a young English girl takes it upon herself to look into what happened. The trip would turn into a nightmare, where everybody is a potential suspect and has something to conceal.

Producer: Edward Black. A Gainsborough Picture, made at Gaumont British Islington Studios, released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Great Britain: 2 January 1939.Not copyrighted in the U.S.A. New York opening at the Globe: 24 December 1938. U.S. release by Gaumont British: 1 November 1938. Australian release through G-B-D/20th Century-Fox: 8 December 1938. 8,609 feet. Running times: 96 minutes (U.K.), 78 minutes (USA). (The complete version is available on a superb ITV DVD). SYNOPSIS: The Trans-Continental Express lies snowed-up at a wayside station in the South European State of Bandrika. Its passengers have been forced to herd together in a Gasthaus. The discomfiture of Iris Henderson is completed when, from a room above, Gilbert, a collector of folk dances, enlists the aid of the hotel staff to perform a local polka. Another victim of Gilbert's efforts is Miss Froy, a mild little English governess. Iris, by bribing the manager, has Gilbert ejected from his room.At the station next morning a flower box falls and catches Iris a glancing blow on the head. Iris sways, but declares she is all right.No sooner has the train started than Iris faints in Miss Froy's arms. The old lady brings her around and takes her to the dining car for tea, afterwards bringing Iris back to her compartment, where she falls asleep. When she wakes there is no sign of Miss Froy. She asks the people in the compartment if they have seen an English lady. "No!"NOTES: Best Directing of the Year — New York Film Critics.Number 7 on Frank Nugent's list of the Ten Best of the Year for The New York Times.COMMENT: How do you approach a classic? Pleasurable anticipation? Or dread that you're going to be disappointed? Maybe a mixture of both? It was like that for me when I first saw The Lady Vanishes in a cut version back in 1953. I remember going home from the theater with the impression that the movie had dated a fair bit, particularly in its pacing and its acting. So much of the footage was devoted to silly, time-wasting, irrelevant side issues like whether a couple of imbecilic stage Englishmen would get back to London in time for some stupid cricket test; whether the heroine would ever stop talking and whether the rather boorish hero would stop concentrating on himself long enough to start doing something. These detours and full stops were not enlivened by acting that can only be described as stagy, theatrical, mannered, artificial, over- emphatic. Lockwood, Redgrave, Parker, Wayne, Radford were the worst offenders. They tended to swamp the more realistic, more charismatic players like the quietly assured Dame May Witty and the atavistic- ally menacing Paul Lukas. While Hitchcock's staging of the straight thriller material was exciting, he seemed as bored as me by the endlessly romantic and explanatory and humorous passages as well as by the juvenile bang- bang-bang climax (such a let-down after all the splendid suspense that had gone before). Mind you, for all its absurdities and superfluity's, The Lady Vanishes is still worth seeing. Just don't expect a Rebecca or even a Young and Innocent. P.S. Viewing the superb Network ITV DVD causes me to revise the above opinion. It's not only the momentum of the screenplay that is severely disrupted by the cuts but the clever balancing act that allows all its components to re-in force each other. Furthermore, chipping away at Dame May Witty's part lessens her importance and deprives the viewer of vital information.

Describe THE LADY VANISHES as melodrama is real. However, I observe this melodrama from two angles. Parodic comedy and parody mystery are genre defined and at times intertwine. Parts of the film in which there is the aforementioned compounds are fantastically. Hitch is a genius.All the action happens on a relatively small area (on the train), but again loses negative impression cramped. Conspiracy theory is again present. The director took care of probabilities, which is aimed to enhance the mystery, and again in every situation added a bit of comedy.Characterization of the film is excellent. The girl (Margaret Lockwood) before marriage, which at least contemplating marriage. Harmless old woman, governess (May Witty) who skillfully hiding their true identity. Freaky musicologist (Michael Redgrave) who is much more than that. Two crazy Englishman (Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford) in love with cricket. I am delighted with their performance. Timid pacifist and false moralists (Cecil Parker) who travels with beautiful mistress (Linden Travers). Benign and curious doctor (Paul Lukas) who turns into the evil surgeon. A nun in high heels ....The pace of the film is excellent. Sarcastic comedy turns into a straight drama to which the fast continues mystery. Of course, from the beginning of the story may notice that something is amiss, but only after the disappearance of the ladies things moving in the expected genre direction.The tension in the film is present in almost every situation. This is one of the few films in which all components are functioning very well.