232. The Lady Vanishes

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Starring: Margaret Lockwood

Dame May Whitty

Michael Redgrave

IMDb Rating: 7.9

MY Rating: 7

"I never think you should judge any country by it's politics. After all, we English are quite honest by nature, aren't we?"

While waiting to board a train, Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood) is "accidentally" hit in the head by a flower pot. Her friends help her board the train, where she instantly falls asleep. Upon awaking, she finds herself sitting across from an elderly lady named Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty). The two strike up a conversation and decide to have a drink in the dining car. Afterwards, they return to their compartment, and Iris takes a nap. When she awakes, she notices that Miss Froy is gone. Even stranger, no one on the train is claiming to have ever seen Miss Froy. Did Iris hallucinate the whole thing, or is everyone on the train hiding the same secret?

The Lady Vanishes is an early film from my favorite director Alfred Hitchcock. It is definitely lacking on the suspense of his later and more popular works. Although, it is full of his usual mystery and dark humor. The film is never predictable and actually keeps you guessing up to the the very final scene. Hitchcock's ability to unravel a story from every angle is on full display here. This might not be one of his most exciting films, but it's a solid story with great elements of Hitchcock's trademark brand of mystery.

The only place that I feel this film stumbles is with the performances of the actors. Other than Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave, the characters are pretty forgettable. Some of the performances actually come off rather amateur and goofy. The most notable folly occurs in a scene where a character gets shot in the hand. He shows no signs of pain or agony. He just sort of shrugs it off. If I got shot in the hand, I would at least have a look of discomfort. Luckily, Lockwood and Redgrave's characters are where the focus of the film lies. So the supporting performances don't leave a sting all that bad.

The Lady Vanishes might not rank high on Hitchcock's long list of films, but it is indeed a must watch. I would call it one of Hitchcock's most subtle films, which is precisely why it works so well. All great mysteries need to be just that, mysterious. If you spell out all of the details, you risk losing the entire tone of the film. With the exception of a few botched performances, there isn't much wrong with this film. I would recommend this film.