The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Film Review

Widely considered to be the best of Alfred Hitchcock's British films (or, at the very least, a close second to his The 39 Steps), The Lady Vanishes was the last film but one he made before his move to Hollywood (the last being Jamaica Inn).  The film skilfully combines suspense thriller and black comedy, making this one of Hitchcock's most entertaining - and unpredictable - films.  It was also a welcome commercial success after the failure of his previous couple of films.

The film's cast is as perfect as its direction and scripting.  Margaret Lockwood (famous for her Gainsborough melodramas of the 1940s, The Man in Grey and The Wicked Lady) makes a terrific Hitchcockian heroine - resilient, vulnerable and alluring; her pairing with the great Michael Redgrave is a stroke of genius.  This is just one of the many well-formed double acts the film has to offer - the most memorable being Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne as the cricket-obsessed Charters and Caldicott.  These latter two proved to be so popular that they re-appeared in a number of subsequent films.

The more shocking sequences in The Lady Vanishes are offset by some superlative - and wonderfully downplayed - comedy, which curiously adds to the suspense.  There are even a few nice expressionist touches, notably the sequence when Iris struggles to hold onto her consciousness as the train begins its nightmarish journey.  The film's strengths - particularly in its characterisation and atmosphere - manage to carry it through its weaker moments (an unconvincing model shot at the start of the film, and a needlessly drawn-out shoot-out sequence near the end).  On a bigger budget, Hitchcock would undoubtedly have managed to make a more polished production, but it is doubtful that he would have improved upon the film he did make, the compelling and irresistibly funny The Lady Vanishes.

Film Synopsis

A group of British travellers are stranded in a hotel in a remote European country.  After holidaying with some friends, Iris Henderson is on her way back home to get married.  She meets a kindly old lady, Miss Froy, a former governess who is sad to leave the country she has made her home.  Iris' sleep is disturbed by Gilbert Redman, a musician who is making a study of European folk music.  The next day, the railway tracks have been cleared and the group can continue their rail journey back to England.  Iris meets up with Miss Froy once more on the train, but when she awakes after a short nap the old lady has mysteriously disappeared.  Worryingly, when Iris asks the other passengers what has happened to Miss Froy, everyone denies ever having seen her on the train.  The only person who believes her is Gilbert.  Together, they attempt to unravel the mystery of the vanishing lady…