Title: The Lady Vanishes
Stars: Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Year: 1938
Black & White
Summary: Iris Henderson's last vacation with her girlfriends before her walk down the aisle ends her days of freedom is about to come to a close. Before she boards the train on her way back to her groom, she is hit on the head by a falling flowerpot which was pushed off its ledge intentionally. As her friends worry about her injury, the old lady she met the night before promises to look after Iris on the train so they bid Iris' friends farewell. Once they've boarded the train, they decide to have some tea to soothe Iris' headache. As Iris and the old lady dine the pair chat and the old lady reveals herself to be Miss Froy, a retired governess. They finish their tea and make their way back to their compartment where there is also an Italian family and a German lady. Iris falls asleep only to wake up and see Miss Froy is gone. She asks the rest of the people in the compartment where her friend has gone but they all claim that Miss Froy never existed. Not believing them, Iris begins a frantic search for her friend with the help of the charming Gilbert who seems to be the only one who believes her, much to Iris' annoyance. What ensues is a roller coaster ride of Iris' sanity as she goes from being convinced she is crazy to being absolutely certain of a conspiracy. There is a little romance and comedy thrown in there, too, as we meet various interesting characters on the train.
Director/Production: This is one of Hitchcock's British films which, to me, just seem to have more charm. It is much more simple than his later work but that does not mean he doesn't have a few tricks up his sleeve with this one. He uses trick shots to make things look far more menacing than they are. It has all of the best of his technique as well as he bits of humor.
The Stars: This film stars Margaret Lockwood as Iris and Michael Redgrave as Gilbert. Margaret Lockwood has a strong screen presence despite being the damsel in distress. She plays the role of Iris with strength and determination. I don't have much more to say about her because all of my focus is on Michael Redgrave's Gilbert. Handsome and tall (so very, very tall), Redgrave is the best part of this movie. His character never lacks in the humor department and without him, there would be no romance in the movie. You might recognize the name Redgrave, and yes he is Vanessa's father. For me, he is the best part of this movie.
Why Should You Watch This? This is absolutely my favorite Hitchcock movie (I might have said that about Rear Window, but this one is my true favorite). It shows his genius better than any other of his films and encapsulates every one of his best tricks. "This Lady Vanishes" shows his talent even better than any of his later work, which was done with far more resources at his disposal. It has all the suspense that Hitchcock is famous for as well as all the romance he managed to squeeze into just about every movie he made. Another reason this film is so special to me is because it just has a certain charm to it that comes from the model village and trains used in the opening shots. It is a reminder of how far film making has come. I also feel like the lack of the more technical elements allows you to focus more on the character development. The characters here are so unique and charming that it is fitting that they are the focus.
I love this movie so much and hope that you will do the same. I hope you watch this and come to enjoy it as much as I do. I also hope you can forgive the fact that this is classic movie Monday on Thursday. This one is probably not one you could find at Blockbuster, but you most certainly can get it on Netflix. However, because it is an older film, copyright ownership does not really apply to it anymore so you can watch the full thing on YouTube without fear of it being taken down. Let me know what you think and, as always, happy watching!
Here is the first YouTube video of it, just to get you started. The rest is up on YouTube.
