Rating: 
Summary: Superb Witty Suspense!
Review: An avalanche has delayed a trans-European train in a nameless village in an eastern European country some time before World War II. In this village there is chaos due to the sudden over crowding, which leads to a shortage of hotel rooms where visitors meet new people. At the end of the night someone is murdered under peculiar circumstances, however, the murder remains unknown to the people in the village. In the morning of the very next day someone pushes a pot that happens to land on the head of Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood), and she suffers from lightheadedness. A polite old lady, that Iris met the night before due to a disturbing musician, offers to help her on board the train and to take care of her. When Iris wakes up at a later occasion it seems like the old lady has vanished, and no one seems to know who she was. She desperately seeks aid from the very same musician, Gilbert Redman (Michael Redgrave), who disturbed her sleep the previous night. These two characters set out to find out what has happened to the lost lady. Lady Vanishes is a quick humorous thriller that offers both deep belly laughs as well as exhilarating suspense. There are moments where the humor turns to slap-stick humor that seems to go overboard, yet it balances well with the daft lead of Iris. In the end, the combination between the absurd and the serious provides a clever satire that offers an exceptional cinematic experience.
Rating: 
Summary: You can't go wrong with Hitchcock
Review: After a bit of a slow start, the suspense and intrigue take over. I thought the opening sequence, with everyone at the hotel, went on a bit long, but I understand it's necessary to thoroughly introduce the characters before everyone gets on the train and the real story begins. I must admit I didn't even begin to figure out what had actually happened to Miss Froy before the movie revealed it. Once the secret's out, though, the suspense doesn't stop there. A close escape, a gun battle, and a desparate flight close out the film in a truly satisfying manner.This DVD edition shows examples of some of the 7,000 flaws that were removed from the original film when it was restored, which I found interesting to watch. In summary, this was a gift I was very pleased to get for Christmas, being a big fan of Hitchcock.
Rating:
Summary: Vintage Hitchcockian whodunit
Review: An avalanche in a small European mountainside village causing train delays thrusts an odd conglomeration of travelers together in a rustic inn. While waiting for the tracks to be cleared of snow, Margaret Lockwood playing a devil may care, soon to be betrothed young socialite befriends a sweet old matronly English governess, Miss Froy, played by Dame May Whitty. Lockwood also has a rather unpleasant interaction with a boisterous and rambunctious music student played by Michael Redgrave. Once the transcontinental train is ready to embark, Lockwood and Whitty agree to travel together. Prior to boarding Lockwood mysteriously gets clunked on the head by a wayward flowerpot causing a mild concussion. Whitty attends to her in the train compartment coaxing her to fall asleep. Lockwood awakens to find that the dear Miss Froy has apparently vanished. Shockingly the passengers sharing her compartment disavow any knowledge of Miss Froy's existence. Startled, Lockwood implores the obnoxious Redgrave to help her unravel the disappearance.
Paul Lukas playing a Czech brain surgeon assures Lockwood that the episode is a mere figment of her imagination. In reality Miss Froy is an undercover British agent in possesion of sensitive pre-war military secrets. Lukas is the foreign spymaster attemting to kill her before the message can be delivered. Although not one of Hitchcock's super classics, The Lady Vanishes is a wonderful example of his genius. He nimbly transforms what begins as a screwball madcap comedy into a tension filled suspense thriller. His camera angles are unparalleled. The revelation of the face an imposter dressed exactly in Miss Froy's clothes when you expect to see the face of Whitty is a vintage Hitchcock twist
Rating:
Summary: Very well written, acted, and directed.
Review: This film is one of Hitchcock's early great works. Many believe THE LADY VANISHES to be an essential film. If you ask if I think everyone should see it I answer emphatically "Yes!". Whether or not it is essential to own is a bit up for grabs. I have seen it numerous times and it is enjoyable; great script, great scenes, great acting and directing etc. The 'lady' in question is so sweet and unassuming, and the young lady and man who become 'involved' are quite fiesty as well. Yet I have never felt compelled to own THE LADY VANISHES. As far as I'm concerned, it is a great example of early Hitchcock, but not essential. That said, I am glad that Criterion Collection decided to include this title. The film elements look quite good considering the age of the negatives and how they were probably stored (without much care I'm guessing). The sound is as good as one can hope given the audio technology of the time (1939-World War Two was only just about to start!). Occasionally dialogue is not quite as crisp as I would like, but this is nothing too bothersome. All in all, this is a film that everyone should see at least once-certainly every film student or fan of Hitch. Recommended.
FROY
Rating:
Summary: Early, British Hitchcock
Review: This is a British film directed by Hitchcock before he went to Hollywood, in which we see the basic Hitchcock recipe taking shape. First there is star power in the romantic leads, the beautiful and very interesting Margaret Lockwood (if you've never seen her, you're in for a treat), who plays an ingenue about to marry the wrong man, and the accomplished Sir Michael Redgrave, who plays the right man. Next there is the so-called "Boy Meets Girl, Cute" formula--in this case it's more of a clash than a meeting. Then there is a romantic setting, first the alpine resort and then the train. (European train holidays were romantic in those days; perhaps they still are.) Then there is mystery and danger. This is accomplished by the inexplicable disappearance on the train of the lady Lockwood met at the resort, a disappearance that nobody but her seems to notice. When she tries to bring it to everyone's attention there is a kind of sinister coverup and some deliberate lying by third parties (with their own agendas) so that at first nobody believes her. Indeed, there is a psychiatrist aboard who casts doubt on her mental state. Add to this mix some interesting character play by a fine supporting cast, including Dame May Whitty, Paul Lukas, Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne; stir in some romantic indirections and mystery plot red herrings, and you have a delightful repast. It is interesting to compare this to some later Hitchcock films. It is more of an old fashioned "who done it" than it is a psychological thriller, more like, say, Dial M for Murder (1954) than, Spellbound (1945) or The Birds (1963). It is not as polished as those productions, but in some ways it is the better for it in that we never know where an individual scene is going. The whimsical business with Radford and Wayne and the Swiss maid, for example, is really extraneous to the story. Note the Grand Hotel (1932) feel to the opening scene with the desk clerk trying to find rooms for everyone at the inn. I don't know when Agatha Christie wrote her Murder on the Orient Express (the movie version came out in 1972) but she may have been influenced by The Lady Vanishes, or it may have been the other way around. At any rate, both stories take place in the thirties abroad trains. Redgrave, who is the father of Lynn and Vanessa Redgrave, was thirty years old when this film was released and already a star on the London stage. Lockwood was only twenty-two, despite being a veteran of fourteen or fifteen previous films. Their performance here is an early example of the romantic comedy pair set amidst a field of danger, one of most enduring traditions in the movies. See this for Margaret Lockwood whose strength of character and pretty features are still fresh and most appealing despite the intervening years.
Rating:
Summary: Funny Hitchcock and Pristine DVD
Review: I had heard alot about this movie and how good it was. Usually that means that I am let down when I see it. It was not the case with "The Lady Vanishes", this is truly an awesome movie. There are laughs, suspense, plenty of good and bad guys and everything in between. The Criterion Collection transfer of this movie is remarkable, it makes the movie look brand new. It really is amazing what DVD is capable of, I just hope they keep saving wonderful movies like this one going forward. This DVD is a must have for any movie fan, don't think about the price just buy it. It's worth every penny.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps Hitchcock's finest blend of humor and suspense
Review: First, if one wants to get this on DVD, it is absolutely essential to get the Criterion edition. There are numerous cheap editions of this film, but, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Only the Criterion edition is based on a reconstituted copy, the others being reduplications of worn, aged copies. THE LADY VANISHES was the last film that Alfred Hitchcock made in Great Britain before leaving for a long stay in Hollywood. I consider this one to be the second best of the films he made in England during the thirties, only surpassed by THE 39 STEPS. Of all the films that Hitchcock made, THE LADY VANISHES probably best blends both the suspense and the humor he loved to inject into every film. In fact, this film is funnier than many pure comedies. The scene where Basil Radford hijacks a long distance telephone call, only to shout to the operator, "How's England?!" only to mean thereby, "What has happened in Cricket?" is a classic. This is also yet another of Hitchcock's great train films. No major director used trains as often and as well as Hitchcock, and this is his finest effort in the genre. The cast for this film is easily the best of any of Hitchcock's 1930s films, and holds up well against any of his American films. Michael Redgrave manages to project both the humor and seriousness that Hitchcock preferred in his leading men, and Margaret Lockwood, although not blonde, makes an excellent leading lady. But it is the supporting cast that makes this film so delectable. Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford appear as "Caldicott" and "Charters," and as a pair of appalling Britishers abroad, they very nearly steal the movie. They were such a hit in this film that they became an instant team, and were paired in many additional films together. Sometimes, as in their memorable golf competition-to-the-death in DEAD OF NIGHT, they played similar characters under new names. But in several films they resurrected the Caldicott and Charters characters, as in Sir Carol Reed's NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH, which was itself a fairly straightforward imitation of THE LADY VANISHES. I must confess that my favorite moments of THE LADY VANISHES occur when they are onscreen, especially in the gunfight at the end, in which they simultaneously display complacent bravery and stoic indifference. Paul Lukas makes a marvelous villain, and Dame May Whitty is perfect playing the title character. The film is marred mildly by the much lower state of British cinema compared to Hollywood in 1939. One need only compare the initial shot in this film with early shots in REBECCA. I consider THE LADY VANISHES a better film (though REBECCA has some marvelous moments, although in many ways it is an untypical Hitchcock film, forced as he was to conform to Hollywood and not yet able to enforce his own vision there), but if you compare the model sets in the British film with the model shots of Manderlay, the difference is dramatic. The opening shots of the Swiss town are so obviously a miniature; in REBECCA it is not at all obvious that Manderlay is.
Rating:
Summary: = = = = DON
Review: Please don't miss this comedy thriller. It packs more delicious good - and deliciously bad - one-liners as Some LIke It Hot. Never mind that your print is 'lousy.' Be glad the corn-fed populace hanging at the mall was looking the other way long enough for us to sneak this on the shelf - in as many forms and qualities as possible. You'll be watching this pleasure more than once. That should enable you to catch any dialogue problems you miss, stuck with a 'bad' print. And you'll be glad to do it. This is one of the top half-dozen comedy-thrillers there are, Hithcock or otherwise. Get one soon, one way or the other. We can't be sitting back waiting for Steven Hawking or somebody to regenerate the perfect print.
- moosbrugger
Rating:
Summary: unfaded memories
Review: I watched this as an adolecent, and really enjoyed it. Watching it again cause no feelings of disappointment. Very slight hum on the sound track, but by no means reason to pay 5x the amount for this real enjoyable movie.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly my favorite Hitchcock film
Review: Hitchcock is best known for suspense--and if that is what you're looking for, this film may be a bit of a disappointment. The plot seems to be secondary, and the mystery isn't all that mysterious. But what makes this film stand out is its rollicking atmosphere and genuine sense of fun. All of the actors seem to be having the time of their lives: Michael Redgrave is hilariously brash ("You remind me of my father. You haven't any manners at all, and you're always seeing things."), Margaret Lockwood couldn't be prettier, Paul Lucas is suavely menacing, and Dame May Whitty is the perfect English lady. Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne as cricket obsessed tourists steal every scene they are in. Although many of Hitchcock's British films of this period seem somewhat amateurish, as if he were experimenting with what he could do with film, The Lady Vanishes scarcely seems to strike a false note. I've seen the film almost a dozen times, and each time I like it more. The wit and charm of this picture doesn't diminish with age--if anything it increases. A note: since The Lady Vanishes is out of copyright, there are many editions available. The best one by far is the Criterion Collection's edition, with restored picture and sound. It also features a fascinating commentary track by film historian Bruce Eder. It's a bit pricey, but well worth in in my opinion.
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