Rating: 
Summary: This is the first time I watched this movie and I loved it.
Review: This B & W Hitchcock film is definitely going to be near the top of my list for favorite films -- and what is amazing is that this movie was made almost 70 years ago. It stands up very well. The action never stops, the story is intriguing, and there are some very funny lines in it -- some that are slyly suggestive in a witty way. The European setting (first in a mountain chalet in a fictitious country and then on a train) combine with some pre-World War II political commentary, particularly about pacifism and the brutality of the enemy they are facing. There are jokes about the English (every English person on the train will all be in the dining car having tea at 4, notes one character)
The plot involves a woman who vanishes on a train while her young friend is taking a nap. When she asks where the woman is, everyone denies having seen her with anyone. She is made to feel that she's hallucinating the whole thing, perhaps as a result of a head injury. She's certain enough to not give up trying to find out what happened to the woman, and is joined in her efforts by a rakish young man.
I think this is definitely my favorite Hitchcock. I highly recommend this movie.
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: 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: Great film - poor transfer.
Review: This is *not* the Criterion Collection eition. THE LADY VANISHES is truly the greatest film of Hitchcock's British period, and one of his best films overall. While the source materials are of fine quality (good clean print of the film with nice contrasts and good sound), the transfer leaves much to be desired. I have seen VHS versions which were more pleasing to the eye and this DVD looks as though it was mastered from an old video tape. The introduction by Tony Curtis (!?) is a waste of time. Stick to the more expensive (but worth it) Criterion Collection edition.
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: ONE OF THE BEST HITCHCOCK MOVIE!!!!!!
Review: This is a good movie about a lady that vanishes.GOOD performnes by all of the cast (ESPECIALLY Michael Redgrave).The funniest people are the Caldicott and Charters who always talk about cricket.I'd recommend this movie to ANYONE!These are the best quotes: Dr. Hartz "Most Interesting." Margaret Lockwood to Michael Redgrave: "You're the most contemptable person I've ever met!" Michael Redgrave to Margaret Lockwood: "Well you're a bit of a stinker too."
Rating:
Summary: My all-time favorite Hitchcock!
Review: This is a great combination of suspense and comedy. A girl gets a bump on the head intended for someone else just before boarding a train and is helped by an elderly English woman. But shortly after boarding the train, the lady vanishes! Was the girl hallucinating after the bump on the head or did the lady really disappear? This story has everything--sharp, witty dialogue, spies, suspense and drama. In between the darker moments, two hilarious Englishmen, Charters and Caldicott nearly steal the show. This is one movie that I never get tired of watching!
Rating:
Summary: No "North by Northwest," but good early Hitchcock
Review: This is early Hitchcock and you can see the talent that was already there. He made this story into a great suspense film, even though there were quite a few implausibilities. It's an odd film, though, in that it mixes a rather dark story (woman disappearing on a train) with an almost slapstick feel at times. This caught me off guard, and sometimes subverted the tension Hitchcock was trying to create. But it's a very witty film, quite fast-paced once it gets going, and very suspenseful. Definitely a fine example of early Hitchcock and an interesting look at turn-of-the-century Scotland.
Also, since this is a Criterion edition, the special features are excellent. Even more impressive, considering that the movie was made in 1935. They include an original press book that you can zoom in on and read, as well as commentary.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, disappointing transfer!
Review: This is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, along with "The 39 Steps". After purchasing the Criterion Collection version of the latter movie, I was completely impressed with the technical "magic" of the Criterion people. Picture and sound were much cleaner than my VHS copy of the movie! I purchased the Criterion transfer of "The Lady Vanishes" expecting the same level of quality. I was sorely disappointed. The picture is great, no "static", etc. But the sound is very poor, no better than my VHS tape copy. It fades in and out, especially during dialogue and then blares forth at other times. I felt, frankly, cheated after paying the premium price that Criterion DVD's command. Count me unhappy.
Rating:
Summary: A WONDERFUL ENTERTAINMENT
Review: This is one of the Master's first great masterpieces. It has all of the elements that would later make him the greatest of suspense moviemakers and of moviemaking in general. It begins very humourously, and at first seems to be just that, a comedy, and a great one at that. The characters are lively and the situations halarious. Then as the movie goes on, the suspense mounts to a fantastic climax while still retaining that wonderful sense of humour. A MUST SEE for anyone who wants to become a student of the MASTER!!
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