Review of The Lady Vanishes (1938) by Ben L — 05 Jul 2017

The Lady Vanishes is a movie that sneaks up on you. For almost the entire first act it bounces around between a number of different characters, it has a light tone, and it almost feels like a comedy. What is really taking place is great character setup. We're meeting these people and learning about their personalities so that we understand their motivations when the real story gets started.

The mystery in The Lady Vanishes is one that totally gripped me. I was hooked and trying to figure out what was happening and why. Unlike many other mysteries like this, I kept guessing but wasn't able to put the pieces together until moments before the truth was revealed. I also enjoy movies that cause you to question whether what we've seen was real or if it was all an illusion.

The cast is great. I particularly loved the 2 cricket-loving (gay?) Englishmen. In fact the movie starts from their point of view and I almost wish they had become the stars of the show because their banter with one another was superb. But Margaret Lockwood became an excellent protagonist, and her slowly developed connection with Michael Redgrave worked perfectly.

There was a certain point in the third act (when all was revealed) that I felt the movie almost came off the rails. A couple characters behaved in odd ways, and the action seemed a little forced. And that final scene, while satisfying, was a bit too cheesy for my taste. I didn't mind most of these nitpicks, though, because I was totally intrigued by the story. This is a Hitchcock classic that more people should be talking about, because I think it's a winner.