Review of The Lady Vanishes (1938) by Patrick M — 06 May 2012

The plot The Lady Vanishes sets up is any mystery lover's dream. A woman disappears and no one believes the only witness. This film is responsible for it having been done a thousand times. When the two main characters are investigating that is when the film is at its best, but eventually the film just becomes a shootout, which is a disappointment on a few levels.

One, any action from back then is going to come off as aged now. It's the unfortunate reality of film having changed so much over the years. But also it's just a shoot-em-up conclusion to a very cerebral film.

While it makes for some good laughs, the tension is never truly there as it was before.