Review of The Lady Vanishes (1938) by Paul J — 28 Aug 2007

Oh my GOD! This is definitely the action suspense drama to beat!!!

I haven't seen this movie in like a decade. This has been a phenomenal influence to me and to my love of films. Seventy years later after this flick was first shown, the movie still kicks some ass.

I mean movies like FLIGHTPLAN which heavily borrowed to this movie or other Hollywood suspense movies pale in comparison and don't even come close.

I saw this again with another friend last weekened when everyone was going crazy with the latest BOURNE installment.

He, being not familiar with HITCHCOCK PRE-HOLLYWOOD was totally blown away with this movie. This is one of the best suspense movies ever made and for someone to be moved by this film seven decades later just shows that this is indeed a movie classic, will never be dated, and will definitely stand the test of time.

The plot goes: A spoiled rich girl meets an old lady in a hotel while they get trapped for the day because of a snow landslide. The following morning, she and the old lady take the first train out back to Britain, the old lady becomes her confidant and her sitmate. But things get heavier when after a quick nap she wakes up and the Lady is nowhere to be found. She's convinced that the lady was kidnapped, but the staff inside the train think she's going crazy... sounds like a great plot for a Jodie Foster movie? Well this movie was actually way beyond its time.

Shot in the late 30's, THE LADY VANISHES redefined what celluloid films are capable of... they can be an effective medium where audiences can get hooked complimented by a finely written script. The direction and the editing was impeccable, even more effective than the recent action movies being shown today on the silverscreens.

If you love PSYCHO, VIRTIGO and NORTH BY NORTHWEST... this early HITCHCOCK movie will show you why he is indeed the master of suspense drama.

Amazing movie!!!