27 Dec The Lady Vanishes
(1938) An elderly governess and a beautiful young woman are traveling together on a train when the governess suddenly vanishes! This is the last movie that Alfred Hitchcock did in the UK. In fact, the 1938 New York Times review described it as “the latest of the melodramatic classics made by England’s greatest director.” The success of The Lady Vanishes helped him win a lucrative contract with producer David O. Selznick.
For me, the first minutes (before they get on the train) drag just a bit. Don’t be put off! That’s when we get to meet most of the characters … Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave (father of Vanessa and Lynn) had the starring roles along with the delightful governess, played by Dame May Whitty. (In 1918, King George made her a “Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire” in recognition of her performances for the troops during World War I.)
The action begins on the train which is traveling from a vacation spot in what turns out to be an unnamed country. There has just been an avalanche and the train is delayed. I hear German, Italian, French being spoken by the staff. Wherever they are, until they reach England again they are in all sorts of danger from spies, Gestapo-like hoodlums, and a menacing doctor.
Perhaps it is a stretch to call this a “World War II movie.” In 1938 even though Great Britain was not at war, Europe was in turmoil. There were spies everywhere, although most people in the UK and the US didn’t want to hear about it and were determined that they should not go to war. This film was a little harbinger of things to come.
The film is based on a 1936 novel by British crime writer Ethel Lina White. The story is still a popular one. A stage adaptation of The Lady Vanishes toured the UK in 2001. A BBC broadcast of an abridged version aired on BBC Radio, and in 2013 the BBC filmed a TV adaptation.
Don’t miss the tune with a special meaning that is heard through the film, beginning with a serenader and finishing with the piano. The ending is a perfect surprise.
The Lady Vanishes at amazon.com
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