{"id":7983,"date":"2009-07-06T11:49:18","date_gmt":"2009-07-06T18:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=7983"},"modified":"2021-01-03T00:09:37","modified_gmt":"2021-01-03T07:09:37","slug":"lady-vanishes-the-1938","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=7983","title":{"rendered":"Lady Vanishes, The (1938)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I don&#8217;t see how a thing like cricket can make you forget seeing people.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Lady-Vanishes-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Lady-Vanishes-Poster-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-61366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Lady-Vanishes-Poster-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Lady-Vanishes-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Lady-Vanishes-Poster-179x270.jpg 179w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Lady-Vanishes-Poster.jpg 501w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA young British woman (Margaret Lockwood) travelling on a trans-European train befriends an elderly governess (Dame May Whitty) who suddenly disappears. When nobody on board the train will believe her story, Iris (Lockwood) turns to a musicologist (Michael Redgrave) for help in unraveling the mystery.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amateur Sleuths<\/li>\n<li>Hitchcock Films<\/li>\n<li>Michael Redgrave Films<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken Identities<\/li>\n<li>Mysterious Disappearance<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;No One Believes Me!&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Paul Lukas Films<\/li>\n<li>Spies<\/li>\n<li>Trains and Subways<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary and many other critics have noted, this &#8220;vastly entertaining thriller ranks with <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=7808\"><em>The 39 Steps<\/em><\/a> as the best of Alfred Hitchcock&#8217;s British films&#8221;. It&#8217;s filled with &#8220;wit, suspense, sex, romance, a wonderful array of characters (enthusiastically played by an excellent cast) and a fascinating mystery&#8221;, and features characters who all &#8220;turn out to be different than they first appear&#8221;. Unfortunately, it takes a while for things to get going: the first twenty minutes or so merely serve to establish the characters and their relationships with one another, and first-time viewers may become impatient. Once the train has boarded, however, the excitement really begins, as Hitchcock explores one of his favorite cinematic tropes: the nightmare of not being believed. <\/p>\n<p>Lockwood is &#8220;most appealing&#8221; as the leading protagonist (a &#8220;frivolous&#8221; rich girl who essentially &#8220;comes of age&#8221; on the train), and Whitty &#8212; who &#8220;has spirit and energy that belie her age&#8221; &#8212;  is perfect as the mysterious title character; meanwhile, Redgrave (in his film debut) slowly grows on you as his character matures and he rises to the task of assisting Iris. The remaining supporting characters are all perfectly cast as well &#8212; though I must admit I&#8217;m not a fan of comedic team Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford, playing a pair of self-absorbed, cricket-obsessed Brits (they went on to star in several other films together &#8212; including the anthology horror flick <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=6003\"><em>Dead of Night<\/em><\/a>, co-starring Redgrave). Peary notes that they provide &#8220;much of the film&#8217;s humor&#8221;, but I find them merely distracting and annoying. With that said, they &#8212; along with several other passengers &#8212; show their true colors in the film&#8217;s final dramatic sequences, when <em>all<\/em> loyal Brits are called upon to fight against corrupt Balkan police; indeed, this film &#8212; made just before the dawn of World War II &#8212; is, among other things, a clarion call to action against fascist forces. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Margaret Lockwood as Iris<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/lady-vanishes-margaret-lockwood.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/lady-vanishes-margaret-lockwood.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8718\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Michael Redgrave as Gilbert<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/lady-vanishes-redgrave.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/lady-vanishes-redgrave.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"386\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8714\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Dame May Whitty as Miss Froy<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/lady-vanishes-dame-may-whitty.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/lady-vanishes-dame-may-whitty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8719\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A highly suspenseful script (by Sidney Gilliat, Frank Lauder, and Alma Reville)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/lady-vanishes-window.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/lady-vanishes-window.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8720\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a classic Hitchcock thriller. Nominated by Peary as one of the Best Pictures of the Year in his <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/AlternateOscars.html\"><em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> book<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0030341\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1938\/12\/26\/archives\/the-screen-in-review-alfred-hitchcock-presents-the-globe-with-a.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/lady-vanishes\/review\/103680\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.teako170.com\/dial22.html\">Dial H for Hitchcock<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/80706\/the-lady-vanishes#articles-reviews?articleId=1209\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-lady-vanishes\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t see how a thing like cricket can make you forget seeing people.&#8221; Synopsis: A young British woman (Margaret Lockwood) travelling on a trans-European train befriends an elderly governess (Dame May Whitty) who suddenly disappears. When nobody on board the train will believe her story, Iris (Lockwood) turns to a musicologist (Michael Redgrave) for help in unraveling the mystery. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Amateur Sleuths Hitchcock Films Michael Redgrave Films Mistaken Identities Mysterious Disappearance &#8220;No One Believes Me!&#8221;&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=7983\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7983"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61367,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7983\/revisions\/61367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}