MOVIE REVIEW: THE LADY VANISHES (1938)

This is an acclaimed film from Alfred Hitchcock’s ascendant period. Far from ‘early’ in his career (he started with shorts in the 20s), Hitchcock has already honed and exhibits his knack for deliberate pacing to build suspense and tension. It may not be thrilling by 21^st century standards, but this picture is anything but dull.

Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood) is returning from a foreign vacation by train. At first, she (but not the audience) is unaware that her return journey crosses paths with a mystery. As she boards the train, Iris is struck by a falling flower pot. Another passenger, Miss Froy (May Whitty) helps her into their compartment and they converse and take tea in the dining car. After a nap, Miss Froy is gone and almost everyone on the train denies ever seeing her. One passenger named Gilbert (Michael Redgrave) is quietly but adamantly on her side, and the two of them work to unravel the mystery, doubly so after another woman dressed just like Miss Froy appears on the train after the next stop.

A cast of interesting and colorful characters rounds out this quasi-whodunit. Some are blissfully unaware of the underhandedness that is afoot, some are clearly in on it, while others still keep you guessing the whole way through. The passenger train setting was hardly new or novel in film or fiction upon its release, but it is an effective conceit. The pieces are limited by the scale of the chessboard, but it’s a moving chessboard, so time is of the essence, more so than even Iris and Gilbert realize.

One aspect of the story that I didn’t enjoy was the rapid escalation toward the end of the film. This isn’t Hitchcock’s fault as the director, and maybe there wasn’t a way around it. For much of the film the interior of the train is world of the story. Yes, the drama follows Iris and the passengers onto the train, so the plot isn’t inherent to the setting, but things go from small, intimate, and tense to broader in scope, explosive, and dire in very short order. It feels like too much was held back until too late in the story, and that made some of the big revelations hard to accept.

Much like the train setting itself, however, Hitchcock keeps this vehicle moving. The further along you get, the less time you have to collect your breath or even think about what you’re learning as it plays out. Hitchcock does this on purpose, and he counts on your willingness to just accept the next piece of information. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it strikes the wrong chord. The number of wrong chords will depend on your personal preference for these kinds of films. There weren’t too many for my taste.

FINAL RATING: 3.5 out of 5