Customer Reviews

The Lady Vanishes (The Criterion Collection)

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, along with "The 39 Steps". After purchasing the Criterion Collection version of the latter movie, I was completely impressed with the technical "magic" of the Criterion people. Picture and sound were much cleaner than my VHS copy of the movie! I purchased the Criterion transfer of "The Lady Vanishes" expecting the same level of quality. I was sorely disappointed. The picture is great, no "static", etc. But the sound is very poor, no better than my VHS tape copy. It fades in and out, especially during dialogue and then blares forth at other times. I felt, frankly, cheated after paying the premium price that Criterion DVD's command. Count me unhappy.

There's one thing that movies can do better than any other artistic medium. It's having you experience something from a character's point of view, and then having every other character in the movie say it never happened. Your empathy as a viewer is at its highest pitch: you saw what happened with your own eyes, and so you see it through the character's eyes as well, but then everyone denies it. This is the central scene on the train in THE LADY VANISHES. Nothing, absolutely nothing, in my opinion, is more cinematic than this. When the idea is used to trick the viewer (as in THE USUAL SUSPECTS), it's not as good (although still it's pretty good, because again it uses film in the most empathetic way possible). And when the trickery is fair--as in THE SIXTH SENSE--it can be superb. I rank THE LADY VANISHES right up there with VERTIGO, PSYCHO, and REAR WINDOW, as Hitchcock's greatest gifts to us, the moviegoers of the world. I would even add SHADOW OF A DOUBT to this pantheon. The thing I admire most about Hitchcock is that he was attracted to stories that showed what film could do as an art form. His best movies, in their different ways, display this for us. The movies I've mentioned would not be as good as novels or plays--and this is saying a great deal. It's a test, as a matter of fact, of what separates the film as an art medium from other artistic forms. The two directors who knew this best were Alfred Hitchcock and Walt Disney. It would be so terrific if someone were to come along someday who could be said to be their equal. Bottom line: THE LADY VANISHES is one of the best movies you will ever see, but please, it works at a slower pace than today's movies, so let it sink in for you, don't be in a hurry, EXPERIENCE it!

I don't have the other DVD version to compare this with, but this Criterion edition of THE LADY VANISHES is very good. There is an animated index page with the sound of a train. The print of this film looks very good -- of special interest is the "restoration" section of the index. Through the use of "wipes" the Criterion people show you a before and after version of the cleaned-up print. Very neat.

There is also a commentary from a film historian which is interesting, if a bit dry. I didn't get a chance to listen to the whole thing yet.

This is a good Hitchcock movie. It's a lot of fun -- as innocent as a Nancy Drew mystery at times, but with interesting strokes from the master! I had a good time.

This is *not* the Criterion Collection eition. THE LADY VANISHES is truly the greatest film of Hitchcock's British period, and one of his best films overall. While the source materials are of fine quality (good clean print of the film with nice contrasts and good sound), the transfer leaves much to be desired. I have seen VHS versions which were more pleasing to the eye and this DVD looks as though it was mastered from an old video tape. The introduction by Tony Curtis (!?) is a waste of time. Stick to the more expensive (but worth it) Criterion Collection edition.

"The Lady Vanishes" is a sparkling Hitchcock cocktail that looks forward to "North By Northwest" with its light adventure/mystery plotline and romantic/witty humor. Lockwood and Redgrave are spirited and always believable and understated in their roles, and if the mystery ultimately is revealed to be a trifle thin, Hitchcock makes the journey there so much fun that we don't mind in the least. (After all, this doesn't have the depth and poetic quality of "Vertigo"--but it isn't meant to.) Wry support from the secondary cast adds humor and social commentary, and a few trademark Hitchcock images give what could have been (in lesser hands) a claustraphobic production, a real cinematic charge. The Criterion DVD is remarkable: crisp, clean images, and a great and always interesting commentary from Bruce Eder. This is the kind of film whose reputation will continue to grow with time; its understated performances and Nancy Drew type premise give it a surprisingly timeless feel. For Hitchcock fans, the film and the Criterion disc are a must.

Hitchcock is best known for suspense--and if that is what you're looking for, this film may be a bit of a disappointment. The plot seems to be secondary, and the mystery isn't all that mysterious. But what makes this film stand out is its rollicking atmosphere and genuine sense of fun. All of the actors seem to be having the time of their lives: Michael Redgrave is hilariously brash ("You remind me of my father. You haven't any manners at all, and you're always seeing things."), Margaret Lockwood couldn't be prettier, Paul Lucas is suavely menacing, and Dame May Whitty is the perfect English lady. Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne as cricket obsessed tourists steal every scene they are in.

Although many of Hitchcock's British films of this period seem somewhat amateurish, as if he were experimenting with what he could do with film, The Lady Vanishes scarcely seems to strike a false note. I've seen the film almost a dozen times, and each time I like it more. The wit and charm of this picture doesn't diminish with age--if anything it increases.

A note: since The Lady Vanishes is out of copyright, there are many editions available. The best one by far is the Criterion Collection's edition, with restored picture and sound. It also features a fascinating commentary track by film historian Bruce Eder. It's a bit pricey, but well worth in in my opinion.

Do not spend your money on this supposedly superior edition of this great, classic Hitch flick on Criterion. For the price they are asking, better care should have been spent on the sound quality of one of the early masterpieces of the master of suspense. The sound is exactly the same as on my VHS version, varying between extreme shrill and loud sound and soft, incomprehensible sound. If the original sound source is so bad that no doctoring up will help, then at least have titles or Closed captioning to help us out. Picture quality is good and the only thing that saves this from receiving no stars. How can we enjoy a mystery if half the dialogue is unheard? Criterion has let us all down and has dumped on Hitch. They have not served him or us well. Save your money!

Although Hitchcock was noted for his wit and often sprinkled his films with wickedly funny moments, he seldom gave comic elements such a free reign as he did in THE LADY VANISHES, which is among the most memorable of his early British films. Charmingly cast with Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, and Dame May Whitty in the leads, the extremely witty script mixes 1930s romantic froth with increasingly tense suspense in the story of sharp witted young woman (Lockwood) who befriends an elderly lady (Whitty) during a train journey--and is extremely disturbed when, as the title states, the lady vanishes.

Many regard this as the best of Hitchcock's early work, and it is easy to see why: the film demonstrates his growing talent for building suspense from an unlikely mix of the commonplace and the incredible. He is also remarkably blessed in his cast, with Lockwood and Redgrave possessing considerable chemistry and Dame May Whitty particularly endearing in one of the character roles at which she so excelled; the supporting cast is also particularly memorable. Hitchcock guides them all with never a misstep through a complex script that progresses from very lighthearted to extremely sinister and then back again, and the result leaves audiences with both the satisfaction of a well-made thriller and the glow of a romantic comedy. Although it lacks the subtle tones of his later work, THE LADY VANISHES is among my own favorites by Hitchcock, and fans who have never seen it are in for a real treat. Highly recommended.

Of all Hitch's early British made film's(mostly made during the late 1920's and 1930's), "The Lady Vanishes" is by far the most captivating one for me.
A train trip is the setting for this mystery. A woman's traveling companion has dissapeared. Where could she be? The train is only so big. She tries desperatly to find her friend, but is alone in her quest. No one seems to believe that she even had a companion to start with.All seem to have their own mysterious reasons for denying her any help.
Finally one man is convinced to help, and together they try to solve this possible crime. There are lots of tense sequences to keep you in suspense, and your heart pounding. Hitch mixes up the thrills with his marvelous sense of humor and his wonderful trademark style.Wonderful performances by the likes of Dame Mae Whitty, Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave add to the enjoyment of this one.

Looking for Hitch:....You must be patient. Check Victoria Station almost at the end of the film.

This film is also included in the VHS set of:Alfred Hitchcock 4-Pk [VHS]. That set also includes others of his early British films including the 1934 "The Man Who Knew Too Much"(Hitch later remade this one),"The Thirty-Nine Steps"(1935), and "The Secret Agent"(1936).

A classic...enjoy....Laurie

more Hitch stuff:
Blackmail/Easy Virtue

Alfred Hitchock: Jamaican Inn/Murder

Alfred Hitchcock Presents volume 2

Alfred Hitchcock Presents Volume 3

The train trip is inherently dramatic, a perfect venue for Hitchcock's brand of sophisticated comedy and suspense. Politically, the movie is an anti-isolationist diatribe, but as with most Hitchcock movies, the mechanism for suspense is second to the suspense itself. Michael Redgrave and Margaret Lockwood make an excellent team as they begin, in the classic screwball style, despising each other, and then, thrown together along the rails of Europe to outwit the clever fascists who have abducted the superannuated spy played by Dame May Whitty, they fall easily in love. The wonderful script gives the two much opportunity to flirt and bicker wittily. Truffaut said of The Lady Vanishes that each time he attempted to study its craft and direction, he became so caught up in the story itself, that it became nearly impossible to divert himself long enough analyze its form. It is a seamless, exciting, richly satisfying movie with a phalanx of marvelous character actors, including the droll pair of Radford and Wayne as the cricket-obsessed travellers skeptical of the apparent mystery. They get the best laughs. Overall, The Lady Vanishes ranks with any of Hitchcock and is most comparable to the fun and thrills of North by Northwest, but it's my personal favorite of all his great work (except maybe for Psycho).