CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Martin Bradley It may open with possibly the worst model shots in all of cinema but in every other respect Alfred Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" isn't just one of his enduring masterpieces but possibly the greatest comedy-thriller ever made. It feels almost superflous reviewing it now but here goes. For anyone who may have been living on Mars these past eighty years this is the one set, for the most part, on a train and dealing with the sweet old lady who disappears and who isn't all she first appears to be. Hitchcock made it in 1938, the setting was a Europe heading into war and naturally there are villains and spies.It also comes as close to perfection as movies possibly can with a ridiculously good script by Launder and Gilliat and the kind of cast that only comes along once in a lifetime. Margaret Lockwood was already a star in Britain when the film was made but she was never better than she is here. Michael Redgrave, a star on stage, was making his screen debut and his is a lovely, dashing comic performance while the supporting cast are sublime. Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne are Charters and Caldicott, the cricket-mad Englishmen abroad; they made such an impression they were to reprise their roles in "Night Train to Munich" and "Millions Like Us".May Whitty, or to give her her full title, Dame May Whitty is Miss Froy, the lady who vanishes while potential villains, spies and adulterers include future Oscar winner Paul Lukas, Mary Clare, Cecil Parker, Linden Travers and the great Catherine Lacey as the nun in high heels. In 1979 it was remade by Anthony Page in full colour but none of the subtlety, suspense or comic timing of the original. That version was watchable but this is absolutely essential.

johndunbar-580-920543 Small wonder that every critic seems to agree that this film is remarkable; it hits the top notes on all aspects of what makes a great film. The wonderful team of Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne make it a masterpiece and probably Hitchock's greatest film.

zkonedog Before Alfred Hitchcock became the master of American cinema, he also worked his magic across the Atlantic Ocean in Europe. This film was his last overseas before being lured to the U.S., and it shows that, even in such a well-seasoned year as 1938, a solid movie can still be enjoyed in whatever time period it is watched.For a basic plot summary, "The Lady Vanishes" focuses on Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood), who (while on a train ride) meets fellow passenger Ms. Froy (Dame May Witty) and strikes up a friendship. Upon waking from a nap, however, Iris can no long find Ms. Froy, and nobody on the train seems to know anything about her existence. Thus, Iris, helped by male companion Gilbert (Michael Redgrave), begins a quest to get to the bottom of the mystery.It really says a lot about Hitch and the quality of the film that, nearly 70 years later, the same basic elements were used in the film Flightplan (starring Jodie Foster). The master director makes this an enjoyable experience by adding enough plot twists and turns to keep the viewer truly guessing as to what exactly is going on. One "clue" may lead to a wild goose chase, while another might lead to viable results.About the only thing that really drags this movie down is the period-style humor. Many (dare I say most) of the jokes were completely lost on me, and I could tell that little "insider" references were flying by me that I could not even comprehend, considering the film was produced so long ago. Thus, being a non-scholar of that period and location (Europe), I was really only sucked in by the main meat of the plot, and didn't catch all the "little things" that Hitch certainly intended the audience to.Overall, though, this is a good Hitchcock flick that, while nowhere near his outright classics, will not leave you completely bored or disappointed (provided you can stomach old films, of course).

Adam Peters (86%) The opening scenes set in an alpine hotel are like the lines on an old man's face. They really do highlight how old this film is. Not to say that they are bad, they are just of a time long gone. But once this gets going it's as thrilling as any well made modern production of the past twenty- five or so years. As like most Hitchcock movies the female lead character is painfully pretty; but the tone here is a touch lighter than most, which if anything works better than it it had overly serious one. The exciting and well handled shoot-out action towards the end is not something you get too often in movies of this age; and really if it's a classic entertaining mystery flick you're after then this is pretty much a perfect target.