The Lady Vanishes 7.0
The Lady Vanishes (1939), 1 hour, 39 min. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Stars Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave
Synopsis: Lovely young Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood), who is staying with two friends at a ski resort hotel filled to maximum capacity due to an unexpected avalanche, is incensed to hear an incessant stomping coming from the room upstairs; she commiserates over the racket with a friendly old English lady living next door who wants the noise to stop so she can hear the serenading musician outside the window. (A few minutes later, we see this musician being strangled to death by a mysterious pair of hands. Until then, it seems highly likely that this film is going to develop into a bad comedy.) Unable to sleep, Iris finally bribes a hotel manager to deal with the problem. It turns out that the culprit is Gilbert (Michael Redgrave), a clarinet player trying to record folk dances for posterity--he has hired a bevy of dancing peasants to help him with his task. When Gilbert goes downstairs to see the woman who caused him to be evicted, the two clash so spectacularly that there is no doubt they shall meet again, and soon.
The next morning, Iris is hit on the head at the train station by a flowerpot pushed from a shadowy windowsill as she hurries to over to assist cute old lady from the night before with her luggage. Walking on the train, she loses consciousness and wakes to find the old lady beaming at her from the seat across from her. The two have tea together, and the old lady introduces herself as Mrs. Froy. This burgeoning friendship takes a turn for the ominous when Iris wakes to find that Mrs. Froy is nowhere to be found; going around to various stewards and passengers, she is confused to discover when they all say they have not seen a woman matching her description. Discovering Gilbert at the rear of the train, she enlists his help to solve the mysterious disappearance of a harmless old lady.
Opinion: Hitchcock is always dependable for a good movie. Although the first twenty minutes of the movie seem to drag on in a confusing mix of characters, secondary plots, and indecipherable dialogue, the film picks up quickly and more than makes up for lost momentum after Mrs. Froy disappears. Gilbert and Iris are a likeable pair (though the eventual direction of their relationship is perfectly clear from the first time they meet) and Mrs. Froy is like everyone's ideal of a quirky but loveable grandmother. Though some of the suspenseful moments may seem trite or standard to a modern-day viewer, the plot contains several unexpected turns that make for an interesting and exciting experience.
Verdict: 7.0/10.0 Other than the slightly tedious story lines attempting to explain the motivations of the actions of secondary characters (who have colorful but caricatured lives), The Lady Vanishes is a very well-made movie.
posted by alice @ 6:33 PM
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