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starring: Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas, Googie Withers, Cecil Parkerdirected by: Alfred Hitchcock
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 5013037181333
Format: Black & White, Import, PAL
Label: Cinema Club: Rank Film Distributors (UK Import)
Manufacturer: Cinema Club: Rank Film Distributors (UK Import)
Number Of Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Cinema Club: Rank Film Distributors (UK Import)
Running Time: 95 minutes
Sales Rank: 105500
Studio: Cinema Club: Rank Film Distributors (UK Import)
Theatrical Release Date: November 01, 1938
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video:
At first glance The Lady Vanishes appears to be a frothy, lightweight treat, a testament to Alfred Hitchcock's nimble touch. This snappy, sophisticated romantic thriller begins innocently enough, as a contingent of eccentric tourists spend the night in a picture-postcard village inn nestled in the Swiss Alps before setting off on the train the next morning. In a wonderfully Hitchcockian twist on 'meeting cute,' attractive young Iris (Margaret Lockwood) clashes with brash music student Gilbert (Michael Redgrave) when his nocturnal concerts give her no peace. She gets him kicked out of his room, so he barges in on hers: True love is inevitable, but not before they are both plunged into an international conspiracy. The next day on the train, kindly old Mrs. Froy (Dame May Whitty) vanishes from her train car without a trace and the once quarrelsome couple unite to search the train and uncover a dastardly plot. No one is as he or she seems, but sorting out the villains from the merely mysterious is a challenge in itself, as our innocents abroad face resistance from the entire passenger list. Hitchcock effortlessly navigates this vivid thriller from light comedy to high tension and back again, creating one of his most enchanting and entertaining mysteries. Though this wasn't his final British film before departing for Hollywood (that honor goes to Jamaica Inn), many critics prefer to think of this as his fond farewell to the British Film Industry. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Screwball comedy + Thriller + Romance = Great Fun
This is a very funny, totally enjoyable movie, that's sure to please almost anyone. The cast is first rate. Michael Redgrave is handsome, funny, and totally charming in his first major film role. Margaret Lockwood is more than just a beautiful screwball comedian; she displays a subtlety that many actresses of this genre lack. Together they make a great team. Dame Mae Whitty plays an English governess type that everyone will want to hug. Some of the others---the excitable hotel manager, the ... Read More
Rating: - The Lady Vanishes
Hitchcock's timeless classic begins on a high comic note, then quickly transforms into a suspense film with political overtones. As in "The 39 Steps," the priceless banter between the heroine and her unlikely ally elevates what is already a nifty nail-biter into something infinitely more special: a romantic mystery. The cast of eccentrics--especially two English tourists played by Basil Radford and Naughton Wayne--give this "Lady" extra punch, and Dame May Whitty is adorable as the elusive old lady ... Read More
Rating:  - 1 more star?
This is a good movie and I liked it, especially the very likable protagonists. I would like it more if someone would be so kind as to explain why the 'Germans' don't just arrest Miss Froy? Why go through the trouble of 'disappearing' her? Yes, if they had done so the story wouldn't exist. Why does the villain never just kill the hero but instead leaves an unintended escape... sure, we suspend disbelief up to a point, but here with this movie, I wonder if I had just missed a key dialog or something ... Read More
Rating:  - Superb, suspenseful, brilliantly funny...,
Alfred Hitchcock announced a call to arms in a brilliant and amusing thriller, "The Lady Vanishes."
The lady in question is Miss Froy (Dame May Witty), a splendid eccentric innocent old governess (in reality a British secret agent), who is kidnapped by the smooth Dr. Hartz (Paul Lukas), really the master enemy spy...
Involved in the rescue are Gilbert (Michael Redgrave), a sincere young musicologist trying on using up unwisely his life on unfruitful pursuits; Iris Henderson (Margaret ... Read More
Rating: - Hitchcock liked trains. It may be his favorite venue.
There are so many possibilities. This is a spy thriller. It works on several levels, with quite of bit of comedy to keep it light. I interpreted much of the character development as satire on the British people themselves. Hitchcock had to be careful. In those last days before the war the British censors were tough. If the British didn't see the humor in it, I'm sure Americans did. You have two chuckle-headed school chums prattling on endlessly about criket. A cheating barrister & his vapid paramour both ... Read More
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