The Lady Vanishes (1938)

I wanted to but couldn't!

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

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.

The Lady Vanishes (Alarma en el Expreso in Spanish) is film made by Alfred Hitchcock. That alone should be more than enough to encourage us to watch it or to influence us into thinking we have come across a great movie. Let0s add another piece of data: it was chosen by the British Film Institute as one of the best Bristis films ever made (number 35 if memory serves). And I agree. Yet, it isn't by far one of Hitchcock's more renowned creations. However, all the ingredients that made up his art and make it so instantly recognizable are still there: irony, sharp sense of humour, John Ford-like environment, mystery, unexpected twists and turns.Going into the details, The Lady Vanishes, tells us the story of and old English lady, Miss Froy, who's traveling by train to London from Bandrika, a made-up country in mid Europe. Another of the passengers, a young English girl takes it upon herself to look into what happened. The trip would turn into a nightmare, where everybody is a potential suspect and has something to conceal.

Good Hitchcock thriller. A young woman is travelling through continental Europe on a train when she realises that an elderly lady appears to have vanished from the train.Intriguing plot, though gets too convoluted towards the end, and the final scene is rather tame and trite. Perfectly paced, Hitchcock gives you a thorough introduction to the main characters before spinning his web of intrigue. For a thriller, the mood is actually quite light and humorous, rather than dark and edgy, which helps the movie speed along.Good performances all round. Michael Redgrave and Margaret Lockwood are excellent in the lead roles.

I think this is a poor film.It seems to be trying to be a drama, comedy, slapstick and farce all in one but failing badly in all areas. Even for a film made so long ago and in the period leading up to war it appears poor. The fight scene in the luggage compartment of the train was particularly hammy and amateurish. It seemed like a pantomime scene and a bad pantomime scene at that. Unrealistic and so badly done it made it stand out as a particular low point amongst many.The part where a couple of stereotypically portrayed bumbling Englishmen with a couple of pistols are able to stop troops from taking the train is ridiculous. The old lady spy is allowed to just run away and escape with no real attempt by the enemy troops to stop her. That is laughable but not meant to be I don't think. This was made when Europe was close to war and was presumably meant to show that Britain would stand up and fight but it isn't even a good propaganda film because of the laughable stereotypes and hammy nature of the whole thing.This hasn't got anything going for it. The actors can't really perform because their characters are more like pantomime ones and the corny action scenes just look amateurish and totally unconvincing. Not good.