3 down, 244 to go! Yes, ladies and gentleman, it's time once again for The Criterion Chronicles.
From The Criterion Collection: The Lady Vanishes:
In this best-loved of Hitchcocks British-made thrillers, a young woman on a train meets a charming old lady (Dame May Whitty), who promptly disappears. The other passengers deny ever having seen her, leading the young woman to suspect a conspiracy. When she begins investigating, she is drawn into a complex web of mystery and high adventure.
Mr. Busch says:
I loved this movie. Ol' Hitch had me from the beginning with the long tracking shot through a model village (forecasting fake sets to come as late as "Marnie") and the lovely, silent-filmish opening scene that lulls the viewer into the first of many false senses of security before a cacophonous burst interrupts the revelry. The film starts out as sheer comedy, but we are soon in familiar Hitchcock territory, complete with glamorous leading ladies, extreme violence, and of course the requisite cameo. Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave sparkle as the romantic leads, and the story of the vanishing lady is entertaining to the end.
We are back to 1938 and once again are shown a restoration comparison with amazing examples of the "7,000 blemishes" that were removed by Criterion to supply the best image quality. Also included is another film historian's informative commentary. But my favorite "special feature" is one that every CC film has: when you put the dvd into your player, you are not subjected to an FBI warning, coming attractions, or a studio masthead - only the (eventually in the series very inventive) Criterion menu itself.
Jen says:
Who else but Hitchcock could successfully pull off not only an endlessly fresh suspense film but also a crackling romantic comedy that perhaps some people would be well advised to study?
While it has what I consider to be an EXTREMELY long exposition, the film soon goes full steam ahead (train pun intended), and Hitchcock kept me guessing about the true nature of the mystery. What I admire here is that the characters are smart. Unlike many contemporary thrillers, you do not spot the twists a mile away and have to wait for the action to catch up with you. The plot's always one step ahead of you. In addition, there's a great fight scene involving 3 rabbits, some doves, and a calf.
When violence finally does erupt, it seems rightfully shocking since you've been so pleasantly amused all along. "The Lady Vanishes" is more than just simple entertainment - there's some subtle political criticism and lots of poking fun at stereotypes. If this fim is good enough for Truffaut (who often saw it twice a week), it's good enough for me!
As great as the past three movies have been, Mr. Busch and I agree that we're excited for the amazing technological breakthrough featured in the next movie, "Amarcord": COLOR!
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