Alfred-Hitchcock Movie Reviews

Lifeboat where do i begin? well for starters i guess it would have to be that this is one of my all time favorite Films from Alfred Hitchcock. But to most people they have never heard of Lifeboat. Yeah it was one of his early works but one of his best. Most people when they think of Hitchcock they think of Psycho ans The Birds and Vertigo. But this is better than the birds. It has a human story and ever increasing the tension. In a by gone era of hollywood when movies were grand in spectical not budget.

Lifeboat is about a freighter that is heading to New York. But is sunk by a German U-boat and in the opening scenes there is Tallulah Bankhead in a lifeboat all by herself with all of her belongings. Then one by one they pick up more survivors the tension increasing when they pick up a crewman of the U-boat. Only Hitchcock would make his backlot movie with fake clouds seem so real and make a the ocean look vast and barren. He also manages to elict good performances from Bankhead,Walter Slezak, Canada Lee and others.

I would highly reccomend that you check out this film from the master of suspense. this is not to be missed of put of. It is very suspensful i mean would you come to expect less from Hitchcock.

SEE THIS MOVIE I BEG YOU.

"Lifeboat" has my favorite cameo by director Alfred Hitchcock, mainly because it takes place in a movie that takes place on a small lifeboat adrift on the Atlantic with a handful of survivors from a torpedoed freighter: Willy, the captain of the attacking U-boat (Walter Slezak), which also sank; Constance "Connie" Porter (Tallulah Bankhead), a self-centered journalist; Gus Smith (William Bendix), a wounded crewman; Alice MacKenzie (Mary Anderson), a nurse; John Kovac (John Hodiak), a crewman whose ancestors were Czech; Charles D. Rittenhouse (Henry Hull), a shipping magnate; Mrs. Higgins (Heather Angel), a mother driven insane by the death of her baby; Stanley Garrett (Hume Cronyn), a radio operator; and George "Joe" Spencer (Canada Lee), a steward. Ironically, the Nazi is the only rational, practical person on the boat and Slezak's performance makes this troubling characterization even more powerful (Hitchcock insisted he was simply indicating the Nazi should not be underestimated). But it is Bankhead, the sophisticated commentator on the world at large who finds herself dealing with ordinary people in the middle of a catastrophe, who has the role of a life time (she won the New York Film Critics' Best Actress Award). Hitchcock received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. To most people today "Lifeboat" means a problem-solving game (do you share your limited food and water with the wounded man?) teachers throw at you to kill a class period once a year. But this film makes that game brutally real, where personalities clash and survival hangs in the balance. Not a typical Hitchcock film, but typically great Hitchcock and much better than "Rope," his other one-set film. Based on a story by John Steinbeck, the script is credited to Jo Swerling but was also worked on by the uncredited Ben Hecht.

To those only acquainted with the later Hitchcock work of the 50's on, this little gem is a new exposure and an education.

A case could almost be made that this film was made for the Germans! Certainly, Slezak's Nazi captain was the most sane and rational of the film's characters. The histrionics of some of the other members, particularly Hodiak's bigotry, only confirm this observation. However, Ms. Bankhead's part is the central one, and she plays this for all it is worth. It is only a short while after the beginning of this film that the concept that it is made on only one movie set recedes. As with a one-act play, with the proper cast one set is all that's necessary. Of course, as with so many classic films, it's impossible to visualize any modern actors capable of duplicating these performances.

I look forward to purchasing this film on DVD when available.

"I Confess," set in Montreal and starring Montgomery Clift and Anne Baxter, is not one of Hitchcock's finest, but it's still worthy of your entertainment time. The musical score is rather lugubrious but the plot does move along. Clift presents his trademark longsuffering, noble look throughout, resisting the passionate entreaties of Baxter.

Unfortunately, the murderer with his accent somehow reminded me of Bruno Hauptmann, the German immigrant who may have been falsely accused of the Baby Lindbergh murder. (I 'm not giving away the plot; the opening scene reveals who commit the crime.) I don't accuse Hitchcock of national bias, though, as many of his villains are accentless Americans in other films.

A young Karl Malden turns in a fine performance as a detective, part of the strong supporting cast. There are some good scenes of the beautiful capital of Quebec. Recommended.

This is an excellent movie! Montgomery Clift turns in a superb performance as Father Michael Logan, a priest who hears a confession of a murder. Shortly thereafter, Father Logan himself is suspected and, eventually, accused of the murder. Of course, he knows who committed the murder, but he can't break the seal of the confessional even to save his own life! Anne Baxter plays an old girlfriend who tries to help, but ends up making things worse. Karl Malden is very good as a police detective determined to solve the murder.

This is one of the best and most Catholic movies ever! I am a priest, and I encourage all of my brother priests to watch this movie. It is an inspiring look at the kind of priest that God has called us to be. It is also an excellent reminder to all Catholics about the great gift we have in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

I just finished watching this movie and am very moved by the power of the Priesthood. Not only can the Priest give us absolution in Confession, he also grants us the Last Rites so that even the biggest sinner (in this case, the murderer!) can and will be saved if he asks for it. What a priceless gift from heaven. The Priest of Jesus Christ. The highest vocation on earth! After watching this, you young men may want to become one. And we sinners, will cherish the wonderful gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Released in 1940 by the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, this movie (although somewhat fictitiously) explains the beginning of World War II. This is one of Hitchcock's spy thrillers, complete with his man-in-the-middle and MacGuffin storylines.
Huntley Haverstock (Joel McCrea) is a newspaper reporter from New York who is sent to Europe to meet with the Dutch Professor Van Meer, who holds a secret clause in a peace treaty that may avert the coming war. After witnessing Van Meer's death, Haverstock becomes embroiled in an elaborate scenario in which the Nazis play a pivotal role.
In Haverstock's adventure, he meets up with the lovely Carol Fisher (Laraine Day)and her father, Stephen Fisher (Herbert Marshall). Are the Fishers really who they say they are?
The movie has many plot twists and exciting sequences that have become so memorable in Hitchcock lore.
The scene with the windmill's blades rotating backward has become classic, as well as the bobbing umbrellas in the rain as the murderer of Van Meer escapes through them. And also watch for the spectacular plane crash at the end of the film.
And who can forget seeing Edmund Gwenn, the man known forever to film buffs as Santa Claus from Miracle on 34th Street, playing here the sinister hit man, Rowley.
Clearly a great storyline, Foreign Correspondent is a must-see for any Hitchcock fan. This was his second film he made in America after David Selznick brought him over from England, and probably the best piece of propaganda to get the American public more interested in war looming on the horizon.

This fast-paced espionage thriller is filled with many memorable Hitchcock images and performances. Joel McCrea (Huntley Haverstock) is a newspaperman sent to Europe to find out what is brewing on that great continent on the brink of war. McCrea makes contact with a Professor Van Meer, a Dutch diplomat who knows the secret clause to a peace treaty that many people would like to get their hands on. In his pursuit of Van Meer, McCrea meets Carol Fisher (Laraine Day) whose father (Herbert Marshall) is in charge of a world peace organization. It is hard to describe the movie without giving away too much of the plot, but the closer McCrea gets to the truth, the more the enemy tries to eliminate him. There are the usual Hitchcock characters who are not what they appear, plus a great crowd scene involving McCrea and Van Meer and about a million umbrellas, which is a masterpiece in and of itself. As you might suspect, McCrea grows close to Day and at first she tries to help him unravel the mystery. Through a misunderstanding, Day believes that McCrea has less than pure intentions where she is concerned and she consents to fly to America with her father. And what a plane ride they have! This movie has it all: great story, excellent script and dialogue, great acting by all the principles, and for the time, magnificent special effects, some of which still hold up quite well today. Hitchcock originally wanted Gary Cooper for the lead, but he turned the script down, thinking the film not right for his screen image. After seeing the finished product, Cooper regretted that he declined to make the picture (Cooper never worked with Hitchcock). Not to worry, McCrea is perfect in the role and makes it his own. Day, never the big star she could have been, gives a wonderfully sensitive performance as a young woman whose loyalties and illusions are dramatically torn apart. The black and white cinematography is first rate, as is the set design (everything was constructed on Hollywood sound stages!). Like Saboteur and North By Northwest that followed, Foreign Correspondent moves at a brisk pace from start to finish. This film was nominated for six Academy Awards in 1940 (losing the Best Picture Oscar to Hitchcock's Rebecca that same year),

When the average person thinks of Hitchcock, they usually think of The Birds, Psycho....that sort of thing. That's perfectly understandable. Those are terrific films. But most people don't think of Foreign Correspondent, which is a shame. I loved this movie. I did find the ending a little dull, but I find the ending of many Hitchcock movies dull. I highly recommend it for any film student or buff. If you're not familiar with this one, you're missing out!

Released in 1940 by the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, this movie (although somewhat fictitiously) explains the beginning of World War II. This is one of Hitchcock's spy thrillers, complete with his man-in-the-middle and MacGuffin storylines.
Huntley Haverstock (Joel McCrea) is a newspaper reporter from New York who is sent to Europe to meet with the Dutch Professor Van Meer, who holds a secret clause in a peace treaty that may avert the coming war. After witnessing Van Meer's death, Haverstock becomes embroiled in an elaborate scenario in which the Nazis play a pivotal role.
In Haverstock's adventure, he meets up with the lovely Carol Fisher (Laraine Day)and her father, Stephen Fisher (Herbert Marshall). Are the Fishers really who they say they are?
The movie has many plot twists and exciting sequences that have become so memorable in Hitchcock lore.
The scene with the windmill's blades rotating backward has become classic, as well as the bobbing umbrellas in the rain as the murderer of Van Meer escapes through them. And also watch for the spectacular plane crash at the end of the film.
And who can forget seeing Edmund Gwenn, the man known forever to film buffs as Santa Claus from Miracle on 34th Street, playing here the sinister hit man, Rowley.
Clearly a great storyline, Foreign Correspondent is a must-see for any Hitchcock fan. This was his second film he made in America after David Selznick brought him over from England, and probably the best piece of propaganda to get the American public more interested in war looming on the horizon.

This movie is great. It deserves five stars. This movie is a wonderful drama and chase movie. Only the Master of Suspense could only direct such a great film. See it!

This is a great film from Hitchcock's Great Patriotic War period.

And it has one of the finest aviation sequences on film. If you check out any photos of the interior of the Boeing 314, you can appreciate the time Hitchcock spent on his set.

Since this film is older than nearly all of us, I have to assume that the plot is no longer a big secret. It's a very exciting sequence, even if it's a convenient way to bind the plot together.

This film is great fun. It sets up its exotic North African locale effectively from the beginning, and Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day (as Dr. and Mrs. McKenna) have a strong rapport as a couple traveling with their young son. The movie quickly puts you on edge, as you sense that things are not as they seem and that this family is getting embroiled into some unknown but sinister events. As the plot unfolds and their predicament becomes clearer, the suspense ratchets up in a series of great, anguished scenes in the police office (as Stewart nervously flips the pages of a book while listening to a phone conversation about his endangered son) and the hotel (with Doris Day's pitch-perfect scene in which she finds out that their son has been kidnapped). As the story shifts to London, we have the wonderful "Chappell's Taxidermy" scene and other gems that lead to the justly famous climax at Albert's Hall. There Hitchcock effectively uses dramatic music and acting to let the suspense SLOWLY build to a fever pitch. Part of what makes this scene so stunning is the stillness that prevails during most of it. We know what is coming, but nobody seems able to stop it. Most directors today would try to throw in a bunch of gunplay, explosions, and chases but would end up with something that would not be in the least bit suspenseful.

Although the last part of the film still is entertaining, it seems somewhat anti-climactic after the scene in Albert Hall, and the film ends rather abruptly with a scene played for laughs that needs more breathing space to be effective. The plot seems to hang together well except for one glaring exception: how did the three criminals manage to take over the church in London and have a thriving congregation? Also, and this is a minor point, the first scene with "Que Sera Sera" seems rather stagey, as if part of Mary Poppins or the Sound of Music somehow got mistakenly inserted into this film. Finally, the colors are rather garish. Let's hope that a remastering will take place soon.

All carping aside, this is a gripping film. Doris Day offers a heartfelt, emotional performance and Jimmy Stewart is wonderful as always.

The 1956 Widescreen Color "The Man Who Knew Too Much" is a remake of Hitch's 1934 Standard Screen Black & White British version. (Hitch didn't come to the United States until 1939). As he stated, "the 1934 version was directed by an amateur and the 1956 version by a professional."

This was to be the second of 5 brilliant films made from 1954 - 1960. (the others are; Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959) & Psycho (1960)). This was Hitchcock at his best, in fact these last 4 were voted to AFI's (American Film Institute's) top 100 films in the last 100 years (1998). So you can see why "The Man Who Knew Too Much" was overlooked. A definite sleeper classic!!!

Summary: James Stewart, wife Doris Day and son are on a vacation in Morocco. They are accidently swept up in an assassination plot to occur in London. The assassin group kidnaps their son as insurance of their silence and hold him hostage. Doris Days rare dramatic role is outstanding and her singing the Oscar winning song, ("Que Sera, Sera") high light this brilliant spy thriller. Jimmy Stewarts natural acting ability (Hitchcocks favorite male actor) pulls off being Doris Days husband.

The Anamorphic Widescreen Color presentation is excellent. The "Making of - with Patricia Hitchocks (Hitch's daughter) comments is very interesting & informative.

One of his best! This movie along with Rear Window and Phycho were prime exanples of why Hitchcook will live on forever as one of the best directors in the history of film.

This is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, along with "The 39 Steps". After purchasing the Criterion Collection version of the latter movie, I was completely impressed with the technical "magic" of the Criterion people. Picture and sound were much cleaner than my VHS copy of the movie! I purchased the Criterion transfer of "The Lady Vanishes" expecting the same level of quality. I was sorely disappointed. The picture is great, no "static", etc. But the sound is very poor, no better than my VHS tape copy. It fades in and out, especially during dialogue and then blares forth at other times. I felt, frankly, cheated after paying the premium price that Criterion DVD's command. Count me unhappy.

There's one thing that movies can do better than any other artistic medium. It's having you experience something from a character's point of view, and then having every other character in the movie say it never happened. Your empathy as a viewer is at its highest pitch: you saw what happened with your own eyes, and so you see it through the character's eyes as well, but then everyone denies it. This is the central scene on the train in THE LADY VANISHES. Nothing, absolutely nothing, in my opinion, is more cinematic than this. When the idea is used to trick the viewer (as in THE USUAL SUSPECTS), it's not as good (although still it's pretty good, because again it uses film in the most empathetic way possible). And when the trickery is fair--as in THE SIXTH SENSE--it can be superb. I rank THE LADY VANISHES right up there with VERTIGO, PSYCHO, and REAR WINDOW, as Hitchcock's greatest gifts to us, the moviegoers of the world. I would even add SHADOW OF A DOUBT to this pantheon. The thing I admire most about Hitchcock is that he was attracted to stories that showed what film could do as an art form. His best movies, in their different ways, display this for us. The movies I've mentioned would not be as good as novels or plays--and this is saying a great deal. It's a test, as a matter of fact, of what separates the film as an art medium from other artistic forms. The two directors who knew this best were Alfred Hitchcock and Walt Disney. It would be so terrific if someone were to come along someday who could be said to be their equal. Bottom line: THE LADY VANISHES is one of the best movies you will ever see, but please, it works at a slower pace than today's movies, so let it sink in for you, don't be in a hurry, EXPERIENCE it!

"The Lady Vanishes" is one of Hitchcock's early black and white British films (1938) and the success of this film helped Hitchcock to be recognised in America as a talented director. He made one more film in England after "The Lady Vanishes" then left for Hollywood where he became famous as the top director of suspense movies. "The Lady Vanishes" is a cracking comedy thriller with a notable script by Sidney Gilliatt, Frank Launder and Alma Reville (Hitchcock's wife).

Mainly set on a train snowbound in the Swiss Alps Margaret Lockwood is Iris Henderson who befriends Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty). Miss Froy then mysteriously vanishes and no one on the train will admit seeing her (although many of them did in fact meet her they each have their own reasons to keep quiet about it). Iris manages to persuade fellow traveller Gilbert Redman (Michael Redgrave in his screen debut) to help her in the search. Cricket fanatics Charters and Caldicott (Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne) have seen Miss Froy on the train but are worried that an investigation into her disappearance might delay them getting to Manchester in time for their beloved Test Match so they decide to stay silent. Dr Hartz (Paul Lukas) tries to convince Iris that she is mistaken and has imagined the entire episode due to a blow on the head she received prior to the train journey. Several other passengers on the train also saw Miss Froy but do not want to be involved which confuses our heroine and places her in great danger as the journey progresses.

Some favourite lines from the film:

Basil Radford (on the phone to London): "I'm enquiring about the Test Match in Manchester. Cricket, sir, cricket! What! You don't know! You can't be in England and not know the Test score!".

Margaret Lockwood (to Michael Redgrave): "I know there's a Miss Froy - she's as real as you are".

The film was remade in colour in 1979 with Elliott Gould and Cybill Shepherd but the Hitchcock version is still the best. For anyone interested in spotting Hitchcock's regular cameo appearance this comes right at the end of the film when Lockwood and Redgrave arrive back in London. (Hitchcock can be seen at Victoria Station smoking a cigar). Clive Roberts.

This is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, along with "The 39 Steps". After purchasing the Criterion Collection version of the latter movie, I was completely impressed with the technical "magic" of the Criterion people. Picture and sound were much cleaner than my VHS copy of the movie! I purchased the Criterion transfer of "The Lady Vanishes" expecting the same level of quality. I was sorely disappointed. The picture is great, no "static", etc. But the sound is very poor, no better than my VHS tape copy. It fades in and out, especially during dialogue and then blares forth at other times. I felt, frankly, cheated after paying the premium price that Criterion DVD's command. Count me unhappy.

There's one thing that movies can do better than any other artistic medium. It's having you experience something from a character's point of view, and then having every other character in the movie say it never happened. Your empathy as a viewer is at its highest pitch: you saw what happened with your own eyes, and so you see it through the character's eyes as well, but then everyone denies it. This is the central scene on the train in THE LADY VANISHES. Nothing, absolutely nothing, in my opinion, is more cinematic than this. When the idea is used to trick the viewer (as in THE USUAL SUSPECTS), it's not as good (although still it's pretty good, because again it uses film in the most empathetic way possible). And when the trickery is fair--as in THE SIXTH SENSE--it can be superb. I rank THE LADY VANISHES right up there with VERTIGO, PSYCHO, and REAR WINDOW, as Hitchcock's greatest gifts to us, the moviegoers of the world. I would even add SHADOW OF A DOUBT to this pantheon. The thing I admire most about Hitchcock is that he was attracted to stories that showed what film could do as an art form. His best movies, in their different ways, display this for us. The movies I've mentioned would not be as good as novels or plays--and this is saying a great deal. It's a test, as a matter of fact, of what separates the film as an art medium from other artistic forms. The two directors who knew this best were Alfred Hitchcock and Walt Disney. It would be so terrific if someone were to come along someday who could be said to be their equal. Bottom line: THE LADY VANISHES is one of the best movies you will ever see, but please, it works at a slower pace than today's movies, so let it sink in for you, don't be in a hurry, EXPERIENCE it!

"The Lady Vanishes" is one of Hitchcock's early black and white British films (1938) and the success of this film helped Hitchcock to be recognised in America as a talented director. He made one more film in England after "The Lady Vanishes" then left for Hollywood where he became famous as the top director of suspense movies. "The Lady Vanishes" is a cracking comedy thriller with a notable script by Sidney Gilliatt, Frank Launder and Alma Reville (Hitchcock's wife).

Mainly set on a train snowbound in the Swiss Alps Margaret Lockwood is Iris Henderson who befriends Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty). Miss Froy then mysteriously vanishes and no one on the train will admit seeing her (although many of them did in fact meet her they each have their own reasons to keep quiet about it). Iris manages to persuade fellow traveller Gilbert Redman (Michael Redgrave in his screen debut) to help her in the search. Cricket fanatics Charters and Caldicott (Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne) have seen Miss Froy on the train but are worried that an investigation into her disappearance might delay them getting to Manchester in time for their beloved Test Match so they decide to stay silent. Dr Hartz (Paul Lukas) tries to convince Iris that she is mistaken and has imagined the entire episode due to a blow on the head she received prior to the train journey. Several other passengers on the train also saw Miss Froy but do not want to be involved which confuses our heroine and places her in great danger as the journey progresses.

Some favourite lines from the film:

Basil Radford (on the phone to London): "I'm enquiring about the Test Match in Manchester. Cricket, sir, cricket! What! You don't know! You can't be in England and not know the Test score!".

Margaret Lockwood (to Michael Redgrave): "I know there's a Miss Froy - she's as real as you are".

The film was remade in colour in 1979 with Elliott Gould and Cybill Shepherd but the Hitchcock version is still the best. For anyone interested in spotting Hitchcock's regular cameo appearance this comes right at the end of the film when Lockwood and Redgrave arrive back in London. (Hitchcock can be seen at Victoria Station smoking a cigar). Clive Roberts.

This is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, along with "The 39 Steps". After purchasing the Criterion Collection version of the latter movie, I was completely impressed with the technical "magic" of the Criterion people. Picture and sound were much cleaner than my VHS copy of the movie! I purchased the Criterion transfer of "The Lady Vanishes" expecting the same level of quality. I was sorely disappointed. The picture is great, no "static", etc. But the sound is very poor, no better than my VHS tape copy. It fades in and out, especially during dialogue and then blares forth at other times. I felt, frankly, cheated after paying the premium price that Criterion DVD's command. Count me unhappy.

There's one thing that movies can do better than any other artistic medium. It's having you experience something from a character's point of view, and then having every other character in the movie say it never happened. Your empathy as a viewer is at its highest pitch: you saw what happened with your own eyes, and so you see it through the character's eyes as well, but then everyone denies it. This is the central scene on the train in THE LADY VANISHES. Nothing, absolutely nothing, in my opinion, is more cinematic than this. When the idea is used to trick the viewer (as in THE USUAL SUSPECTS), it's not as good (although still it's pretty good, because again it uses film in the most empathetic way possible). And when the trickery is fair--as in THE SIXTH SENSE--it can be superb. I rank THE LADY VANISHES right up there with VERTIGO, PSYCHO, and REAR WINDOW, as Hitchcock's greatest gifts to us, the moviegoers of the world. I would even add SHADOW OF A DOUBT to this pantheon. The thing I admire most about Hitchcock is that he was attracted to stories that showed what film could do as an art form. His best movies, in their different ways, display this for us. The movies I've mentioned would not be as good as novels or plays--and this is saying a great deal. It's a test, as a matter of fact, of what separates the film as an art medium from other artistic forms. The two directors who knew this best were Alfred Hitchcock and Walt Disney. It would be so terrific if someone were to come along someday who could be said to be their equal. Bottom line: THE LADY VANISHES is one of the best movies you will ever see, but please, it works at a slower pace than today's movies, so let it sink in for you, don't be in a hurry, EXPERIENCE it!

"The Lady Vanishes" is one of Hitchcock's early black and white British films (1938) and the success of this film helped Hitchcock to be recognised in America as a talented director. He made one more film in England after "The Lady Vanishes" then left for Hollywood where he became famous as the top director of suspense movies. "The Lady Vanishes" is a cracking comedy thriller with a notable script by Sidney Gilliatt, Frank Launder and Alma Reville (Hitchcock's wife).

Mainly set on a train snowbound in the Swiss Alps Margaret Lockwood is Iris Henderson who befriends Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty). Miss Froy then mysteriously vanishes and no one on the train will admit seeing her (although many of them did in fact meet her they each have their own reasons to keep quiet about it). Iris manages to persuade fellow traveller Gilbert Redman (Michael Redgrave in his screen debut) to help her in the search. Cricket fanatics Charters and Caldicott (Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne) have seen Miss Froy on the train but are worried that an investigation into her disappearance might delay them getting to Manchester in time for their beloved Test Match so they decide to stay silent. Dr Hartz (Paul Lukas) tries to convince Iris that she is mistaken and has imagined the entire episode due to a blow on the head she received prior to the train journey. Several other passengers on the train also saw Miss Froy but do not want to be involved which confuses our heroine and places her in great danger as the journey progresses.

Some favourite lines from the film:

Basil Radford (on the phone to London): "I'm enquiring about the Test Match in Manchester. Cricket, sir, cricket! What! You don't know! You can't be in England and not know the Test score!".

Margaret Lockwood (to Michael Redgrave): "I know there's a Miss Froy - she's as real as you are".

The film was remade in colour in 1979 with Elliott Gould and Cybill Shepherd but the Hitchcock version is still the best. For anyone interested in spotting Hitchcock's regular cameo appearance this comes right at the end of the film when Lockwood and Redgrave arrive back in London. (Hitchcock can be seen at Victoria Station smoking a cigar). Clive Roberts.

This is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, along with "The 39 Steps". After purchasing the Criterion Collection version of the latter movie, I was completely impressed with the technical "magic" of the Criterion people. Picture and sound were much cleaner than my VHS copy of the movie! I purchased the Criterion transfer of "The Lady Vanishes" expecting the same level of quality. I was sorely disappointed. The picture is great, no "static", etc. But the sound is very poor, no better than my VHS tape copy. It fades in and out, especially during dialogue and then blares forth at other times. I felt, frankly, cheated after paying the premium price that Criterion DVD's command. Count me unhappy.

There's one thing that movies can do better than any other artistic medium. It's having you experience something from a character's point of view, and then having every other character in the movie say it never happened. Your empathy as a viewer is at its highest pitch: you saw what happened with your own eyes, and so you see it through the character's eyes as well, but then everyone denies it. This is the central scene on the train in THE LADY VANISHES. Nothing, absolutely nothing, in my opinion, is more cinematic than this. When the idea is used to trick the viewer (as in THE USUAL SUSPECTS), it's not as good (although still it's pretty good, because again it uses film in the most empathetic way possible). And when the trickery is fair--as in THE SIXTH SENSE--it can be superb. I rank THE LADY VANISHES right up there with VERTIGO, PSYCHO, and REAR WINDOW, as Hitchcock's greatest gifts to us, the moviegoers of the world. I would even add SHADOW OF A DOUBT to this pantheon. The thing I admire most about Hitchcock is that he was attracted to stories that showed what film could do as an art form. His best movies, in their different ways, display this for us. The movies I've mentioned would not be as good as novels or plays--and this is saying a great deal. It's a test, as a matter of fact, of what separates the film as an art medium from other artistic forms. The two directors who knew this best were Alfred Hitchcock and Walt Disney. It would be so terrific if someone were to come along someday who could be said to be their equal. Bottom line: THE LADY VANISHES is one of the best movies you will ever see, but please, it works at a slower pace than today's movies, so let it sink in for you, don't be in a hurry, EXPERIENCE it!

"The Lady Vanishes" is one of Hitchcock's early black and white British films (1938) and the success of this film helped Hitchcock to be recognised in America as a talented director. He made one more film in England after "The Lady Vanishes" then left for Hollywood where he became famous as the top director of suspense movies. "The Lady Vanishes" is a cracking comedy thriller with a notable script by Sidney Gilliatt, Frank Launder and Alma Reville (Hitchcock's wife).

Mainly set on a train snowbound in the Swiss Alps Margaret Lockwood is Iris Henderson who befriends Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty). Miss Froy then mysteriously vanishes and no one on the train will admit seeing her (although many of them did in fact meet her they each have their own reasons to keep quiet about it). Iris manages to persuade fellow traveller Gilbert Redman (Michael Redgrave in his screen debut) to help her in the search. Cricket fanatics Charters and Caldicott (Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne) have seen Miss Froy on the train but are worried that an investigation into her disappearance might delay them getting to Manchester in time for their beloved Test Match so they decide to stay silent. Dr Hartz (Paul Lukas) tries to convince Iris that she is mistaken and has imagined the entire episode due to a blow on the head she received prior to the train journey. Several other passengers on the train also saw Miss Froy but do not want to be involved which confuses our heroine and places her in great danger as the journey progresses.

Some favourite lines from the film:

Basil Radford (on the phone to London): "I'm enquiring about the Test Match in Manchester. Cricket, sir, cricket! What! You don't know! You can't be in England and not know the Test score!".

Margaret Lockwood (to Michael Redgrave): "I know there's a Miss Froy - she's as real as you are".

The film was remade in colour in 1979 with Elliott Gould and Cybill Shepherd but the Hitchcock version is still the best. For anyone interested in spotting Hitchcock's regular cameo appearance this comes right at the end of the film when Lockwood and Redgrave arrive back in London. (Hitchcock can be seen at Victoria Station smoking a cigar). Clive Roberts.

This is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, along with "The 39 Steps". After purchasing the Criterion Collection version of the latter movie, I was completely impressed with the technical "magic" of the Criterion people. Picture and sound were much cleaner than my VHS copy of the movie! I purchased the Criterion transfer of "The Lady Vanishes" expecting the same level of quality. I was sorely disappointed. The picture is great, no "static", etc. But the sound is very poor, no better than my VHS tape copy. It fades in and out, especially during dialogue and then blares forth at other times. I felt, frankly, cheated after paying the premium price that Criterion DVD's command. Count me unhappy.

There's one thing that movies can do better than any other artistic medium. It's having you experience something from a character's point of view, and then having every other character in the movie say it never happened. Your empathy as a viewer is at its highest pitch: you saw what happened with your own eyes, and so you see it through the character's eyes as well, but then everyone denies it. This is the central scene on the train in THE LADY VANISHES. Nothing, absolutely nothing, in my opinion, is more cinematic than this. When the idea is used to trick the viewer (as in THE USUAL SUSPECTS), it's not as good (although still it's pretty good, because again it uses film in the most empathetic way possible). And when the trickery is fair--as in THE SIXTH SENSE--it can be superb. I rank THE LADY VANISHES right up there with VERTIGO, PSYCHO, and REAR WINDOW, as Hitchcock's greatest gifts to us, the moviegoers of the world. I would even add SHADOW OF A DOUBT to this pantheon. The thing I admire most about Hitchcock is that he was attracted to stories that showed what film could do as an art form. His best movies, in their different ways, display this for us. The movies I've mentioned would not be as good as novels or plays--and this is saying a great deal. It's a test, as a matter of fact, of what separates the film as an art medium from other artistic forms. The two directors who knew this best were Alfred Hitchcock and Walt Disney. It would be so terrific if someone were to come along someday who could be said to be their equal. Bottom line: THE LADY VANISHES is one of the best movies you will ever see, but please, it works at a slower pace than today's movies, so let it sink in for you, don't be in a hurry, EXPERIENCE it!

"The Lady Vanishes" is one of Hitchcock's early black and white British films (1938) and the success of this film helped Hitchcock to be recognised in America as a talented director. He made one more film in England after "The Lady Vanishes" then left for Hollywood where he became famous as the top director of suspense movies. "The Lady Vanishes" is a cracking comedy thriller with a notable script by Sidney Gilliatt, Frank Launder and Alma Reville (Hitchcock's wife).

Mainly set on a train snowbound in the Swiss Alps Margaret Lockwood is Iris Henderson who befriends Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty). Miss Froy then mysteriously vanishes and no one on the train will admit seeing her (although many of them did in fact meet her they each have their own reasons to keep quiet about it). Iris manages to persuade fellow traveller Gilbert Redman (Michael Redgrave in his screen debut) to help her in the search. Cricket fanatics Charters and Caldicott (Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne) have seen Miss Froy on the train but are worried that an investigation into her disappearance might delay them getting to Manchester in time for their beloved Test Match so they decide to stay silent. Dr Hartz (Paul Lukas) tries to convince Iris that she is mistaken and has imagined the entire episode due to a blow on the head she received prior to the train journey. Several other passengers on the train also saw Miss Froy but do not want to be involved which confuses our heroine and places her in great danger as the journey progresses.

Some favourite lines from the film:

Basil Radford (on the phone to London): "I'm enquiring about the Test Match in Manchester. Cricket, sir, cricket! What! You don't know! You can't be in England and not know the Test score!".

Margaret Lockwood (to Michael Redgrave): "I know there's a Miss Froy - she's as real as you are".

The film was remade in colour in 1979 with Elliott Gould and Cybill Shepherd but the Hitchcock version is still the best. For anyone interested in spotting Hitchcock's regular cameo appearance this comes right at the end of the film when Lockwood and Redgrave arrive back in London. (Hitchcock can be seen at Victoria Station smoking a cigar). Clive Roberts.