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The Lady Vanishes (1938)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
1 November 1938 (USA) moreTagline:
Spies! Playing the game of love - and sudden death!Plot:
While traveling in continental Europe, a rich young playgirl realizes that an elderly lady seems to have disappeared from the train. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
1 win moreNewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Hammer Horror to Ink Books With Blood (From Atomic Popcorn. 14 October 2009, 6:13 AM, PDT)
From 1922-1979: Get Your Film School Starter Pack Now
(From Rope Of Silicon. 23 November 2008, 10:07 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Fast moving early Hitchcock comedy/thriller with memorable acting and outstanding script more (135 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Margaret Lockwood | ... | Iris Henderson | |
| Michael Redgrave | ... | Gilbert | |
| Paul Lukas | ... | Dr. Hartz | |
| Dame May Whitty | ... | Miss Froy | |
| Cecil Parker | ... | Mr. Todhunter | |
| Linden Travers | ... | 'Mrs.' Todhunter | |
| Naunton Wayne | ... | Caldicott | |
| Basil Radford | ... | Charters | |
| Mary Clare | ... | Baroness | |
| Emile Boreo | ... | Boris - Hotel Manager | |
| Googie Withers | ... | Blanche | |
| Sally Stewart | ... | Julie | |
| Philip Leaver | ... | Signor Doppo | |
| Selma Vaz Dias | ... | Signora Doppo (as Zelma Vas Dias) | |
| Catherine Lacey | ... | The Nun (as Catherine Lacy) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
96 minCountry:
UKColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Full Range Recording System)Certification:
Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-15 (2006) | USA:Approved (PCA #02144) | South Korea:15 (2003) | USA:Passed | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (alternate rating) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:A | Canada:PGFun Stuff
Trivia:
The brief shot of a ferry bringing Iris and Gilbert back to England (presumably across the English Channel) also appears as an Irish Sea ferry in Will Hay's Oh, Mr. Porter! (1937). moreGoofs:
Continuity: When Dr Hartz holds Iris and Gilbert at gunpoint he seemingly sits on a seat in the middle of the compartment. When Iris and Gilbert get up after Dr Hartz leaves they walk to the door between the compartments and right through where the seat should have been. moreQuotes:
'Mrs.' Margaret Todhunter: [having been given the choice between a double or two single rooms, Eric Todhunter has hastily chosen the two singles] You might at least have asked which one I preferred.Eric Todhunter: Please Margaret, a double room in a place like this?
'Mrs.' Margaret Todhunter: You weren't so particular in Paris last fall.
Eric Todhunter: That was different then, the exhibition was at its height.
'Mrs.' Margaret Todhunter: I realise that now. There's no need to rub it in!
more
Soundtrack:
Colonel Bogey March moreFAQ
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?A Note Regarding Spoilers
Any recommendations for other movies that use the vanishing person plot?
more
more (135 total)
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Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty) mysteriously vanishes while on a long train journey through the Swiss Alps during a cold winter. Margaret Lockwood as Iris Henderson is the only person on the train who believes that Miss Froy has disappeared (or in fact that she even existed!) but Lockwood manages to persuade fellow traveller music scholar Gilbert Redman (Michael Redgrave) to assist her in the search. Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne (as cricket fans Charters and Caldicott) have seen Miss Froy but are fearful that an investigation into her disappearance might delay the train and therefore stop them getting to Manchester in time for their beloved Test Match so they decide to stay silent. Paul Lukas (Dr Hartz) tries to convince Lockwood she is mistaken and has imagined the entire episode due to a blow on the head she received prior to the train journey. Cecil Parker (Mr Todhunter) has his own reasons for keeping quiet as he does not want his illicit affair with Linden Travers to become public knowledge. Several other passengers on the train have seen Miss Froy but do not want to be involved which confuses our heroine and places her in grave danger as the journey progresses.
Shame about the fake model shots at the start of the film but this aside Hitchcock skilfully keeps the suspense at a high level and the witty script by Sidney Gilliatt and Frank Launder is both entertaining and enthralling. Hitchcock obviously has a liking for trains as his films have often featured long train sequences. "The 39 Steps", "Strangers on a Train" and "North by Northwest" are just three classic examples.
Some favourite lines from the film:
Margaret Lockwood: "I've no regrets - I've been everywhere and done everything. I've eaten caviar at Cannes, sausage rolls at the dogs. I've played baccarat at Biarritz, and darts with the rural dean. What is there left for me but marriage?".
Basil Radford (on the phone to London): "No, you don't follow me sir - 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".
Paul Lukas (to Margaret Lockwood): "There is no Miss Froy - there never was a Miss Froy. Merely a very subjective image".
Although "The Lady Vanishes" is one of Hitchcock's very early black and white British films (1938) it anticipates the future expertise, skills and talent of this accomplished director and is well worth viewing. If you are waiting to spot Hitchcock's regular cameo appearance this doesn't take place until the closing minutes of the film so settle back and enjoy the plot then watch out for Hitchcock smoking a cigar at Victoria Station almost at the end! "The Lady Vanishes" was remade in colour in 1979 with Elliott Gould and Cybill Shepherd but the Hitchcock version is definitely the one to see. 10/10. Clive Roberts.