A misleading first act suggests a Henry James-esque tale of an upper class British brother and sister visiting Paris for the Exposition. Alas this is pure deception, giving no indication of the shift that will occur about 20 minutes in, when a character simply vanishes without a trace, leaving the other stranded and slowly driven to hopelessness. The one brief scene at the Fair is a cruel, brilliant moment that further dashes audience expectations. The film could easily have boxed itself into a scenario that only the most far-fetched of explanations would have solved, but instead the resolution is completely logical, and--if you know your history--disturbingly possible. Not to be missed!

A classic thriller from England that's rarely seen but beloved by those who are lucky enough to come across it. Siblings Jean Simmons and David Tomlinson check into a hotel in Paris during the 1891 Exposition. Tomlinson promptly disappears. The hotel staff agrees that Tomlinson never existed and suggests that Simmons is crazy. Co-directed by Antony Darnborough and future Hammer auteur Terence Fisher, the film grows more and more sinister with each turn as Simmons desperately tries to convince SOMEONE that her brother did exist. Serendipidously, fellow Brit Dirk Bogarde is around and believes her (and has even met Tomlinson). Featuring some terrific acting (particularly by Simmons, just 21 and only two years after playing Ophelia to Olivier's Hamlet). Simmons and Bogarde have a lot of chemistry. Tomlinson is suitably uptight though not as tightly wound as he would be in his later Disney films. Felix Aylmer is a sympathetic British Consul and a very young Honor Blackman plays Bogarde's would-be girlfriend. Cathleen Nesbitt is the deceptively helpful Madame Herve. The conclusion is quite shocking.

Not many people know that the basic plot of this film is based on a real life event that took place during the 1889 Great Exhibition in Paris. There are major differences of course; for a start, the young woman arrived with her mother and not brother as depicted in the film. Secondly, they arrived directly from India and not Italy. Ironically, the 1955 TV Episode 'Into Thin Air' - part of Alfred Hitchcock presents - is far closer to the truth than the 1950 feature film.But I agree to the change of plot because casting the missing person as the brother gives the story more flexibility. That said, the script should have been far more exciting than the rather bland fare that the director had to cope with. There was plenty of scope for a brilliant thriller with plenty of red herrings, something which Hitchcock would have exploited with glee - as he already had done in his 'The Lady Vanishes' and would do so again in the aforementioned TV episode.

This is an entertaining, engaging little thriller that is very satisfying, thanks to the convincing performance of the lovely leading lady Jean Simmons, the good direction from Darnborough and Fisher, and the impeccably tight screenplay.Simmons plays a young woman, Vicky Barton, who, while visiting Paris at the time of the World Fair in 1896, loses her brother, Johnny. The film revolves around Simmon's attempts to find him, her fear and uncertainty over whether or not he really is missing at all, and her falling in love with a nice young artist George (Dirk Bogarde), who is the only one who believes her story. The film culminates in a satisfying, logical conclusion befitting the circumstances.I liked this late-period Gainsbourough film a lot (how different it is from the earlier productions). Simmons is gorgeous and a very young Bogarde matches up well with her. Perhaps the film is lacking in character development (from the moment Simmons meets Bogarde we just know they will fall in love), giving way to the riveting plot, but that's just part of the fun.Hitchcock apparently was a great admirer of this film. I find that interesting as this film actually resembles Hitchock's 1938 film "The Lady Vanishes"! I can see why Hitchcock admired this one though, with its careful crafting of suspense and elegantly directed scenes. Darnborough and Fisher also pull of a feat that Hitchcock himself had trouble with- a costume picture.A great little picture. Highly recommend.