It may open with possibly the worst model shots in all of cinema but in every other respect Alfred Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" isn't just one of his enduring masterpieces but possibly the greatest comedy-thriller ever made. It feels almost superflous reviewing it now but here goes. For anyone who may have been living on Mars these past eighty years this is the one set, for the most part, on a train and dealing with the sweet old lady who disappears and who isn't all she first appears to be. Hitchcock made it in 1938, the setting was a Europe heading into war and naturally there are villains and spies.It also comes as close to perfection as movies possibly can with a ridiculously good script by Launder and Gilliat and the kind of cast that only comes along once in a lifetime. Margaret Lockwood was already a star in Britain when the film was made but she was never better than she is here. Michael Redgrave, a star on stage, was making his screen debut and his is a lovely, dashing comic performance while the supporting cast are sublime. Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne are Charters and Caldicott, the cricket-mad Englishmen abroad; they made such an impression they were to reprise their roles in "Night Train to Munich" and "Millions Like Us".May Whitty, or to give her her full title, Dame May Whitty is Miss Froy, the lady who vanishes while potential villains, spies and adulterers include future Oscar winner Paul Lukas, Mary Clare, Cecil Parker, Linden Travers and the great Catherine Lacey as the nun in high heels. In 1979 it was remade by Anthony Page in full colour but none of the subtlety, suspense or comic timing of the original. That version was watchable but this is absolutely essential.

Describe THE LADY VANISHES as melodrama is real. However, I observe this melodrama from two angles. Parodic comedy and parody mystery are genre defined and at times intertwine. Parts of the film in which there is the aforementioned compounds are fantastically. Hitch is a genius.All the action happens on a relatively small area (on the train), but again loses negative impression cramped. Conspiracy theory is again present. The director took care of probabilities, which is aimed to enhance the mystery, and again in every situation added a bit of comedy.Characterization of the film is excellent. The girl (Margaret Lockwood) before marriage, which at least contemplating marriage. Harmless old woman, governess (May Witty) who skillfully hiding their true identity. Freaky musicologist (Michael Redgrave) who is much more than that. Two crazy Englishman (Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford) in love with cricket. I am delighted with their performance. Timid pacifist and false moralists (Cecil Parker) who travels with beautiful mistress (Linden Travers). Benign and curious doctor (Paul Lukas) who turns into the evil surgeon. A nun in high heels ....The pace of the film is excellent. Sarcastic comedy turns into a straight drama to which the fast continues mystery. Of course, from the beginning of the story may notice that something is amiss, but only after the disappearance of the ladies things moving in the expected genre direction.The tension in the film is present in almost every situation. This is one of the few films in which all components are functioning very well.

Often a criticism of action films is that the lead female character is poorly imagined, acts too helpless to exist, or can't survive in any real setting. It's a criticism that existed since the first Perils of Pauline - the early American silent series that would have Pauline kidnapped by a mustachioed villain and tied to a train track. To say the least, Pauline was not very smart. But she drew in crowds.Any film that didn't have the female going through these Pauline stunts wasn't considered an action film. The smarter females were reserved for comedies and woman "weepies" - or foreign film stars such as Leni Riefenstahl. Yes, foreign films had a gift for making their heroines smart - but they didn't draw in the crowds that the dim-witted, English-speaking girls did.Perhaps it was the comedic aspects of the romantic thriller, The Lady Vanishes, that allowed its lead character, Iris Henderson, to thrive. The character was central to not only moving the plot, but also keeping the audience involved. She not only wasn't dumb, she was exasperatingly too smart. This female role didn't drive off audiences, however. The film was an international hit.Iris Matilda Henderson is touring Europe before she has to settle down in a marriage her father arranged with some royal scion. After living off her father's self-made wealth, she is resigned to give him some royal recognition. But she doesn't let her friends talk to her about happiness. She refuses to be spoiled.Unfortunately, an avalanche interrupts her plans. It strands her and a whole host of travelers in a small cramped hotel in some fictional Eastern European country. Iris is barely inconvenienced, however. She shares a floor with an elderly governess by the name of Miss Froy, and she's bugged by a musicologist by the name of Gilbert - two people more worldly than Miss Henderson, but she's not one to judge. Besides, there is a way out. The next morning, a substitute train will come and transport them all to Paris, from which she can make her way back home to London.Alas, on the way to the train someone drops a potted plant (?) on Iris, and she blacks out. Miss Froy offers to look after the poor girl on the journey; they both are headed to the same destination. Miss Froy prepares cold compresses, and looks after meals. Miss Henderson tries to rest. The women quickly form a bond.Around lunchtime, however, Iris wakes up, and Miss Froy is nowhere to be found. She asks her fellow car passengers, a foreign minister of some Germanic country and an Italian stage magician if they've seen her companion. They say she had no companion.Incredulous, she doesn't waste anytime. She calls them stupid, and goes to search for Miss Froy. Unfortunately, she doesn't find much help. Every passenger, especially those of English origins, have their own conceits for denying the existence of Miss Froy, and implying that Miss Henderson is touched.She doesn't care. She is much better at dishing out insults, and she is determined to find her kindly helper.The Lady Vanishes was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, but he came onto the project. Originally, the film was to be shot in multiple locations including Yugoslavia by another director. That director wasn't good at hiding the script, however. Once Yugoslavian officials read a pinched copy of the script, they objected to how their country was portrayed as dimwitted and fascist. (Although based upon a book, Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder's adaptation added characters, an obvious political message, and Italian and Germanic villains in this flick that was released a couple of months before the start of WWII.) The Yugoslavian government kicked the cast and crew out. And the entire project was put on hold.Alfred Hitchcock knew the writers, who had been trying to sell this anti-appeasement, anti-fascist adventure yarn in a Chamberlain England. Hitchcock was already in negotiations to start directing in Hollywood. He decided to revive the project, and make this one of his last films for Gaumont British Studios.Hitchcock accommodates the foreign country scenes with an obvious model train set. (No sense in letting some other country get the shot of delaying the film.) Although some of the jokes fall flat, he also doesn't try and distance himself from the comedic elements of the script. Alas, the viewer can't tell where Hitchcock begins and Gillian and Launder ends. This is a true collaboration between writers and director.Francois Truffaut when he interviewed Hitchcock, admired how much Iris was able to accomplish. Hitchcock admitted even he was surprised many of Iris' traits survived the cutting room floor. And that was the ticket. Her smarts were crucial to moving the plot forward. Previous to the 1960's, Iris was the smartest, English-speaking female character on celluloid. Oh not by degrees, or citations! No, Iris had a mystery on her hands, one that pitted her against a high powered lawyer, the minister of a spy agency, a renowned magician, a national government psychiatrist (Think Hanibal Lecture!), two staticians, minions who like to play mind games, as well as England's favor for isolation, and a lady with a secret; and she outwitted them all! Iris had the one-line zingers. She had the action sequences. In the beginning of the film, Henderson says that it's time to settle down because she's done everything. By the end of the film, many viewers agree.

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.