The Lady Vanishes

UK 1938
96 minutes
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Leading players - Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave & Paul Lukas

Synopsis

When bad weather forces a trans- continental train to a halt the passengers are compelled to take shelter in a small village hotel. Heiress, Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood), is befriended by an elderly governess, Miss Fray (Dame May Witty).

When they resume their journey the old lady disappears. Her young acquaintance's concern is exacerbated when her fellow passengers deny that Miss Fray was ever on the train to begin with. However, Iris convinces a musician, Gilbert Redman (Michael Redgrave), that she is telling the truth. Their endeavours to discover what actually happened entangle them in a web of intrigue.

Far from being a genteel retired lady Miss Fray is, in fact, a British Agent smuggling a secret code back to London. The intrepid investigators discover that she has been kidnapped by foreign agents, who then besiege the train.

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Hitchcock was not the first choice as director. Only when Roy William Neill pulled out did the 'Master of Suspense' step in. Indeed, 'The Lady Vanishes' is sometimes referred to as a masterpiece of British Cinema. Here we see Hitchcock at his very best, combining comedy with a genuine sense of suspense.

This comedy-mystery-drama also reflects the concerns of a country on the brink of war. A group of desperate Englishmen and women take on the evil foreigners and, naturally, emerge victorious.

Between 1934 and 1938 Hitchcock made six films which firmly established his reputation as a great director. 'The Lady Vanishes' proved extremely popular with American filmgoers and became the launch pad for Hitchcock's meteoric success in Hollywood.