Alfred Hitchcock

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VANISHES THE LADY

Words... Adam ScovellDesign... Avalon Lyndon

Whenwatching thefirsthalfhourof The Lady Vanishes, you might besurprised to find no ladies whatsoevervanishing from the screen. But it’s thisair ofmysterywhich allows the film tothrowahostofsurprisesovertheviewer– in the typical Hitchcock manner. Thefilmopenson thedisgruntledhappeningsofahotelsomewherearoundSwitzerland.We’rethrustintotheworldofstiff-upper-lipBritishtouristsCaldicottand Charter (played superbly by BasilRadfordandNauntonWayne.)Whileatfirsttheirconversationsappeartorevolvearound worry of the impending war, ahijackedcalltoLondonsoonrevealsthatwhat they’re reallyworriedabout is thecricket.They refuse to believe themanontheendofthelineisBritishwhenhedoesn’t know anything about cricket,settingthetoneforthesortofcosyhumourthatcomesslottedbetweenthedramaticscenes. Caldicott and Charter oozeBritishclassandhumour,keepingcalmineventhedirestofsituationstocome. ThenarrativeproperlystartsonthetrainjourneyhomewhenIrisHenderson(MargaretLockwood) ishitontheheadbyastrayplantpot,andMissFroy(DameMayWhitty)takeshertoteainthediningcarriage. But when Iris wakes up fromanap, shefinds thatnotonlyhasMissFroydisappeared,herfellowpassengersandeyewitnessesdenysheevenexisted.TogetherwithmusicianGilbertRedman(MichaelRedgrave),theytrytogettothebottom of this mystery disappearance.

“a glorious Blitz Britain timepiece”

Like most Hitchcocks, the filmtells the viewermore than it does itscharacters. It creates suspense andintrigue at the same time, making usquestion why this is happening ratherthan how. It’s clear that something isafoot simplyby lookingaroundat Iris’fellow passengers. Gilbert’s commentthat the train is “very cosmopolitan”speaks of the suspicion of foreignnational spies, an ever-present worryduring the Second World War. Inmanywaysthisisapropagandafilm.(Afterall,theonlyEnglishcharacterwhorefusestohelpthemintheendisthe pacifist lawyer.) However, in thebeginning, even the likable Englishcharacters lie aboutneverhaving seenMissFroy.Our loveableduo,CaldicottandCharter,areworriedthataninquiryas to the whereabouts of the missingpassengerwilldelaythetrainandmakethemmiss their beloved cricketmatchinManchester.Lateron,thetwohandlea stand-off with some marvellouslyBritish calm. Despite being shot inthe hand, Charter doesn’t even blink.This strength in the face of war musthave seemed inspiringat the time,buttoday seems a little more comedic. TheLadyVanisheswasHitchcock’spenultimateBritishfilmbeforeheleftforthe glamour and excitement of DavidO. Selznick’s studio. It’s sad that thesetypically British characters would berarelyfoundinhisfuturefilms.The Lady VanishesactsasagloriousBlitzBritaintimepieceshowcasinganerawhenthestiffupperlipcouldonlybequiveredbysomething really serious. In this case,it’s thecancellingofthecricket,whichCharter and Caldicott discover uponarrivinghome.Rotten luckoldchums.

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