The Lady Vanishes (1938)

A young woman (Lockwood, Night Train to Munich) heads home by train for her wedding, but along the way discovers that the woman she has tea with (Whitty, Suspicion) mysteriously disappears. After searching the train and questioning fellow passengers, she can’t decide if she is delusional due to a nasty bump on the head or if there is a more sinister plot involved in her disappearance.

A true joy to watch, with comedy and thrills to spare. Although over many, many decades old, it’s laugh out loud funny and just as interesting today as ever. Every performance is a delight and I could have watched any one of these characters in their own film.

There is only one bad moment towards the end of the film when the gang are held at gunpoint by a captain who mysteriously and unexplainably disappears himself, but it’s a small nuisance compared to the enjoyment of the rest of the film. Another classic by the Master.

 Qwipster’s rating: A+

MPAA Rated: Not rated, but probably G, suitable for all audiences
Running Time: 96 min.

Cast: Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas, Dame May Whitty
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay: Sidney Gilliat, Frank Launder (based on the novel, “The Wheel Spins”, by Ethel Lina White)