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Hollyfeld, here. Like all intelligent people, I am a Hitchcock fan. I adore how he managed to look under the façade of everyday American and British life and never failed to find the suspense, the horror, and occasionally the comedy that no one noticed there before. Hitchcock began his career in Britain, and made a name for himself with such films as The Lodger (one of the first truly classic Jack The Ripper films), the original The Man Who Knew Too Much, and The 39 Steps (on of my personal faves). Eventually, Hitchcock received an offer to make films in America, an offer he eagerly accepted. Unfortunately (for Hitchcock), his producer in England at the time refused to let him move to America until he had completed his contract to direct two more films. Hitchcock, not looking, grabbed the first two scripts he saw off of the producer's desk, and said that he would make those. Apparently one of the scripts on that desk at the time was for The Wizard Of Oz - we can only imagine what would have been had he selected that instead.

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One of these scripts, and the film that I am reviewing today, was The Lady Vanishes. This is a very important film for me, as it was one of the first truly classic films I had ever seen. When I was in the third/fourth grade, my mother had to take me out of school for a few months for various (unimportant) reasons. Luckily, she was (and is) a teacher herself, so I did not fall behind. My education during this time proceeded to consist of As The World Turns episodes (a show of which I am still a great fan), two papers, an occasional math sheet, and a LOT of old movies. My mother took me to the Wherehouse (a video rental establishment at the time - I think they only sell things now), and while I was looking at the Spiderman cartoons she picked up three videos: Citizen Kane, Mrs. Miniver, and The Lady Vanishes. Although I kicked and screamed for the adventures of Peter Parker at the time, my mother's selections entertained me to no end, and remain some of my favorite films of all time. Kane is firmly established as perhaps the greatest film of all time, and Miniver won the Academy Award for Best Picture, so I figured that Hitchcock's lesser-known classic was best suited for display in this column.

The Lady Vanishes stars the incredibly beautiful Margaret Lockwood as Iris Henderson, an woman traveling from holiday in Eastern Europe, who is on her way to England to be married. On the train ride there, she encounters the sweet and matronly Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty), a lady who… well, vanishes. But that is just the beginning of the affair, for as she is questioning her fellow passengers about the woman's whereabouts, she discovers that they all insists that the woman was never on the train at all!

This is one of Hitchcock's significantly lighter thrillers, and is more along the lines of To Catch a Thief or The 39 Steps than his more serious Suspicion or Notorious. Still, as his deft hand for suspense is as evident here as anywhere else. More important to the success of this film, however, is its wit. Definitely one of the funniest films of the master director's career, The Lady Vanishes sparkles with comedic performances from Lockwood and Michael Redgrave, of the Hollywood Redgraves, playing Gilbert Redman. Gilbert is traveling Europe making a study of folk dances, and first meets Iris in a hotel in which all the characters are forced to stay in the first scene due to an avalanche.

During this opening sequence we are introduced to the cast of characters in The Lady Vanishes, which also includes an ambiguously gay British duo (Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford, whose characters were so popular that they appeared in several other films playing the same roles) concerned only with returning home for a cricket match, and Mr. And "Mrs." Todhunter (Cecil Parker and Linden Travers), an aristocratic English couple who are having an affair. Gilbert's noise in recording the folkdances of the area in the attic disturbs Iris, who bribes the manager of the hotel to have him removed. Gilbert decides that since he has been removed from his own room, he shall sleep in hers. It only seems fair, after all.

"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a toothbrush."
"Now, what side do you like to sleep (on)?"
"Do you want me to throw you out?!"
"Oh. In that case I'll sit in the middle."

Of course, once the lady actually vanishes Lockwood and Redgrave find themselves the only ones interested in solving the mystery. The are soon joined by brain specialist Dr. Hartz (Paul Lukas), who believes that the whole problem is caused by a hallucination caused by a knock on the head Iris suffers earlier in the film.

"You flew over to England the other day and operated on one of our cabinet ministers."
"Oh, yes."
"Did you find anything?"
"A slight cerebral contusion."
"Oh, well that 's better than nothing."

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Of course Miss Froy did in fact exist, how and why she disappeared remains a mystery throughout much of the film. Eventually, Gilbert, Iris, and the other people introduced at the hotel are trapped on the train in a shootout with a number of Eastern European soldiers (they're German, but as this film was shot before the war their characters are a bit ambiguous). Mr. Todhunter, the aristocrat, insists that the men attempting to kill them can be bargained with, while the British duo, though skeptical at first, quickly jump to action and fight for their lives. The characters become metaphors for the varying degrees of support against the Nazis, with the young stars rushing into the fray, the seemingly brainless friends fighting for the greater good, and the elder statesman proving the coward.

The Lady Vanishes was my first introduction into the world of Hitchcock, and while it may not be his best film per se, and is certainly not his best known, it is remains one of his most entertaining. It is available on DVD (my version has a fairly crappy introduction by Tony Curtis), and video, and is highly recommended. Since I found myself writing down the film's dialogue as it ran by, I leave you with some of my favorite quotes:

"I've no regrets. I've been everywhere and done everything. I've eaten caviar at Cannes, sausage rolls at the dogs. I've played baccarat at Biarritz and darts with the rural dean. What is there left for me but marriage?"

"I take it you're the manager of this hotel."
"Sure, I'm the manager!"
"Well, fortunately I am accustomed to squalor."

"If you must know, something fell on my head."
"When? Infancy?"

"My father always taught me, never desert a lady in trouble. He even carried that as far as marrying mother."

"Must you follow me around like a pet dog?"
"Oh, well, let's say a watchdog. I've got all the better instincts."

"What you want to do is forget all about it. Just make your mind a complete blank. You know? Watch me - you can't go wrong."

"You know, it's remarkable how many great men began with their father."

"I couldn't help inheriting (my father's) love of music."
"Why not?"
"It was all he left me."

"We were discussing you."
"Oh yes. Do you like me?"
"Not much."

"People don't just vanish into thin air."
"It's done in India."

(During a fight, Iris doesn't know what to do)
"Don't stand hopping about there like a rabbit! Cooperate! See if has a false bottom!"

"Just because I have the sense to try and avoid being murdered I am accused of being a pacifist."

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As always, Hollyfeld can be reached at hollyfeld_@hotmail.com

You there! You think you could do this job better than I can? Well, you might be right! Look Closer… is always looking for guest columnists, and you might as well be one of them. Just write a review of reasonable length for a movie that you think is under-rated, over-rated, no one knows, etc., and if it makes the grade we will print it in an edition of this column! Those whose reviews are published will also receive a free piece of (slightly cheesy and really inexpensive) promotional merchandise from a movie, to be sent when their review is published, courtesy of me. Just send any and all reviews to the above address. Thank you for reading and participating in the site!

Lazlo Hollyfeld is the pseudonym of an aspiring writer/actor/director located in Southern California. With one screenplay under his (collaborative) belt and more to come, he is sure to work his way up in the world with the help of his talented and close-knit group of friends, co-workers, and penguins. Yes, you heard me, penguins. A film student since before he can remember, he has devoted much of his life to the study of the silver screen and its related art forms.