Blu-ray Review: Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Lady Vanishes’ Gets Criterion Upgrade

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CHICAGO – Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Lady Vanishes” isn’t one of his most heralded films. You don’t hear it mentioned on most lists of the best works of arguably the most influential director who ever lived. And yet it was the third film chosen for The Criterion Collection and has now been given the upgrade and joined the esteemed Blu-ray ranks of the most important collection in the history of home entertainment. If you’re unfamiliar with this witty, delightful gem of a thriller, there’s no other way to experience it for the first time. And if you’re a fan of Hitchcock’s more famous films, do yourself a favor by checking out one of his earliest.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

“The Lady Vanishes” had actually been in production with a different director when Alfred Hitchcock came on board mostly to satisfy his British contract before heading to the States. He was already a well-known filmmaker, having produced “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” “The 39 Steps,” and “Secret Agent.” Of course, Hitch did nothing half-heartedly and even this contract-fulfillment would display his spectacular style (just the opening sequence involving miniatures in a swooping shot that balances the claustrophobia of the rest of the film was a technical marvel), copious wit, and genius ability to craft a true thriller.

The Lady Vanishes
Photo credit: The Criterion Collection

You fall asleep after speaking to someone on a train. You wake up and that person is gone although the train hasn’t stopped. When you inquire about what happened to your travel companion, everyone around you claims that you have been alone the entire time. Either you’re going crazy or there’s something very dangerous going on. Neither is a heartwarming proposition. Such is the set-up for the delightful “The Lady Vanishes,” a film that seems almost like a social satire/comedy for its first half-hour, as the train passengers are stuck at a crowded hotel overnight, but develops into something more at just around the 30-minute mark when, well, the lady vanishes.

The Lady Vanishes was released on Blu-ray and DVD on December 6th, 2011 Photo credit: The Criterion Collection

The concept of someone caught in a dire situation, often while traveling, is a hallmark of Hitchcock. The film features a more comic streak than most of his later work, but that could be attributed to its unusual production history and if the film is viewed as a send-off to the director’s time in England. There’s a definite social angle to “The Lady Vanishes” in that it’s an old spinster who disappears. Is it possible everyone else was just too obsessed with their own egos to notice she was there in the first place?

The Criterion restoration of “The Lady Vanishes” is another beauty, perfectly balancing the appropriate level of grain, color levels, and other visual artifacts. It’s a great transfer, especially given the fact that the film is three-quarters of a century old. The special features are similarly stellar, especially the essays in the included booklet, an interview between Francois Truffaut and Hitch, and an entire supplement film featuring two of the characters. See, they were making sequels 70 years ago too.

Synopsis:
In Alfred Hitchcock’s most quick-witted and devilish comic thriller, the beautiful Margaret Lockwood, traveling across Europe by train, meets Dame May Whitty’s charming old spinster, who seemingly disappears into thin air. Soon enough, the young woman turns investigator and finds herself drawn into a complex web of mystery and high adventure. Also starring Michael Redgrave, The Lady Vanishes remains one of the master filmmaker’s purest delights.

Special Features:
o Audio commentary featuring film historian Bruce Eder
o Crook’s Tour, a 1941 feature-length adventure film starring Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne as Charters and Caldicott, their beloved characters from The Lady Vanishes
o Excerpts from Francois Truffaut’s legendary 1962 audio interview with director Alfred Hitchcock
o Mystery Train, a video essay about Hitchcock and The Lady Vanishes by Hitchcock scholar Leonard Leff
o Stills gallery of behind-the-scenes photos and promotional art
o Booklet featuring essays by critic Geoffrey O’Brien and Hitchcock scholar Charles Barr

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com