The Lady Vanishes
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
1938
****
The Lady Vanishes is actually quite clumsy. The overlong introduction is pointless, many of the characters bring nothing to the overall story and all seriousness is continually interrupted by misplaced humour. Nothing about it should work, if it were put forward today it would be torn to shreds by a writing team and would be unrecognisable. The thing is though, is that for all its failing, it's a fantastic little film. Maybe it's the best example of Hitchcock's greatness because everyone loves it despite and maybe even due to it's failures. It is very likable, has a great cast of characters and an unforgettable and brilliant ending. It goes to show how some producers still can't get things right too, we're all too used to formula, Hitchcock addressed this (and also added to it through no fault of his own) and film makers should look at what he didn't do just as much as what he did.