tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post991148795324123980..comments2024-03-22T14:48:09.697-04:00Comments on Dell on Movies: 2018 Blind Spot Series: The Lady VanishesDellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-67132460267218452732018-12-19T00:43:33.713-05:002018-12-19T00:43:33.713-05:00Sounds like we're pretty much on the same page...Sounds like we're pretty much on the same page on this one. I'm not sure which one I'm going with just yet, but there will certainly be another Hitchcock film on next year's Blind Spot list.Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-76054544326442143292018-12-18T15:11:59.251-05:002018-12-18T15:11:59.251-05:00I like this but never considered it top flight Hit...I like this but never considered it top flight Hitchcock. It's tone is skittish and uncertain but overall its a breezy entertainment. However it is really representative of a major talent still developing his own signature voice. <br /><br />It is missing a few elements that would become common later, for instance the brunette Margaret Lockwood in the lead rather than the blond that became the rule of his productions. Though she was a rapidly rising star in British cinema at the time, she eventually was the top female English star throughout most of the 40's, and Hitchcock considered himself lucky to get her. She is appealing and pairs well with Michael Redgrave-himself just getting started-and has nice chemistry with Dame May Whitty who is a delight in her brief role as Miss Froy. But he probably would have demurred from using her a few years on in favor Madeleine Carroll (who he had used in The 39 Steps and was his initial choice but she had other commitments), Binnie Barnes or another blonde English actress, though he did screen test Vivien Leigh-at the time a minor actress. <br /><br />It may not be as assured as some of Hitch's later films but it's light years ahead of the late 70's truly ghastly remake also called The Lady Vanishes with the uninspired team of Elliott Gould and Cybill Shepard where they somehow managed to corral Angela Lansbury as Miss Froy. Need I add that she's the only decent thing in the picture? <br /><br />For an early Hitchcock in a more typical vein you should try 1936's Sabotage (which has been relabeled the much less appropriate The Woman Alone probably to avoid confusion with his American made Saboteur-my favorite Hitchcock film) with Sylvia Sidney. It's a tense well acted thriller of about a woman who discovers her husband is a member of a sabotage gang that has many echoes of his later movies. joel65913https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526657073681774683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-21907651245367920062018-12-14T07:50:52.511-05:002018-12-14T07:50:52.511-05:00It definitely hints at what's to come as the m...It definitely hints at what's to come as the movie really is at its best when it deals with the mystery at its core. You can see Hitchcock headed in the direction of becoming the Master of Suspense. He just wasn't quite that, at the time.Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-76185803769645393442018-12-13T12:51:29.637-05:002018-12-13T12:51:29.637-05:00This is a film that I call an early classic with h...This is a film that I call an early classic with hints of what's to come. I enjoyed it much more than you did especially the 2 men in bed together who appear in another film of his...which I can't recall right now. I found both leads amiable and worked well together. It is down the list of his greats but it is worth seeing none the less. You should see some of his earlier work like Rich and Strange.. the title is apt. Birgithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09439720285857050428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-61637786883198442862018-12-12T19:43:29.233-05:002018-12-12T19:43:29.233-05:00That's right! I did enjoy it, but it always fe...That's right! I did enjoy it, but it always felt a bit off. It was enough to bother me, but not make me give up on it.Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-27495949369772755402018-12-12T09:30:01.035-05:002018-12-12T09:30:01.035-05:00This definitely isn't one of Hitch's best ...This definitely isn't one of Hitch's best films, but his early British films were definitely not the full-on suspense thrillers that his American films were; they were also very concerned with being comedies about class and social mores. Which they do well, but you're right, the balance is sometimes a bit off. That said, I enjoyed this one because both the thriller elements and the comedy elements, while they don't always fit together as well as they could, are all so enjoyable.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11480863610135936930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-43942724140503203702018-12-11T17:00:04.555-05:002018-12-11T17:00:04.555-05:00Exactly!Exactly!Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-67505855269333658352018-12-11T16:34:26.754-05:002018-12-11T16:34:26.754-05:00I agree it's not bad but Hitchcock would get b...I agree it's not bad but Hitchcock would get better. To me, the weakest part of this movie is the beginning as you could just start watching when they are on the station platform, as hardly anything happens in the opening 30 minutes. Yeah, there's some comedy, I see it as a thriller-comedy but not a story that sticks in my mind despite watching it twice!Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-77566931990649782652018-12-11T15:57:02.292-05:002018-12-11T15:57:02.292-05:00It's enjoyable, but not one of my faves of his...It's enjoyable, but not one of my faves of his. I'm still looking forward to seeing more from him, though.Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-79449852446812977322018-12-11T15:39:30.287-05:002018-12-11T15:39:30.287-05:00I saw this a few years ago and really enjoyed it. ...I saw this a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I think it's one of his quintessential films. Yet, I feel like I'm not doing enough when it comes to Hitchcock as I didn't get a chance to see more of his films this year. thevoid99https://www.blogger.com/profile/03055459287396592446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-17546395035881842472018-12-11T12:26:01.238-05:002018-12-11T12:26:01.238-05:00Yeah, there are a number of better movies by him t...Yeah, there are a number of better movies by him to watch. So I wouldn't be killing myself to see it.Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-32469282982153165762018-12-11T12:07:16.193-05:002018-12-11T12:07:16.193-05:00I went through a Hitchcock phase in college (when ...I went through a Hitchcock phase in college (when I was a 'film' student), but it basically consisted of reading books about him...and watching Psycho over and over. Hell, I haven't seen The Birds.<br /><br />This seems like about the ninth movie I'd watch from his career, and honestly...after this review? Maybe push it even down the list. Good stuff, Dell.m.brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14457418128925003938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-39013988530194726492018-12-11T10:22:26.669-05:002018-12-11T10:22:26.669-05:00It's not great, but it's not bad, either. ...It's not great, but it's not bad, either. It just could've been much more. There are a lot of us still working through his filmography.Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-5010263218079745012018-12-11T07:53:32.627-05:002018-12-11T07:53:32.627-05:00I had a Hitchcock film as my Blind Spot this month...I had a Hitchcock film as my Blind Spot this month too. I haven't seen this, I'm still making my way through his filmography. It's too bad it wasn't great though. Brittani Burnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07975067259283007280noreply@blogger.com