I hope you enjoyed “The Lady Vanishes,” which was described in one article I read as “a comic thriller” – a unique Hitchcock product. I rated it an 8 (rather than a 9 or 10) largely because of slow pacing at the start of the film. I’d even go so far as to say that the movie takes on a different identity when the main characters finally board the train (or at least until we see the street singer strangled). Prior to that, it felt like we were watching the setup to some screwball romantic comedy. The mystery-thriller doesn’t begin until some 20 minutes into the film – in other Hitchcock pictures I’ve seen, the plot develops immediately, or there’s a heart-pounding prequel (James Stewart, “Vertigo”) that entrances the audience from the get-go.
That said, the movie’s actually just 97 minutes. Did it feel long to you, or did you have a similar reaction to the beginning?
9 comments:
Well, I wouldn’t put it among the best Hitchcock’s I’ve seen. The start wasn’t too bad as the opening for your romantic screwball, and the mid-section where everybody was denying that there was a Miss Froy was alright, but the final section was weak and didn’t fit either of the earlier parts as well. Overall it is rather sloppy. This might not have been the best project for Hitchcock to try.
My favorite Hitchcock is “Rebecca”. It is very tight and carefully builds a relentless creepiness as it unfolds.
Would you credit some of your dissatisfaction to Hitchcock getting aboard the project so late? I think if I had known that before choosing the film, I would have rethought my choice -- not because I don't like the movie, but because we have to debate where it fits in with traditional Hitchcock pictures.
Oh, and I love "Rebecca." Tight is an apt description, and the mounting tension is relentless.
Weren't Iris' fellow compartment mates awfully menacing and creepy? They were like Mrs. Danvers in the beginning stages, especially Miss Froy's menacing replacement.
It did seem long to me. The beginning was especially slow, and I kept thinking, "Something better hurry up and happen because this thing is only 97 minutes!" I agree with dw that it almost felt like three separate movies, with the drawn-out character introductions in the hotel, the search for Miss Froy, and then the shootout stuff.
Yes, the difficulties might very well stem from switching horses mid-stream. If Hitchcock was used to full control of his work from start to finish, then this might have been awkward for him. Some of the problems could certainly be described as developmental.
The compartment mates were wonderfully menacing and creepy, indeed. Alas, they just sat on their asses and didn’t do a damn thing.
Hehe. Well said.
I thought it felt long, yes. I enjoyed it, but I didn't feel riveted to my seat, probably because of the rambling, sometimes unfocused pace. The shootout scene felt inexplicably long.
I think on the first viewing that I expected the story to be over when they literally unraveled the whereabouts of Miss Froy and duped the brain surgeon into thinking they were dying. That he figured out the ruse, came back and so forth seemed to lengthen the movie. Maybe it could have been condensed on the tail end, too. Although then there wouldn't have been the need to develop the characters of the British men or the secret lovers.
It didn't seem long, but it did seem rather slow at times. I enjoyed it, but it never really hooked me. The slow start may have been the problem.
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