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The Lady Vanishes (1938)

This film is one of only a few projects that Hitchcock was involved with in his career where he was brought in late in pre-production. By the time he stepped in, there was already and established screenplay and cast.  Despite that, it is without a doubt, Hitchcock at his finest.

The story is about a young woman who boards a train that is en route to her fiancé.  On the way she meets a kindly old English woman and the two quickly become friends. But after only a short nap, the old woman disappears and none of the passengers on the train can even verify that she was ever there.  So the young woman, along with a man that she meets and soon falls in love with, tear the train apart looking for her. 

The story eventually becomes thick with spies and espionage. The film is set in Germany and was made at a time when relations between England and Germany were troubled.  But Hitchcock wisely omits what the spies are working for and just focuses on the story of those who are caught up in its web.

This film was a major factor in why David O. Selznick contacted Hitchcock and brought him overseas to Hollywood.

(Directed by Hitchcock)

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