MovieChat Forums > The Lady Vanishes (1938) Discussion > I am still in shock - of how boring this...

I am still in shock - of how boring this movie is

posted 20 years ago by PiranianRose
110 replies | jump to latest

Alright folks. I am a great admirer of Hitch. I have seen quite a few of his classics and all but one have been at least satisfying (most of them were fantastic indeed). Most recently, I tried to watch "Lady Vanishes" because some hail it as his best from the British period, and the premise of a disappearing lady sounded promising. Unfortunately--and I really tried--I couldn't get past the first 30 minutes or so. I tried very hard to not turn it off, but it was impossible. What happened? nothing, absolutely nothing. The plot probably moved an inch forward. The only intriguing thing is that the musician on the street got murdered. Also, I had trouble understanding the English. I turned the volume as loud as my speakers had, but I still couldn't understand what they were saying, and the DVD apparently assumes just because there is English dialog, everyone that understands English should understand it. They forgot how different English from Britain can sound to a Midwestern American brought up in the Orient.

Anyway, I still don't want to completely disregard this film from one of my favorite auteurs. So I am asking you: if I absolutely hated the first 30 minutes of this movie, thinking it is boring as heck, does it get more interesting?

[–] 20 years ago

[deleted]

[–] The_Boss9 20 years ago

In my opinion, yes - you should definitely try to stick with it. I, too, found the first 20-30 minutes kind of boring. It is merely an introduction of the setting and characters. There are, however, a few points from the beginning that are relevent to the climax of the film (but they don't become clear until the end, so I won't spoil anything). I've seen nearly every Hitchcock film and, even with the boring introduction, "The Lady Vanishes" is one of my favorites.
You make a good point about the dialogue. Don't feel bad, I've lived in Midwestern America my whole life, and I had trouble too. Some of the problem was the sound quality - it was pretty fuzzy, at least on the videotape I watched. As far as I've heard or seen, there's only one DVD version of this film which has restored image and sound quality (still no closed captioning though).
Anyway, hope you give the film another chance. It is, indeed, one of his best films from the British period.

[–] Greenteeth 20 years ago

I'd watch this movie just to see Caldecott and Charters ("CRICKET, sir, CRICKET!"). I'm an old southerner and the first time I watched it (I've seen it several times) there were moments when I might as well have been listening to Urdu. Watch all of it. It's sort of creaky for Hitchcock, but these days you can't find many such fun, good humored films.

[–] preacha93 20 years ago

I understand exactly what you mean about the first 30 minutes being boring, but believe me, the movie gets MUCH better. I had watched a cheap VHS version a few years ago and thought it was pretty good but had no interest in watching it again because of the poor quality picture and sound. However, if you rent it from Netflix, they have the DVD version that was released by the Criterion Collection, with a fantastic digitally remastered and restored picture and good audio, with even an optional commentary track from a film historian. I'm a huge fan of Hitchcock's movies from the 40s and 50s, but I've had a lot of trouble watching his British movies from the 30s, only being able to actually finish 2 of them (probably due to the fact that none of them are available with good quality picture and sound except for the two released by Criterion--this one and The 39 Steps, which I plan to watch today). So, rent (or buy) the Criterion release of The Lady Vanishes on DVD, suffer through the beginning, and then get ready for the ride of your life.

Ethan Muse

[–] kitsilanoca-1 18 years ago

Perhaps being Canadian and having watched a lot of British drama and comedies over the years I have no problem with the accents. I truly enjoy the dry humour in the first half hour, the gibberish language that the writers created by mixing together several central European tongues, and the funny scenes in the bedrooms of the inn, but then again maybe that's because of where I'm from.

[–] terminader37 20 years ago

Hell, I liked the first 30 minutes. It was a great way to introduce everyone and I thought it was very funnily written. And for whatever strange reason, I thought those girls were hot. Trust me, besides Audrey Hepburn, I barely find a woman from before 1950 remotely attractive (although "I" from Rebecca was pretty cute), so this was surprising.

Uh, anyway, it's probably my No. 3 Hitchcock, behind 1. Vertigo and 2. Rear Window. Or thereabouts. Get the Criterion DVD if you can...I had no trouble hearing or seeing anything. Then again, I'm sure cheaper prints may well be fine.

---
Well I just had to look...having read the book.

[–] Patmratm 20 years ago

I thought the first 30 minutes were slow and was wondering when it would get interesting. Well the action really picks up about the 30 minute mark. You really should give the movie another go.

[–] fast_fierce_and_funny 20 years ago

Hell, I liked the first 30 minutes. It was a great way to introduce everyone and I thought it was very funnily written. And for whatever strange reason, I thought those girls were hot.

"Strange reason?" Not at all...stay with me here:

I found a site that actually does a frame-by-frame comparison of 4 different DVD editions of the film:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdcompare/ladyvanishes4.htm

Apparently, the Criterion edition DVD of this film is actually inferior to a German firm's (Concorde Home Entertainment) edition of this, at least in terms of the film transfer/picture quality itself. It's well worth a look at the site just to compare the different DVDs frame-by-frame, especially that one shot of a newspaper (check it out). Somebody took a lot of time and trouble to make the comparison...Wow!

Speaking of "Wow," take a look at Margaret Lockwood in the stills at the bottom of that page. Now...if that's not one smokin' hottie...then I don't know what is.

Incidentally, one of ML's friends in the movie ("Blanche") is...still around. Do an IMDb search for "Googie Whithers" and you'll see what I mean. I think she played Geoffrey Rush's mother in Shine. Take a look at the full cast list for the film and see for yourself...

Trust me, besides Audrey Hepburn, I barely find a woman from before 1950 remotely attractive (although "I" from Rebecca was pretty cute), so this was surprising.

I think I might understand what you're getting at. It seems to me as though moviegoers feel that the cutie-pies weren't really "invented," somehow, until their own generation came along. Luckily, I don't suffer from that "affliction" myself. <grin>

Personally, I had a mad crush on Mary Philbin ("Christine" from the original 1925 Phantom of the Opera ) However, I was lucky enough to see the movie with accompaniment on the Mighty Wurlitzer...so I blame it on the music.
<smile>

Apparently, I wasn't the only person who found her unforgettable. Read her mini-bio on the IMDb and you'll see what I mean. I don't read too many things on the 'Net that give me goosebumps, but the last paragraph of her bio sure did.

Quite. A. Story.

[–] mickeyone 18 years ago

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdcompare/ladyvanishes4.htm

That comparison is AMAZING!! Now I have to get the German with the exquisitely perfect picture quality. But that's region 2 which I can't play! Argh! I hate you!!

[–] fast_fierce_and_funny 18 years ago

You may not be able to play region 2 DVDs in your existing player, but you can certainly play them: look up "region free dvd player" as a starting point. Of course, the Concorde disc is a PAL format DVD, too.

That comparison is AMAZING!!

It certainly is.

Whenever I get a few extra bucks, I try to throw them in the direction of DVDBeaver. I actually consider it an investment because the site is fan-run and ad-free (and donations help keep it that way). Not to mention the fact that the excruciatingly detailed comparisons they offer have kept me from throwing away my dough on more than one high-priced DVD that was over-hyped, but simply not worth the premium price.

you are here with me
you are here with me
you have been here
and you are everything

[–] billellis 19 years ago

Joan Fontaine, "I" in Rebecca, is to my eye one of the most beautiful women in the history of Hollywood film. I do remember, though, that when I was a kid I didn't appreciate beautiful women of past eras on film because their dress and manner made them seem matronly to me. Ah, youth.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] DBloodnok 18 years ago

Awfully sorry that some posters have problem understanding the English accents - I will support a dubbed version for Americans once 'The Alamo' is re-voiced by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

"Someone has been tampering with Hank's memories."

[–] DoctorStrangelove 17 years ago

It's not the accents, Sir Snob, it's the terrible audio PLUS the accents. With that much static and volume fluctuation (on the print TCM uses, and on every DVD except the Criterion) even a Southern American accent would make things very difficult to decipher.

He who is tired of "Weird Al"... is tired of life.

[–] fuzzynormal 18 years ago

Dang, those gals WERE hot. Great gams too.

The entire goofy British still-upper-lip attitude of all the players was incredibly amusing. It falls somewhere between intentional and anachronistic. How could you you not like such a weird combination, especially thrown into a Hitchcock stew?

Anyway, Hepburn is classy sexy, but you can't deny that Becall ranks right up there.

[–] continuousmonsterdrip 14 years ago

terminader37-

Yes Joan Fontaine was very cute in Rebecca, if that is who you mean. She was cute in everything she did. Did you see Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt? A great movie with one of the all time cutest girls, Tereasa Wright. It's a little surprising to hear someone that likes old movies not find more than one or two of the ladies attractive. Suit yourself, I'm just saying it's surprising.

The real reason for this response is to mention Gene Tierney. Something I seem to go out of my way to do every chance I get. So here goes. Gene Tierney, if you don't know, was a remarkable female actress in the 40's and 50's, known best for her starring role in the wonderful Otto Preminger film "Laura". She is without a doubt one of the prettiest women from any era, and a great actress to boot. A most interesting person as well. Gorgeous. She had some personal problems which I believe cause her to lose quite a bit of weight eventually. Supposedly underwent shock treatment for depression. But in "Laura", she was in her prime. A perfect looking human.

I got issues.

[–] Wayne_is_better_than_Eastwood 13 years ago

I agree, Gene Tierney was extremely attractive.

[–] drxcreatures 11 years ago

@terminader37 : You mean you don't like them looking healthy?

http://www.cgonzales.net & http://www.drxcreatures.com

[–] ReganRebecca 20 years ago

Like most people I found the first 30 minutes an absolute bore and only continued watching it due to a strange determination to finish what I had started. But the movie does get much, much better after the first 30 minutes. Watch the rest, it's wonderful.

[–] morrison-dylan-fan 20 years ago

Wel,I've just watched it again a few times,and I think I see what you mean.
Remember,the plot doesn't really get underway for a while.The first part of the movie is set in a hotel in the Balkans with a polyglot herd of guests,and distracting bursts of fun Macedonian music.To some extent,it's a comedy about the Englishman (folklorist) abroad.Remember that line about "This is the music that would have been played at your parents' wedding-always assuming that that ever happened".This delivered as three elephantine press-ganged hotel staff attempt to hold their pose while performing a ludicrous dance dedicated to Eros and the god of the heavy-footed.
Don't know if this is obvious,but the look of horror on the two cricket lovers' faces when the maid reaches under the bed for her hat is due to their believing that she's reaching fot a pot (prounced "po"),kept there for the purposes of night emergencies.

[–] Balthazar-5 11 years ago

How can you possibly assert that 'like most people' you found the first 30 minutes boring... have you conducted a survey of all viewers of the film?

You forget that you are watching the film in a completely wrong scale. The film is meant to be several times bigger than you.

The film is classically constructed - designed for reasonably intelligent people who do not need huge drama every five minutes to keep them from drifting into a coma. The film's first reel has the function of introducing us to one of the most interesting groups of characters anywhere in the cinema. It is, in that sense, like John Ford's 'Stagecoach'.

'Boring' is a criticism of the viewer, not of the film - boredom is a subjective response. I don't find it at all boring - why is your view better than mine? Especially as I have spent my entire life professionally watching analysing and assessing films from a cultural point of view. I have seen the film at least six times in a cinema, and dozens of times on a television (it's not the real experience, but better than not seeing it). Tomorrow night I will drive 30 miles to see it again. Every time new things emerge, new subtleties are revealed, new interpretations are possible for some scene or line of dialogue. That is the sign of an unqualified masterpiece! It is one of only a handful of films that one should try to see every year or so. It vies with 'La Règle du Jeu' as the greatest piece of narrative clarity in the cinema. There is next to nothing superfluous in the film, everything fits together like clockwork.

Your inability to appreciate the magnificence of Hitchcock's visual expression and playful use of character may be echoed by the majority of users of this site, but it is not shared by anyone who has engaged with Hitchcock's aesthetic vision, which, in common with Shakespeare, for example, was more magnificent in the way it expressed than in what it expressed.

Keep watching the masterpieces....

[–] afinpassing 20 years ago

Agreed, the first 30 minutes are not thrilling. It really picks up once they get on the train. It might become my 2nd favorite Hitchcock, actually, based on the rest of the film -- but I'll have to give the beginning a rewatch to see if I've changed my mind about it. :)

[–] misspaddylee 19 years ago

The first 30 minutes contains the meet-cute of Redgrave and Lockwood. I really enjoy that part. A few minutes spent getting to know our characters. What's wrong with that? There should be shots fired and car crashes and screams in the night? The movie is only about 90 minutes. Does everyone have short attention spans?

[–] afinpassing 19 years ago

I honestly didn't like either main character until later in the film, and certainly didn't care about a potential romance at the time. None of the other characters interested me, either. I personally hate action movies that rely on shots fired, car crashes and so on to hold you attention; what holds mine is character development and an interesting story, which I thought the film lacked until it all got going on the train.

Does everyone have short attention spans?

You don't have to find a way to attack others simply because we hold a different opinion.

[–] misspaddylee 19 years ago

Some people think a short attention span is a good thing.

[–] perryroad 19 years ago

"Some people think a short attention span is a good thing. "
Yep, especially politicians: an electorate that forgets quickly is an electorate easily manipulated.
And tv and movie executives, of course: 'Hey, they'll never remember this is the same crap show they watched last season/crap film they saw a coupla years back."

[–] martymcflyjb 19 years ago

Ugh. I love Hitchcock but this film was very disappointing. The plot is mediocre and not suspenseful at all. The first thirty minutes are boring, but I don't think it gets a whole lot better. I really don't understand how this is considered on of Hitch's top two or three, or even top 10 as it is by IMDb ratings.

This years Flightplan is a much better treatment of this basic premise.

[–] BoyFromOz 19 years ago

I also think you should give this film another try. A complete departure from Hitchcock's comfort zone I think The Lady Vanishes is a classic in its own right. A prime example of dry, debonair British wit of which I am particularly fond of, the movie also succeeds on several other levels. As others mentioned the last hour does develops into a mystery and a typical Hitchcockian whodunnit, which judging from your post, I think you would like. That said this movie is layered with such a quaint, quirky, endearing quality that brings you back to simpler freer times. As far as the accents, I didn't find them to inhibit my comprehension of the piece, and understood them perfectly (I am an American from New England in case you were wondering) but then again I do watch a lot of British and other foreign films. I would suggest watching more films of such a nature and you might find that the barrier disappears. Thats how it worked for me.

Hope that helps. :)

[–] Pamsanalyst 19 years ago

Seems to me the introduction and exposition period of this film is little different from Tippi and Rod in the pet store, or the people parading about inside their apartments while Stewart watches. These masterpieces also take some time to get started.

The problem many have is that THE people in 'Vanishes' are from a time far outside what we know today. Note the annoyed looks on the faces of the two cricketeers as English is the fourth language used by the hotel desk man. Thankfully the film takes place in Europe so he is not called a bloody W.O.G. And the other English characters adapt that same attitude, all except Redgrave and, of course, Miss Froy. And note the comment of one that she must be an American. In today's world, it seems like everyone speaks English.

The idea that Lockwood is going back to England to marry some boring titled gent is alien to us today, but I suspect the film could be remade with speech and attitudes 'more modern.' I like the views of the past; they are a window to the times, and while 'Vanishes' is set is some obscure country out of Eric Ambler, '39 Steps,' with its music hall, temperance parade, and political meeting tells me about a world gone forever.

I suspect in twnety years or so, people will view 'Iron Curtain' movies and wonder what they are about.

[–] oh_no_mrbill 11 years ago

This is a good point. Hitchcock movies start slow, in general. The Birds had 30 minutes of pure character introduction before the birds showed up - only a few scattered omens hinted at what lay ahead. Psycho took nearly half an hour to get to the Bates Motel. Rear Window contained a lot of character development in its first reel, and not much action (though that movie is intentionally a slow burner.) So perhaps we shouldn't be surprised if Lady Vanishes takes a little while to get rolling.