The Lady Vanishes (1938) - Alfred Hitchcock

It's easy to see why this film over almost all others from Alfred the great's British years, still manages to enrapture generation after generation. It has a certain charm to it that is lacking in a lot of the fat mans other work from this era. In fact I wouldn't be sticking my neck out too far, if I said that it's by far and away the best film he made before upping sticks and moving across the Atlantic.

Set in the fictional European country of Bandrika on the eve of WWII, a rag tag bunch of Europeans are homeward bound on a train. Amongst the various types making the journey are Michael Redgrave as Gilbert, who despite looking like a typical boys own type is actually quite an odd character, a sort of proto-beatnik if you will. Then there's Margaret Lockwood as Iris, who's also nicely unique being quite firey and independent. After all she's all the way out in the heart of Europe by herself, that sort of thing never normally happens in British films from this time, young women are almost always chaperoned by someone or other. Of course these two are bound to end up together by the end of the film, it's Hitchcock after all. As per usual in films of this ilk they don't hit it off immediately, and only really start to get it on once Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty) goes missing.

The film actually kicks off with the whole cast being stranded in a hotel overnight due to heavy snow. It's an odd way to get the film rolling, and feels like an excuse for the ace writing team of Sidney Gilliat & Frank Launder, to fill some screen time with a succession of gags mainly centered around their most successful creations Charters and Caldicott. Who themselves would go on to appear in numerous films and even their own TV series, after the success of this film. However like so much else in this film, all is not what it seems. So the whimsical opening scene is actually pretty essential, since not only does it introduce us to the principal characters, but it contains information vital to understanding what transpires later in the film.

The pace of the film really picks up once the train journey begins and doesn't let up until the final beautifully framed shot. It's here that it really feels like a Hitchcock film, especially once Miss Froy goes missing. It's also at this point of the film that it becomes obvious that The Lady Vanishes isn't so much about bumbling Englishmen trying to find out the cricket result, or even old ladies disappearing, but is rather an allegory of the imminent war. People that once seemed perfectly normal and friendly, suddenly seem less so, and of course the Italian's are in league with the German's.

My favourite section of the The Lady Vanishes is towards the end of the film. One of the train cars has been uncoupled in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by the enemy. There's a shoot out, but it's not that that endears the scene to me. It's also where we find out just what the film is about, but it's not that either. It's more to do with the fact that the carriage represents Britain, which itself is of course cut off from mainland Europe. Britain would stand it's own ground against the threat from across the Channel, in much the same way that the Brits in the carriage pull together for the first time in the film (except Eric Todhunter, but I'll get to him in a minute), and stand up for what's right. As a piece of propaganda it's second to none, but the thing that makes this so good is that it's also great film making. You don't feel like you are being force fed a message like in so many other films made during the war years. Charters and Caldicott step up to the mark, as does almost everyone, except as I said Mr Todhunter (Cecil Parker), who strangely for someone who doesn't believe in violence carries a gun. Hmm.

Anyway I've rambled on plenty about this film, it's definitely essential viewing for anyone who loves Hitch, or for that matter films. Plus there is so much more to it than what I've written, a nun in heels, a wrapped up body, a wonderful scene using magicians props, lashings of romance and derring-do all filtered through the genius eye of Alfred Hitchcock. As I say essential stuff.

Sabotage (1936) - Alfred Hitchcock

Now I could have sworn I'd seen this before, but after watching it I realised that that wasn't the case at all. I put it down to the fact that I have seen too many clips from it, and read more books about the fat man than is truly necessary. Either that or I've gotten it mixed up with another of Hitchcock's films, Saboteur perhaps. Or perhaps not. Anyway the important thing is I've seen it now, and bloody good it was too. This is one of the last films made by Hitchcock on British shores before he hot footed it across the Atlantic to escape the onslaught of WWII.

Now here's the thing with Hitch, his films can be divided really easily into the British years and the American years. It's that simple. Now I've seen every one of his American films (I own pretty much all of them), most are good, some are great, but there is some real tat in there too. Here's the rub, the British films that I have seen of his are fantastic. However most are public domain and have had shoddy DVD transfers. So I'm not quite up to snuff with my British Hitchcock, which is a shame since he's one of those directors who I do want to see everything by. Hint hint Criterion.

Anyway the above doesn't have all that much to do with what I'm supposed to be banging on about does it? So let's get down to it, Sabotage is one of those lean taut films that they used to make back in the day. It's only a little over an hour and a quarter long, no one really gets a back story to speak of and there aren't any real sub plots either. Everything is there to just move the film rapidly towards it's conclusion. Hitchcock himself whenever referring to this film would talk about the scene where a boy is sitting on a bus, and unbeknown to him is carrying a bomb that is going to explode at 13.45. Now in typical suspense style we get multiple shots of clocks, intercut with close ups of the package that is really a bomb. The editing becomes faster and faster until… BOOM the bomb explodes killing the boy (and more distressing for me a little dog). Hitchcock always regretted killing the boy, and felt he'd learned a lesson that would be used in the umpteen films made by him after this.

This is a nicely shot thriller, the acting is well above par and as I said before the writing is fat free. Hitch really had a knack for bringing everything together by the end of the film. If he'd shot The Big Lebowski, The Dude would have ended up with a rug at the end of it. Know what I mean? I don't watch nearly enough Hitchcock films (far too little time), but having watched this I'm determined to slip at least one a month into the DVD player. We'll soon see if I manage it or not.