25. The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Ever since The Man Who Knew Too Much was released in 1934, Alfred Hitchcock's directorial career had one of the biggest shots of adrenaline than any director up until that time. One more barrier to full success would have been an invite to Hollywood. With The Lady Vanishes Hitchcock caught the eye of producer David O. Selznick and the wheels were in motion to go to the United States, but before we get there, we'll pay attention to the wheels of a certain train.....

The movie opens at an inn in some Bavarian ski resort where we're introduced to several of our characters. Most prominent is Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood) having one last romp before her upcoming wedding. The next train headed back for England leaves in the morning, Iris is hit on the head with a paint can (which it seems could have been meant for someone else) and she just is able to catch the train but in a daze. She goes to the dining car for tea with a governess Miss Froy (Dame Mae Whitty) who takes care of Iris and the two head back to their compartment where Iris falls asleep. When she awakens, Miss Froy is not there and when she asks what happened to her, she is told by everyone she encounters that no one has seen Miss Froy. Everyone thinks Iris must be suffering after effects of her injury and she has a hard time convincing anyone. One passenger Gilbert Redman (Michael Redgrave) goes along to help Iris sort everything out, but later on, he encounters proof that corroborates Iris's story. What happened to Miss Froy, where could she have gone and why would anyone want to do harm to such a sweet old lady?

The above plot really only covers the basics of the film and I feel it's a real shame since screenwriters Sidney Gilliat and Frank Laudner wrote one of the best scenarios and screenplays in any movie. (It is based on Ethel Lina White's 1936 novel The Wheel Spins and does follow the book pretty closely). Combined with excellent direction from Hitchcock, the movie slowly unfolds keeping the audience glued to the screen and then unraveling the mystery brilliantly. Reportedly, the screenwriters had the script ready for director Roy William Neill (who'd later go onto direct numerous Sherlock Holmes films at Universal) but the project was scrapped. The project was then offered to Hitchcock who worked with Gilliat and Laudner to redo the opening and ending of the movie.

Hitchcock went with two relatively unknowns for the leading roles which worked out very nicely. Margaret Lockwood is really great at a person trying to come to grips with her sanity as she is for the lack of a better word gaslighted. (Reportedly, Lockwood was a big fan of White's books and she was more than happy to take on the role). Michael Redgrave has a good swagger about him as he tries to humor Iris, but you can really see his performance change once he becomes convinced she's telling the truth. Dame Mae Whitty is charming as the elusive Miss Froy where she just encounters every bit of trouble she has with as someone who missed their bus. Future Oscar winner Paul Lukas received much deserved praise as the suave but secretive doctor.

Not in White's novel, Gilliat and Laudner added the characters of cricket enthusiasts Charters and Caldicott played respectively by Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne. They proved popular with audiences and appeared in future films such as Night Train to Munich (1940 - also written by Gilliat & Laudner with Margaret Lockwood), Crooks Tour (1941 - which can be seen as an extra on the Criterion edition of The Lady Vanishes) and Millions Like Us (1943). Radford and Wayne would also appear together playing different characters in films like Dead of Night (1945 - Highly recommended), Quartet (1948) and Passport to Pimlico (1949).

Upon release the movie was an immediate commercial hit and the same when it made its way to the United States. The film was named the best picture of 1938 by the New York Times and Alfred Hitchcock would win his only competitive award for directing with the New York Film Critics Circle Award. The BFI Monthly Film Bulletin called it an "out of the ordinary and exciting thriller". The Times praised every bit of the film from its suspense, pacing, cast and humor. The New York World Telegram called it "the thriller treat of the year".

Hitchcock makes his cameo very late into the movie. When the train arrives in Victoria Station, he is seen walking past shrugging his shoulders and making a face.

The film is currently available for viewing on Criterion Channel (as well as several other streaming services due to its public domain status). The Criterion edition (which as mentioned before contains the Charters and Caldicott film Crooks Tour) can be purchased here. The Wheel Spins can be purchased here.

24. Young and Innocent (1937)

Hitchcock rarely did whodunnits. We already discussed one with Murder (1930) and we'll be seeing ones who a loose interpretation of the genre later. Here with this film, Hitchcock gives his own interpretation on Josephine Tey's 1936 novel, A Shilling for Candles and with copious parts removed and interesting angles added.

The plot focuses on Robert Tisdall (Derrick De Marney) who finds the body of Christine Clay washed up on the beach. Two women see him run away. Since a belt from a coat that Tisdall owned was the weapon, he is accused of the murder. He manages an escape before the trial and convinces Erica Burgoyne (Nova Pilbeam) the daughter of the local constable to take him to where he lost the coat. Robert finds a lead that a tramp obtained the coat and he & Erica locate him in a flophouse. They get the coat back but its missing its belt and the tramp, Old Will (Edward Rigby) says the belt wasn't there when he was given the coat by a man with a twitch in his eye. Can Robert & Erica find the man before the police find them?

The film was a real treat to watch especially for the chemistry of De Marney and Pilbeam who just work very well together. De Marney does seem to have a James Stewart approach to his acting and is very fluid and watching Pilbeam again following her role as the abductee from The Man Who Knew Too Much does make you wish there was more to her career. Another acting highlight was Mary Clare and Basil Radford (we'll see him again next week in The Lady Vanishes) as Erica's aunt and uncle.

Hitchcock's directing is a highlight here especially probably for the most well known scene in the film where Erica and Old Will in restaurant dance room where Will tries to locate the killer and we see an unbroken shot across the dance floor straight to the killer and his eyes which twitch. Granted there's not much of a spoiler as to who the killer is due to there was only one person introduced the movie who wanted Christine Clay dead. Granted, for those in the PC police, the scene does contain an orchestra in blackface, but it is a very well done unbroken shot similar to a future scene in Notorious.

The movie does follow the theme of the book of Robert trying to convince others of his innocence of killing Christine, but the film goes off in different directions: The killer in the book is not mentioned in the movie and vice versa; Erica is only introduced in passing and is more of a secondary character than the lead from the movie; the book focuses more on the investigation of Inspector Alan Grant (a character Tey used in 5 of her books) who is given another name and only seen at the beginning and end of the movie.

Like our last film Sabotage, our film currently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (Rebecca and Shadow of a Doubt are the other ones). Critics back in 1937 thought it another notch in Hitchcock's belt with the Monthly Film Bulletin citing Hitchcock's blend of romance, comedy and suspense and Harrison's Reports saying the story, plot and direction kept the viewer drawn from beginning to end.

Hitchcock's cameo occurs around 13-14 minutes in after Tisdall's escape, Hitchcock can be seen standing outside the police station holding a small camera. This is probably the longest of his cameo's lasting about 20 seconds.

Young and Innocent can be seen on several streaming sites due to its stay in the public domain but as usual, I'll recommend the print that's on Criterionchannel.com. A Shilling for Candles can be purchased here.

23. Sabotage (1936)

NOTE: This review will contain some spoilers concerning the film. Read at your own peril.

Hitchcock continues the momentum he has built up with his last three films and expands on his abilities as a director with an excellent look into suspense and a character's ability to cope with horrific events.

Anton Verloc (Oscar Homolka) throws sand into a generator which causes a blackout in London. He returns almost unseen to the movie theater he owns where his wife (Sylvia Sidney) is trying to appease the patrons who demand their money back. When she talks to her husband, he tells her to refund the money since he has some money coming to him. The power is restored and the patrons return to watch the film. The next day Verloc goes to the aquarium to meet a contact who is disappointed that the blackout wasn't taken seriously by Londoners. He tells him to pick up a parcel and place it in Piccadilly station which will cause some "fireworks". Verloc meets the bombmaker and is told when the bomb will explode. Meanwhile, a Scotland Yard detective Spencer (John Loder) believes that Verloc is the saboteur and is caught eavesdropping on a gathering between Verloc and a group of criminals. Suspicious that the police are aware of him, Verloc has his wife's kid brother Stevie (Desmond Tester) carry the bomb package to the train station as a favor. What will happen when the bomb goes off with its abominable results?

Sabotage is one of Hitchcock's more overlooked films probably due to confusion with its title. The movie is loosely based on Joseph Conrad's novel Secret Agent which just happened to be the title of Hitchcock's previous movie. The title also bears similarity with his 1942 movie Saboteur. Despite the confusion, the film does stand out as I mentioned before with its deliberate pacing and building of tension as Verloc's plan goes into effect. I remember in college seeing a clip of the film where Stevie is on the bus unaware of the bomb (while the audience knows it) he's carrying in a study of how suspense is built up as the clock gets closer and closer to the explosion. In his interview with Francois Truffaut, Hitchcock did express regret for Stevie's death, but in my opinion it just made the audience hate Verloc's character even more.

Sylvia Sidney gives a great performance throughout the movie but especially after the explosion where she hardly says a line but every viewer knows what she is thinking. The confrontation between she and Verloc at the climax of the film is expertly handled. Oscar Homolka is very effective in his role not playing the character as some sort of psycho, but as one completely indifferent to the consequences of his actions. John Loder's role was supposed to be originally played by Robert Donat, but when he was unable to take it due to his asthma, the role was reduced. Loder is ok, but he's a victim of the role since he's been more effective in other movies.

Critics raved about the film (the movie currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes - one of four Hitchcock films to do so) especially about the directing. The New York Times praised Hitchcock's use of suspense. The Monthly Film Bulletin attributed the directing as something unique to Hitchcock (the critic didn't use Hitchcockian) and being very precise. Graham Greene in the Spectator praised the film (except for Loder and Tester's performances) and say that the film marked where Hitchcock has really "come off".

Special credit in the movie is given to Walt Disney for the use of his 1935 Silly Symphonies cartoon, Who Killed Cock Robin?

Hitchcock's cameo appearance is about 9 minutes in when after the power is restored outside the movie theater, you can see Hitchcock look up at the street lamp.

Sabotage is in the public domain and can be viewed on several different streaming sites as well as be on DVD from anyone who can dupe and print cover art for a disc. I recommend the Criterion Channel's print of the film. While not being a faithful adaptation, Hitchcock does follow a bit of the theme of Joseph Conrad's Secret Agent which can be purchased here.