The Lady Vanishes

Movie review by Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media
The Lady Vanishes Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 12+

Hitchcock comedy thriller is tame old-school fun.

NR 1938 97 minutes
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Parents say

age 12+

Based on 1 review

Kids say

age 10+

Based on 6 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this Alfred Hitchcock classic contains several fatal and non-fatal shootings (though barely any blood is shown), plus an inferred strangling and some hand-to-hand fighting, which is more comical than serious. Social drinking (champagne) is fairly frequent, and a plot line revolves around a character possibly getting drugged. There are some don't-try-this-at-home stunts on a moving locomotive.

Community Reviews

doctora
doctora Adult
May 30, 2022
age 12+

Delightful whodunit with numerous twists and turns...Flightplan learned a thing or two from this film

A delightful film that has held up well over the years. It is still full of suspense and second guesses. Humorous and very entertaining. I highly recommend it to someone wanting to put a toe into Hitchcock territory.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In a mythical European country an avalanche temporarily strands an international group of travelers at an inn. Youthful Iris (Margaret Lockwood), from England, is reluctantly engaged to be married and is taking a train trip as one last adventure with girlfriends before her life settles down to unbearably boring routine. At the inn Iris befriends Mrs. Froy (May Whitty), who describes herself as a retired governess leaving the country to go back to London. Just before the train finally leaves, Iris is struck on the head by a falling flower-box (which may have been targeting Mrs. Froy) and boards the train, disoriented, with the old woman. When Iris wakes up she finds Mrs. Froy missing -- and all other passengers and staff deny Mrs. Froy was ever there. Only rakish musician-scholar Gilbert (Michael Redgrave) takes Iris' story seriously and tries to help solve the disappearance.

Is It Any Good?

Film buffs cherish this intriguing thriller as a peak of Alfred Hitchcock's U.K. film career before Hollywood wooed the British director to be America's "Master of Suspense." But it's got slightly old-fashioned dialogue and pacing (many jokes revolve around fans of the sport of cricket). By modern standards the narrative is a bit of snoozer, at least the first half hour, as Hitchcock calmly introduces ensemble characters in a hotel-bound setting. But then Mrs. Froy disappears, and the real suspense kicks in and never lets up. Those same colorful train passengers who were so silly begin to seem more sinister in their denials and dismissals of the frantic Iris.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the suspense in the film. Does it hold up as well for modern audiences as it did for the viewers in 1938?

  • Iris is a pretty old-fashioned movie heroine; a male bails her out of trouble and does the serious fighting (and most of the thinking). Talk about how screen starlets have changed (or not) over the years.

Movie Details

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