Lady Vanishes, The

379. THE LADY VANISHES (1938-England). With MICHAEL REDGRAVE, MARGARET LOCKWOOD, PAUL LUKAS, DAME MAY WHITTY. Directed by ALFRED HITCHCOCK. Vintage Hitchcock: this famous British movie won him the New York Film Critics Award for Best Director, and led to his Hollywood career. It’s a perfect blend of mystery, suspense, espionage, comedy and romance, with surprises around every bend of the tracks. As in many Hitchcock films, appearances are deceptive, and the everyday world abruptly becomes a nightmare, On a train travelling through Europe, a young woman befriends an elderly English governess named Miss Froy, But the old lady sudÂdenly vanishes, and everyone denies she was ever there. Of course she was there: we saw her. Or did we? A happy-go-lucky musician (Michael Redgrave), at first completely skeptical, eventually is conÂvinced that Miss Froy was kidnapped, and joins our heroine in the search. Among the bizarre characÂters, they confront a menacing baroness, a sinister German doctor, an Italian magician with quite a disÂappearing act of his own, and two typical Englishmen, whose sole interest is getting to the cricket match on time. There’s also a mysterious burn victim completely wrapped in bandages, a nun in high heels, an imposter Miss Froy, a secret message disguised in the most improbable code, drinks that are really poison (or maybe not), a vital clue that magically appears on-then vanishes from-the train winÂdow, some risquŽ humor, breathtakingly thrilling chases in and outside the train, and visual tours-deÂforce (the elaborate miniature village in the beginning; the clever shots representing the heroine’s disÂoriented point of view). Many see this film as symbolic of post-Munich Europe, on the brink of war; with some people apathetic, some anxious to appease, and some turning toward commitment. The story was remade, disastrously (with Elliot Gould and Cybill Shepherd-need we say more!), and has ” been copied countless times (“The Silver Streak,” et al.), but there will never he anything like the delightful, brilliantly directed original. 98 minutes. Hitchcock