FULL WATCHALONG: The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Added 2024-11-01 02:44:05 +0000 UTCWe have another entry for Cristy's Classics! This was a request made by our friend Bradley Bradley on Reactr! What a fun movie, thanks for requesting it Bradley!
Officially the oldest movie I've ever watched!
Comments
Ok, I just finished viewing the full watchalong, and I had such a great time seeing it with you! When I was around twenty years-old or so, around 1997 or 1998, I was seeing all the popular movies and blockbusters of the time, but until that point, had never really been interested in viewing other moives, especially "old" movies. If they couldn't have spectacular special effects like Jurassic Park or Independance Day, how good could they be? One night I was up really late, still wasn't tired, and could find nothing on TV that I really wanted to see. My 50 or so movies that I owned on VHS and had seen many times, didn't really appeal to me at that moment, either. I stumbled on this movie on AMC or Turner Classics, and reluctantly decided to start watching it. Soon, after meeting the cast of characters, the mystery began, and I was fascinated. What had happened to Miss Froy? Was she even actually there? Why was everyone so insistent there was no such person? By the time the big final confrontation occurred, it kind of unlocked something within me. I understood just how good, and thrilling, film could be. Even if it was "old", or was from some other country. Since that night, I've opened myself up to discovering some wonderful films that beforehand I would have snubbed. I hope that your own viewing of this movie appealed to you and see how it helped me to appreciate movies in a way I didn't before. Yes, Afred Hitchcock is indeed one of the most famous movie directors of all time, right up there with Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa. His movies are extremely well-regarded and are always so thrilling. Some of his most famous movies (a lot of which it wouldn't surprise me to see you eventually watching) are Psycho, North By Northwest, Rear Window, The Birds, and Vertigo. Each one is a masterpiece! You were correct in that the opening shot (plus a few others) was done with miniatures. But by golly, they still work! Well, as the movie progressed, I guess you can see why Linden Travers was credited at the beginning as "Mrs." Todhunter, with the quotes. She and Mr. Todhunter were in fact, married to other people and were having an illicit affair. The cricket-obsessed duo of Chaters and Caldicott were not in the original novel that the movie was based on. They were created expressly for this film. Their characters become so popular that they made appearances in several other films and radio programmes. When Iris passed out, I had to laugh at your observation: "The lady faints!" Good one, Cristy. 😉 "This is real action!" Yes, the fight between Gilbert and Signor Doppo was not exactly the fight between Captain America and the Winter Soldier, was it? Perhaps if Gilbert had been carrying a shield and Doppo had a metal arm, lol. Still, I think the actors did a great job. 😎 "Deaf and dumb". Yes, that is a very out-of-date and now rather offensive way that people used to refer to Deaf people. On their behalf, they weren't saying "dumb" as in meaning "stupid", but rather "unable to speak". Even so, you can certainly understand why the term has fallen out of fashion. Indeed, except for films and novels of the time, like this one, I never hear that term used in modern times. Let me finish by saying I'm so glad you enjoyed the movie as much as you did. Genre-wise, I would describe it as a "mystery-thriller with comedic elements" and I was delighted to see you laughing so much while also being intrigued by the mystery. Thank you so much for letting me (and all the others here) get to experience the movie alongside you. I had a fantastic time! ❤️
Bradley Bradley
2024-11-02 05:04:43 +0000 UTCP.S. - The thumbnail pic of the Cristy doll with the movie's cast is hysterical! Love it! <3
Bradley Bradley
2024-11-01 11:55:20 +0000 UTC
