The Lady Vanishes appears in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; due to those dimensions, the image has not been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Though the movie showed its age, it usually looked pretty good.
For the most part, sharpness seemed positive. I noticed occasional soft shots, as some elements appeared slightly ill-defined. Those instances were exceptions, though, as the majority of the flick was pretty tight and nicely delineated. No issues with jagged edges or shimmering marred the presentation, but I noticed some light edge enhancement.
As one might expect of a nearly 70-year-old movie, source flaws created distractions. However, these concerns remained fairly minor given the film’s age. I saw occasional specks, blotches, thin vertical lines, hairs and other minor debris, but these issues cropped up pretty infrequently. In addition, the movie flickered a little and could be a bit jittery. Most of the film showed above average cleanliness for a film of this one’s vintage.
Contrast usually succeeded, though some exceptions occurred. I thought a few shots came across as too bright, but most of them showed adequate definition. Blacks were dark and firm, while shadows seemed fairly good. At times some low-light shots could be a little dense, but they were good in general. The mix of issues knocked down my grade to a “B-“, but I still felt pretty pleased with the transfer.
Similar thoughts greeted the perfectly adequate monaural soundtrack of The Lady Vanishes. Like most films of the era, speech sounded somewhat tinny and brittle, but the lines always remained easily intelligible, and they lacked notable edginess. Effects were also thin and without much range, but they seemed fairly concise and didn’t suffer from significant distortion.
In terms of music, the movie featured very little score. Those elements opened and closed the flick, but other than some incidental playing from the street musician and Gilbert, we got no music at all. The tidbits we heard were a bit shrill but acceptable. As for source noise, the track sounded a bit hissy but didn’t suffer from any pops, clicks or other distractions. The audio seemed more than acceptable for its age.
For this new two-DVD Criterion edition of Lady, we find the same audio commentary from the prior release. Film historian Bruce Eder provides a running, screen-specific chat. He discusses the production’s history and its path to the screen, the script and the adaptation of the source novel, Hitchcock’s career and how Lady fits into his oeuvre, cast and crew notes, themes and cinematic techniques, sets, production design, social context and how the story fit into the world of 1937.
Eder provides a simply stellar commentary that balances both movie interpretation and more nuts and bolts subjects. Neither side dominates to the exclusion of the other, and Eder covers both with insight and detail. The commentary gives us a good feel for production elements but also offers insights into the story and the era in which it was created. Eder’s chat is consistently involving and informative.
(Note that this commentary makes a couple small changes to Eder’s original track. It seems to be mostly the same as the original, but a few minor alterations do occur. No, I can’t detail those since I don’t have the original, but you can easily notice the edits, and the content reflects some more modern events.)
This package’s new extras all reside on DVD Two. Here we find an entire bonus film: 1941’s Crook’s Tour. The 80-minute and 53-second flick reunites the mild-mannered cricket-loving Brits from Lady and takes them on their own adventure. Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne reprise their roles from Lady as C&C find themselves among intrigue in the Middle East. A lame mistaken identity plot ensues.
It’s usually a mistake to take effective supporting characters and turn them into leads. That proves true with the silly and forgettable Tour. While C&C provided fine comic relief in Lady, here they lack character or charm. They can’t carry a story alone, and the pair blend into the scenery. I think it’s cool that we get the film as an extra, but I won’t ever want to watch this mediocrity again.
Under Hitchcock/Truffaut, we get an excerpt from director Francois Truffaut’s extensive 1962 interviews with Hitchcock. The 10-minute and five-second reel presents those audio elements while we watch art, footage and stills related to Lady. Hitchcock discusses the drink switcheroo scene, some implausible aspects of the film and other story elements, and general thoughts.
For archival reasons, it’s nice to have this, but don’t expect to learn much from it. The constant need for translation slows things down, and Truffaut tends to praise the film more than ask questions. Though Hitchcock offers some interesting notes – and a wicked willingness to deflate his own work – this piece is useful more for curiosity value than anything else.
Mystery Train provides a “video essay” about Lady. For the 33-minute and 28-second piece, film scholar Leonard Leff chats while we see archival materials. We learn about the British film industry circa the late 1930s and Hitchcock’s place in the business. We also find notes about the adaptation of the original novel, Hitchcock’s use of storyboards, photography and effects, performances and characters, social context, and the film’s reception.
Inevitably, some of the content repeats from Eder’s excellent commentary. However, lots of fresh information comes up here, as Leff provides a good recap of the production. The program might’ve worked better as a second commentary, especially since I’m sure Leff could flesh out more than half an hour. Nonetheless, I like the program and think it adds to the set.
Under Stills Gallery, we find a collection of images. The package includes 22 stills that cover behind the scenes photos, lobby cards and posters. While not an extensive presentation, some interesting bits appear.
Finally, Lady comes with the usual 24-page booklet. In addition to some movie and DVD credits, we get essays from Geoffrey O’Brien and Charles Barr. Criterion produce the best booklets in the biz, and this is another good one.
Though The Lady Vanishes seems somewhat forgotten compared to Alfred Hitchcock’s best known works, it doesn’t deserve its semi-obscurity. Indeed, the movie works exceedingly well as it creates an entertaining piece of tense drama with a decided comedic flair. The DVD features perfectly acceptable picture and audio along with extras highlighted by an excellent commentary. This one is a good purchase for the Hitchcock fans.
