Screening Log

This new site feature is a collective effort to summarize our viewing habits. Occasionally, you will find titles here that are coming to a theater near you, in addition to films viewed on television, and even films viewed in piecemeal. The screening log is archived each month; to view past entries select a month in the menu below.


January 2005 activity

Total Log Entries: 58

Total Comments: 19


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The Lady Vanishes / UK / 1938

What most surprised me about this early British offering from Hitchcock was not that it is a superbly crafted suspense-thriller, which indeed it is, but that it also offers a hefty dose of humor, much of which had me laughing out loud.

The unconcernedness of the two English cricket fans in particular was a delight to behold. Even as their train is being held up and they are forced to take arms and fight for their lives, they don’t break a sweat, even managing lines such as “nasty jam this” without even a hint of irony.

Impressively weaving such comedy into a tale of espionage, secret codes, and false identities, The Lady Vanishes never lets up and never loses its focus, each seemingly incidental plot element working itself deftly back into the fold, and repeatedly reminding us that we are in the hands of a master filmmaker.

by Thomas Scalzo | Source: The Criterion Collection DVD
20 Jan 2005 10:23 PM | Comments (1)


Comments / 1 total / Submit Comment

  1. Eva Michelle / 21 January 2005 / 6:11 AM

    One of the things that struck me while watching this film was how perfectly timed it was. The pacing was never off: the suspense builds and the plot twists at just the perfect rate. I never had the thought “this should really be over now,” as I do for so many movies today. Hitchcock is a true master of his craft. He’s created films so enjoyable, that even when you’re viewing them for the second (or third, or even millionth) time, they never lose their luster.

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