Style: Thriller
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas, Could Whitty
Working Time: 97 minutes
Synopsis: Within the fictional European nation Bandrika, a practice is stranded by an avalanche and the passengers spend an evening at a small village motel. They embody the adventurous Iris (Margaret Lockwood), who’s touring to England to reluctantly get married; the aged Miss Froy (Could Whitty); and dashing musician Gilbert (Michael Redgrave). After the practice will get going the subsequent morning, Miss Froy out of the blue disappears, and Iris groups up with Gilbert to analyze. Dr. Hartz (Paul Lukas), magician Signor Doppo, and a nun are among the many practice passengers probably concerned in a cover-up.
What Works Nicely: With director Alfred Hitchcock obliquely critiquing a Britain ignoring the gathering storms of continental conflict, this lighthearted thriller and satire explores human reactions motivated by nothing-to-see-here self-interest. A feisty Margaret Lockwood animates the microcosm because the irrepressible Iris tangles with fellow vacationers Caldicott and Charters, whose solely curiosity is the rating of a cricket sport again residence in England, and a philandering choose and his mistress studiously avoiding scandal. The confined practice environment type a labyrinthian setting with secrets and techniques in each compartment.
What Does Not Work As Nicely: The opening 20 minutes on the motel are a cacophonic mess cluttered by too many irrelevant tertiary characters. What’s lastly revealed in regards to the nefarious plot straddles the road between imprecise and ridiculous, resulting in a stiff and unimaginative closing showdown.
Key Quote:
Iris: Nuns do not put on excessive heels.
