Very Hitchcockian’- a train-bound thriller with Margaret Lockwood just like Hitch’s 1938 success The Lady Vanishes
7th and final collaboration of Lockwood and Reed- I can’t say I’ve seen or archived any of the others/previous
Reed doesn’t just relay on Lockwood and Rex Harrison—he has these gorgeous miniatures throughout- stunning- he starts the film with strong simulated helicopter shot on a miniature and then goes through the window
He does it again at the factory in Prague
Paul Henreid is good here- he’s a Nazi spy- he’d go on to be cast on the opposite side of the struggle in his most famous role as Victor Laszlo in Casablanca
another miniature of a prison
brilliant redirect with Heinreid as the spy placed in prison
the narrative moves wonderfully— many cities and set pieces—strong adventure
Harrison has a presence- he’s disfigured like Cary Grant and charming- confidence and brass—his scenes faking being a Nazi German are strong and then the great Lockwood line at him saying “if a woman ever loved you like you love yourself it should be one of the great romances in history”
Ski-lift finale set piece
Wonderful shot through the emblem cutout in a door
Leave A Comment