Moving in the directors section, we take a took at one Alfred Hitchcock's last British films.
Iris Henderson (Margret Lockwood) is on a tour of Europe, taking in one last fling before she settles down with a respectable cheque chaser. An avalanche derails those plans, forcing her and the other train passengers to room at a nearby inn for the night.
Problems occur with this arrangement, as Iris is bothered by the music played by Gilbert (Michael Redgrave). When she tries to have him thrown out, he moves into her room.
While this is going on, Miss Foy (Dame May Whitty) is listening intently to a folk song sung under her window. When she leaves the window, the singer is killed.
The next day, Iris takes a planter to the skull although it looks like it was aimed at Miss Foy. Blacking out, she is carried onto the train and we meet a few more passengers:
Todhunter (Cecil Parker): he's a lawyer
Mrs. Todhunter (Linden Travers): She's the misses, although that first part is a bit suspect...
Charters (Basil Radford) and Caldicott (Naunton Wayne): They're very British and love cricket.
When Iris comes to, she's sharing her compartment with Miss Foy and the two strike up a friendship. Having tea in the crowded dining car, Miss Foy writes her name on the window. Returning to the sleeping car, Iris falls asleep. When she wakes up, however, is when things happen. Miss Foy is nowhere to be found, and despite her best efforts, Iris can't seem to find a single soul on the train who's seen her. Dr. Hartz (Paul Lukas), claims Iris must be suffering from a concussion related illness.
It gets to the point where the only person who doesn't think she's crazy is Gilbert and the two team up to try and find Miss Foy. But things are bigger than either of them think, and the net draws ever closer around them...
Darn good, and easy to see Hitchcock's ever growing skill. The setting of a train allows for a tight claustrophobic feel, plus the point of view shots can make you forget the train is even moving.
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