Much as I like and possess the DVD of the original Hitchcock version, this remake is a much better job. It avoids many of the tedious moments of the original film, especially during the first half hour or so in the hotel, and introduces a lot more humour. I mean Arthur Lowe and Ian Carmichael are nothing short of EXCELLENT, far funnier than the tedious idiots of the original. In addition we have better sound quality, superb picture quality, an extremely sexy Cybill Sheppard and a BEAUTIFUL sound track !! What more could you ask. I know little about the main mail character Elliot Gould and indeed found his performance the least interesting, but this is more than compensated for by the other performances. The Nazi Helmut played his role very well and rendered himself thoroughly dislikeable. And I have always loved Angela Lansbury in whatever rôle I have seen her. This is good quality cinematic entertainment from 1979, without special effects, something which is in very short supply in these initial years of the twenty first century. Thank God it's been issued on a DVD !
Review of The Lady Vanishes
