Alfred Hitchcock’s impressive career spanned the transition to sound, a new continent, and more than five decades. There are plenty of reasons his films are considered classic, even genius. But often overlooked is the fact that they were nearly always based on books. And as an English major with a masters in cinema studies, I am fascinated by adaptations, particularly when both mediums are highly successful.
Read my exploration of Vertigo and its origin.
The Wheel Spins follows Iris Carr. Snobbish, British, casually flippant, Iris is a young woman on vacation somewhere is a small European village. But her vacation has come to an end and it’s time to begin travelling back home. She tries to avoid the other tourists who are far too friendly for her liking. Miss Froy is a bright young English governess, intent upon spreading manufactured joy no matter the situation. Despite her efforts, she finds she can’t escape the affable Miss Froy.
Did she guess that she was being hurried to some operation — doomed to failure, yet recommended solely as an experiment, to satisfy scientific curiosity? Iris had still sufficient sense to know that she was indulging in neurotic and morbid speculation, so she hurriedly smashed up the sequence of her thoughts. ~ Loc. 1568
But when Miss Froy disappears, and everyone else denies ever seeing her, there is no one Iris wants to talk to more. Iris enlists the help of doubtful fellow passengers, both insisting on her existence and beginning to doubt her own sanity.
Hitchcock’s film version became The Lady Vanishes and it is very much like the book. The movie cast Dame Mae Whitty as Miss Froy, an older woman than her book counterpart, and the final solution of the disappearance is more detailed in the film version. But what remains is the snappy dialogue, self-deprecating humor, and genuine suspense.
My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the review copy. Read via NetGalley.
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (October 29, 2024)
Language: English
Paperback: 272 pages
ISBN-10: 1464216444
The film version of To Catch A Thief is known for its sophisticated Riviera scenery, stylish costumes, and a suave but mysterious cat burglar (who may or may not be Cary Grant). It is also how Grace Kelly met Prince Rainier of Monaco, her eventual husband.
John Robie is a retired jewel thief. He’d been caught and jailed before war broke out, but he was released from prison on the eve of the German invasion. Robie joined the French Resistance and after the war law enforcement chose to look the other way. He now lives quietly, on the right side of the law, in a cliffside villa. All is well until a jewel thief begins striking wealthy Riviera tourists using his typical M.O. It becomes clear the thief is a copycat, hoping to get Robie arrested. He is forced underground, with the help of his Resistance friends, while he tries to catch the burglar before the police catch up with him.
It was the kind of a night that LeChat had always liked best; darkness, moving shadows to hide another moving shadow, a rush of wind and the scrape of of rubbing branches to hide small noises. There was a charged, electric feeling in the air. ~Loc. 2581
This film adaptation is fairly faithful to the book although there are some lovely details that are cut. Most notably, Robie disguises himself as a frumpy, potbellied, clueless American (but with the character being played by Cary Grant, can you blame Hitch for not wanting to hide his actor under an ill-fitting suit?). He is undercover while he mixes with the potential marks in hopes he can stop The Cat before he strikes again. The book is a rollicking, fast-moving adventure and is must-read for any Hitchcock fan.
My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the review copy. Read via NetGalley.
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (April 1, 2025)
Language: English
Paperback: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 1464225346