Reviewers Should Do Their Homework

New York Times reviewer Mike Hale recently asked

Is it fair to compare "The Lady Vanishes," a new "Masterpiece Mystery!" movie with the Alfred Hitchcock thriller of the same title from 1938? It doesn't really matter, because if you've seen the original, it's impossible to do otherwise.

But you know what? He's asked the wrong question.



The real comparison should be with the book Hitchcock based his book on, The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White. It s a dark psychological thriller about Iris Carr,...