Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Reviews
From Amazon.co.uk
Forget Hitchcock, forget Brian De Palma, The Vanishing is one of the scariest, most disturbing thrillers ever made. Yet there's not a knife, a gun, or a drop of blood in sight. The terror in George Sluizer's film is wholly psychological, insidiously uncoiling itself before our incredulous eyes.
A young Dutch couple on holiday in France stop at a motorway service station, where the girl inexplicably vanishes. Desperately her boyfriend searches for her. Meanwhile, we're introduced to a dull, respectable French paterfamilias who, we gradually come to realise, is the man responsible for the girl's disappearance. But we don't know why, nor--yet more tantalisingly--what he's done with her. Neither does the boyfriend, for whom her disappearance becomes an obsession (the film's French title is L'Homme qui voulait savoir--"The Man Who Wanted to Know".) Finally, horribly, he finds out.
Operating quietly and cunningly, Sluizer keeps us constantly on edge. There's the unconventional plot structure, dropping us unexpectedly into what turns out to be an extended flashback; the twitchy disorientation of the hero, adrift in an alien language and culture (a shrewd use of the film's joint French/Dutch parentage); and above all the chillingly downbeat performance of Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu as the abductor, a living demonstration of the banality of evil.
The Vanishing is one of those rare movies that insinuates itself under the skin of the mind and cannot be dislodged. Ill-advisedly, Sluizer let himself be tempted to Hollywood to direct an English-language remake that jettisoned all the subtlety of the original and tacked on an inane happy ending. Shun that version; this is the one to go for.
On the DVD: The Vanishing comes to DVD with these slim pickings: the theatrical trailer, a filmography for Sluizer and a gallery of stills. But the transfer, digitally remastered in the original widescreen ratio, looks good and the sound matches it. --Philip Kemp
Product Description
This is the original version (as opposed to the Hollywood remake) of George Sluizer's masterpiece and is regarded as one of the best suspense thrillers ever made. Based on the novel The Golden Egg by Tim Krabbe, The Vanishing is the ultimate tribute to Alfred Hitchcock with the ending to prove it. Whilst touring in France, a young couple (Rex and Saskia) stop for a break at a roadside service station. Saskia leaves Rex to browse around the shops and vanishes leaving no clues as to her whereabouts.
* Original theatrical trailer
* Director s filmography
* Picture gallery
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By mister joe
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The remake of The Vanishing is not all that bad to be honest,but as is the way the original 1988 Vanishing is the superior version but both movies kind of operate at different levels.
As to be expected the remake employs a sanitised Hollywood approach whilst the original basks in its european sensibilities.
The portrayal of a sociopath in the original is truly unnerving,capturing the banality of evil as the abductor test runs his kidnap plan,timing his moves to the second,picking up his daughters,having dinner with the wife....
This monster is far more terrifying to me then a hockey mask wearing kid with a mushy face.Its about total control.
The Vanishing is a taut thriller well worth watching....both versions.
As to be expected the remake employs a sanitised Hollywood approach whilst the original basks in its european sensibilities.
The portrayal of a sociopath in the original is truly unnerving,capturing the banality of evil as the abductor test runs his kidnap plan,timing his moves to the second,picking up his daughters,having dinner with the wife....
This monster is far more terrifying to me then a hockey mask wearing kid with a mushy face.Its about total control.
The Vanishing is a taut thriller well worth watching....both versions.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I spent sixteen years working as a psychiatric nurse, and this is the best on screen portrayal of antisocial personality disorder (i.e. a psychopath/sociopath) I've ever seen. He's easy to get on with, can affect a certain vulnerability, he's sort of nerdishly charming (not necessarily one of the criteria, but it all helps), very calculating, clearly incapable of remorse or empathy, and only allows himself to be in situations in which he has complete control. He also avoids responsibility by rationalising his behaviour. In short, he's one of cinema's most credible villains. His presence in a film where nothing much actually happens (as opposed to, say, a slasher) makes for a genuinely unsettling experience. And yes, avoid the remake.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
NB - Once again Amazon have thoughtlessly and unhelpfully contrived to combine the reviews for two different fims on the same page. This review refers to the US remake.
George Sluizer's original Dutch-French version of The Vanishing (aka The Man Who Wanted to Know) offers one of European cinema's most quietly disturbingly anonymous and everyday sociopaths, feeling his way one step at a time towards murder. If you've seen that version, you probably still can't get the final revelation out of your head, but the film had plenty more to offer than that, playing with chronology, subverting the usual cliches of its 'Lady Vanishes' plot (the hero wants to know what happened to his missing lover far more than he wants her to be alive) and throwing in some excellent characterization. I can only assume that for this 1993 US remake Sluizer was so determined that no-one else was going to get the chance to ruin his film when he was perfectly capable of doing it himself, but few people could have anticipated how comprehensively he trashes his own work. His career never recovered.
Chief culprit is an astonishing performance by Jeff Bridges that has been overthought through in every detail to a truly disastrous level. A friend who produced one of his earliest movies noted that Bridges was a great instinctive actor as long as you stopped him thinking about what he was doing, and this film is the proof of the pudding. Every movement is overly mechanical in its precision, making him look like a rusty clockwork toy, while his voice is a bizarre mixture of Tootsie, Latka Gravas from Taxi and a Dalek who have all been taking elocution lessons from Dok-tah E-ville. No banality of evil here, just a looney walking around with an invisible sign over his head saying "Please. Let. Me. Kill. You.... Read more ›
George Sluizer's original Dutch-French version of The Vanishing (aka The Man Who Wanted to Know) offers one of European cinema's most quietly disturbingly anonymous and everyday sociopaths, feeling his way one step at a time towards murder. If you've seen that version, you probably still can't get the final revelation out of your head, but the film had plenty more to offer than that, playing with chronology, subverting the usual cliches of its 'Lady Vanishes' plot (the hero wants to know what happened to his missing lover far more than he wants her to be alive) and throwing in some excellent characterization. I can only assume that for this 1993 US remake Sluizer was so determined that no-one else was going to get the chance to ruin his film when he was perfectly capable of doing it himself, but few people could have anticipated how comprehensively he trashes his own work. His career never recovered.
Chief culprit is an astonishing performance by Jeff Bridges that has been overthought through in every detail to a truly disastrous level. A friend who produced one of his earliest movies noted that Bridges was a great instinctive actor as long as you stopped him thinking about what he was doing, and this film is the proof of the pudding. Every movement is overly mechanical in its precision, making him look like a rusty clockwork toy, while his voice is a bizarre mixture of Tootsie, Latka Gravas from Taxi and a Dalek who have all been taking elocution lessons from Dok-tah E-ville. No banality of evil here, just a looney walking around with an invisible sign over his head saying "Please. Let. Me. Kill. You.... Read more ›
25 of 28 people found the following review helpful
By M. Dale
Format:DVD
Please notice that some of the reviews included here are actually of the poor American remake. This is the Dutch original, set in France, and is one of my favourite films. Take out the mistakenly included reviews and this film would presumably get the 5 stars it definitely deserves...
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By Mr. S. Crook
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Don't confuse this with the rather poor remake. It's hard to believe that the two were made by the same director. The remake has all the flaws you'd expect of a hollywood version of a quality european film and pretty much misses the point entirely.
The original is dark and pessimistic, the characters are believeable, portrayed with conviction, so it's easy to get involved. There's little violence, but the atmosphere does it all. The director and lead convey the passing of time and the increasing isolation, desperation and determination of the husband with considerable eloquence.
I first saw this film several years ago and it has lodged itself in my memory, so I think that once seen it's not easily forgotten. For all the right reasons!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Jason
Format:DVD
Without doubt one of the creepiest and most memorable films I have ever seen. Obviously you should see it if you haven't. And if you have, you probably feel like adding it in your collection of all time greats.
I'm referring of course to the original Dutch/French version. Silly Amazon has muddled up the reviews with the US remake. Average 3 stars overall, of course, because everyone gives the original 5 and the remake 1!
I'm referring of course to the original Dutch/French version. Silly Amazon has muddled up the reviews with the US remake. Average 3 stars overall, of course, because everyone gives the original 5 and the remake 1!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The overall rating for this film should be 5 Star! A lot of the comments and ratings relate to the US remake of this classic of European cinema. Might be useful to do some housekeeping by moving the comments on the inferior US version elsewhere (where it is deserved), as it drags down the overall star ratings for this film, and makes it very confusing for anyone influenced by the star ratings before reading further..
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 57 reviews
3.5 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Avoid the remake.
A couple stop at a motorway services, for fuel and a snack. When he returns to the car, the man finds the girl is missing. He searches frantically for her, but it is all in vain. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. P. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
classic
classic suspence film that can be watched over and over again, in my opinion jeff bridges best performance to date.
Published 3 months ago by mick haney
5.0 out of 5 stars
read in one sitting.
well written short story with a quiet chilling theme. The protagonist is always haunted by past events, evil is apparent in an everyday life.
Published 3 months ago by Nora Carrel
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Vanishing.
The film is a good old fashioned thriller which builds up slowly to a terrifying climax. The ending is not predictable and you are right on the edge of your seat until the final... Read more
Published 6 months ago by M. Hindson
3.0 out of 5 stars
Had great potential
The 1993 Jeff Bridges version is good.
Jeff Bridges is very good in the role as the killer, from reading some of the reviews, I think he is sometimes misunderstood as an... Read more
Jeff Bridges is very good in the role as the killer, from reading some of the reviews, I think he is sometimes misunderstood as an... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Goodreviewer
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Original & the best.
The term "Psychological Thriller" is very apt for this masterpiece. Once seen NEVER forgotten, just make sure you see this version as opposed to the lame American re-make. ENJOY!
Published 10 months ago by Mild Dill Hotpot
3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent Thriller
Decent movie and genuinely chilling at times but like all movies that are built up, its hard to produce the goods. Some great scenes in it though and the bad guy is excellent. Read more
Published 20 months ago by N. Blaney
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chilling
This will turn your blood to ice and you'll want to sleep with the lights on for many nights afterwards. The creepiness builds as the protagonist gets ever more desperate. Read more
Published 24 months ago by paul W
4.0 out of 5 stars
very pleased
My dvd arrived in just a couple of days and ive had no problems with it exelent condition! very pleased..
Published on 8 Nov 2010 by Kal-el
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
