Film Recommendation / The Vanishing Lady (1950) – Escape
This is another departure from film as a medium. You’ll forgive me. Storytelling elements, even when flawed, have a lot in common across mediums. Media? Mediums? Medium? Whatever.
‘The Vanishing Lady.’ has something of a pedigree. Originating as an urban legend dating from the 1880’s, it has been catalyst for a number of performances, novels and movies.
The story is told in flashback. Events are fairly straightforward. Tension within the story is conjured artfully. The effects and performers are evocative. Its plot, however, is flawed. Maybe I’ve got that wrong… Plot? Story? Which is which? Anyway.
Plot Hole is the touchstone for this example. The entire plot is constructed around a single decision. The drama, though, is rooted in a set of hard-to-believe choices not conforming to logic beyond driving that drama.
On the up-side, the episode does have a happy ending; in some versions of the tale it’s pretty damned grim.
