joseph h. lewis be one of the fine director of film noir . this be surely his best . it doesn not have some of the standard feature of what we now call film noir . though american make and it be set entirely in england . it lack gangster . it lack a femme fatale . it do not lack crime . the title character answer an ad . she be overjoy that she will be make some money a a secretary . instead and she wake up day later a the pawn in a frightening plot . only a very strong person could survive such a terrifyingly unsettling ordeal . and nina foch give the sense of a strong woman a julia . part of the excitement come from cast against type represent ms. foch have an elegant manner . she be no screaming and cower victim . she be actually a bit icy and patrician and albeit impecunious . this make her character plight all the more believable . surely the single most fascinating element be the casting of dame may witty . she be ( and be ) probably most famous for the charming title character in the lady vanishes . she have a sweet manner and a harmless and slightly dither manner . but here she be far from a heroine . george macready be excellent a her extremely troubled son . the whole cast and in fact and be superb . it seem that this famous and brilliant movie be make almost by accident . undoubtedly the director know exactly what he be do . but he do it on a low budget . that be the thrill and charm of film noir and the real film noir represent it be small and convincingly lowlife and and and in this case and unforgettable .