This pointless but watchable remake of the much-loved Hitchcock classic of 1938 is slicker than the original - gone are the amateur model shots - but totally lacks its charm, and has none of the atmosphere of impending war that gave the original so much power. As before, Miss Froy (Angela Lansbury in high-camp mode) goes missing on a train, leaving hapless Elliott Gould and Cybill Shepherd trying to find her. It doesn't help that the two miscast stars are ruthlessly upstaged by lovable old coves Arthur Lowe and Ian Carmichael in the Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne roles of cricket-mad Charters and Caldicott. A typical case of aiming for an American audience and running out of steam in mid-Atlantic.

On the eve of World War II, zany heiress Amanda Kelly travels by train to Switzerland. While passing through Germany, she meets a sweet elderly lady, who suddenly vanishes. Distraught, she questions her fellow passengers who claim that the woman was never there. Unsure if it's all in her mind or if there's a more sinister plot afoot, Amanda teams up with photographer Robert Condon to discover the truth.