The Lodger (B or 3/4 stars)
1927's 'The Lodger' is a Londonian Jack-the-Ripper-ish murder suspense story directed by legendary Alfred Hitchcock. What makes this film stand-out? It's his 3rd feature film ... and it's silent. "The Avenger" is the name of our serial killer; who leaves his card after each murder on the corpse and signs his alias -- oh, and he murders only blondes {this IS Hitchcock, after all} on Tuesday nights. A slim, well-dressed aristocratic-looking Jonathan Drew (Ivor Novello) rents a room in a London boarding house run by the lower-middle-class Buntings (Arthur Chesney, Marie Ault) on a foggy night and, because he's such a mysterious man & insists on the removal of all photos of women from his room, he makes the landlady understandably nervous.
The Buntings are more alarmed yet when their lodger shows his attraction to their pretty blonde daughter, Daisy (June Tripp); much to their chagrin, she decides to go out with him. She, however, is officially dating Joe Chandler (Malcolm Keen), one of the detectives seeking 'The Avenger'. The loutish Joe promises to marry Daisy as soon as he catches and/or kills the killer. Drama ensues as killings are occurring in the neighborhood. When Joe becomes jealous that the lodger stole Daisy, he gets a warrant to search his room. But ... is our sensitive lodger actually 'The Avenger'? Take a wild guess.
'The Lodger' is an early example of Hitchcock's unique visual touches & trademark style. i.e., I'm reminded of the clear glass floor in which we see the nervous lodger pacing back-&-forth (upside down) in his bedroom, causing the chandelier to sway below -- even back in 1927, Hitch had an eye for detail. There's an element of dark German expressionism at play, too; lending to a tense, off-kilter atmosphere. It's rare to see such daring camerawork & design in an early silent film.
Now let me get real for a sec. One of the big reasons I saw this film is because it was referenced in 2001's Gosford Park when Maggie Smith mentions it to Jeremy Northam (who plays Ivor Novello in that film). She snarkily {when is Maggie anything but?} predicts it will flop. But I digress; back to our film, at hand. Now, the movie studio refused to allow Novello - our matinee star - to be the killer fearing it might dim his popularity with the public, so the 'Avenger' crime is solved off-screen while the lodger escapes & is chased by a mob who want to tear him apart -- ain't that fun!? Overall, I was more engaged by this silent film than I had any right to be. It’s not some masterpiece, but for Hitchcock fans ... ‘The Lodger’ an invaluable film to check out.
The Buntings are more alarmed yet when their lodger shows his attraction to their pretty blonde daughter, Daisy (June Tripp); much to their chagrin, she decides to go out with him. She, however, is officially dating Joe Chandler (Malcolm Keen), one of the detectives seeking 'The Avenger'. The loutish Joe promises to marry Daisy as soon as he catches and/or kills the killer. Drama ensues as killings are occurring in the neighborhood. When Joe becomes jealous that the lodger stole Daisy, he gets a warrant to search his room. But ... is our sensitive lodger actually 'The Avenger'? Take a wild guess.
'The Lodger' is an early example of Hitchcock's unique visual touches & trademark style. i.e., I'm reminded of the clear glass floor in which we see the nervous lodger pacing back-&-forth (upside down) in his bedroom, causing the chandelier to sway below -- even back in 1927, Hitch had an eye for detail. There's an element of dark German expressionism at play, too; lending to a tense, off-kilter atmosphere. It's rare to see such daring camerawork & design in an early silent film.
Now let me get real for a sec. One of the big reasons I saw this film is because it was referenced in 2001's Gosford Park when Maggie Smith mentions it to Jeremy Northam (who plays Ivor Novello in that film). She snarkily {when is Maggie anything but?} predicts it will flop. But I digress; back to our film, at hand. Now, the movie studio refused to allow Novello - our matinee star - to be the killer fearing it might dim his popularity with the public, so the 'Avenger' crime is solved off-screen while the lodger escapes & is chased by a mob who want to tear him apart -- ain't that fun!? Overall, I was more engaged by this silent film than I had any right to be. It’s not some masterpiece, but for Hitchcock fans ... ‘The Lodger’ an invaluable film to check out.