There are two things that I am passionate about when it comes to cinema, and they are silent films and Alfred Hitchcock. Recently I realized that I have not written a review for either on this blog, and thought that it was time to rectify the situation. To make things easier, I decided to kill two birds with one stone, by reviewing one of Alfred Hitchcock’s silent films, his 1927 film “The Lodger: A Story Of The London Fog”.
The locals of London are terrorized by a serial killer, called “The Avenger”, who is killing blonde girls. He has already killed seven girls and the police are not close to catching him. Meanwhile, a stranger knocks on the door of a nearby house, looking to rent the room above. Upon entering his room, he reacts strangely to the paintings of blonde women on his wall, and asks for them to be removed. Living at the house, also, is the landlady’s daughter, Daisy, a blonde model who works in the neighbourhood. Daisy and the lodger form a good friendship, which eventually becomes romantic. This does not please Joe, a police detective and former boyfriend of Daisy. Joe is assigned to “The Avenger” case and becomes increasing suspicious of the lodger. Does he really believe the lodger to be “The Avenger” or is it his jealousy causing his suspicions? The lodger is then seen sneaking out of the house very late at night by his landlady and sneaking back in about half an hour later. The next morning news of “The Avenger’s” eighth victim hits the papers. Is the lodger really “The Avenger”, and if so, is Daisy his next victim?
This is widely regarded as Alfred Hitchcock’s first film, even by Hitchcock himself. Obviously, this is incorrect as it is actually his third film, but this is the first time in which he dealt with suspense and the crime thriller therefore it is usually considered the first “true” Hitchcock film. Because of this, “The Lodger” is the most widely known and seen of Alfred Hitchcock’s silent films. This is a good thing too because the film is fabulous.
The film is basically a “Jack The Ripper” story, except the murderer is named “The Avenger” in this story. He is also Hitchcock’s first MacGuffin, because the character drives the story, but throughout the whole film he is never seen. At the end of the film, you realize that it is not about “The Avenger” at all, but the characters living in fear because of the murderer. “The Avenger” even gets captured off screen. “The Lodger” also sees the birth of the Hitchcock blonde, as “The Avenger” only kills girls with golden locks. Obviously, our main female character, Daisy, has to have blonde hair.
As the film is a silent film, it is told predominately with images. The first image of the film is very in-your-face, as it depicts a young girl screaming just before she is killed by The Avenger. The next ten minutes of the film we see the news filtering through to the public that The Avenger has killed his seventh victim. We see it through gossipers, making its way to the newspapers, all the way until the paper hits the streets. This time a witness at the scene describes a man whose lower half of his face is covered by a scarf. This is important as it sets up the suspense for the next scene and the first time we see the lodger. The introduction of the lodger is a great scary scene. It is shot very much like the horror films made during the German Expressionist period. In fact, most of the film is shot in this distinct style. Hitchcock worked on his first two films in Germany which, during this time, was at the height of its artistry in film-making. Hitchcock paid close attention to what the German’s were achieving and then used what he could to the best of his advantage. When the lodger first knocks at the door, most of the lights in the house go out, causing these big dark shadows to fall on most of the rooms. The mother of the house opens the door, and there stands the lodger, half his face covered by a scarf. It is a really creepy image. In fact, the way the lodger is standing in the scene, he looks like a cross between Count Orlok from “Nosferatu” and Bela Lugosi’s “Dracula”.
Another amazing scene is when Daisy and her parents are in a room and they notice the chandelier above them shaking. Hitchcock then dissolves the roof away to show the lodger pacing backwards and forwards. He obviously shot this with a camera underneath a piece of glass, and the affect is amazing, and something you wouldn’t normally see in a silent film at this time. Another great and famous shot is the scene when the lodger sneaks out in the middle of the night. It is shot directly above the staircase and all we can see is the banister with a hand slowly going down. Once again, it sets a mood full of dread and menace.
The main story is two fold. It involves a love triangle between the lodger, Daisy, and a detective, Joe, who is already dating Daisy. The other part of the story is whether or not the lodger is in fact “The Avenger”, as he is seen leaving the house in the middle of the night, the nights when coincidentally the girls have been murdered. Unfortunately, due to casting, Alfred Hitchcock had to change the ending of the film. In the book it is based on (written by Marie Belloc Lowndes) and the subsequent 1944 remake, the lodger does turn out to be the murderer. However, because Hitchcock had chosen Ivor Novello to play the role of “The Lodger”, it was decided that the public would not like to see him in the role of a murderer. At this time, Ivor Novello was a huge matinee idol in Great Britain, and because of this, his character turns out to be the brother of “The Avenger’s” first victim, trying to hunt him down and get revenge. Personally, I do not mind the change, and I think it actually works well. Incidentally, Hitchcock had the exact same problem occur some fourteen years later in “Suspicion”, when it was decided that the public wouldn’t buy Cary Grant as a murderer, and as such the finale was changed.
As far as Ivor Novello’s performance goes, it is pretty good. He is happy and romantic in his scenes with Daisy, but when it turns night and he sneaks out of the house, he is very intimidating and scary. When it is revealed that he is the brother of a past victim, you can really feel his pain. Hitchcock must have thought his performance good, as Ivor Novello starred again in his next film, “Downfall”. The rest of the cast also performs admirably. Although he is originally used as a sort of comic relief, Malcolm Keen’s portrayal of police detective, Joe, gradually becomes more substantial especially at the end when he arrests the lodger on suspicion of being “The Avenger”. The other standout is the mother played by Marie Ault, who increasingly fears for her daughter’s safety. She is the one who notices the lodger sneaking out in the middle of the night, as well as him sneaking back in. Her fear is what sells this scene, as well as her realization that the lodger may indeed by “The Avenger”. An actress with the (strangely) singular name of June played the role of Daisy. Her role mostly has to do with her looks as she has to have the two male leads fall in love with her, and be gorgeous enough for “The Avenger” to want to target her as his victim. In this regard she fills the role perfectly, but above that, she is just serviceable.
The inter-titles are another great thing about “The Lodger”. They are really artistically done and serve a narrative purpose, as opposed to just describing things or relaying dialogue. This is also reminiscent of the inter-titles of the German silent films.
The only real downside to the film is that it is about ten minutes too long. If some of the romance and comedy relief had been trimmed, making it a tighter more focused story, it would have been a better film.
Overall though, this is a great Hitchcock film, especially to see the beginning of his evolution in becoming “The Master Of Suspense”. Most of his future trademarks are seen here first: the MacGuffin, the Hitchcock blonde, the wrongly accused man, his obsession with staircases, they are all here. “The Lodger” was a very successful film, and it is ironic that Hitchcock did not return to the suspense genre until his last silent film “Blackmail” in 1929. If you are not familiar with silent films, do not be put off, as this film is worth it (and would also be a great introduction to silent films).
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