Thursday 25 October 2012

Fog, gas lights and murder


The Lodger (1927)

Based on the novel of the same name this film directed by Alfred Hitchcock stars June Tripp, Malcolm Keen and Ivor Novello. Could the new lodger living with a family in London be the serial killer that is on the loose?

By many this is considered the first true Hitchcock film and it covers many of the themes he would go on to visit time and again in his later work. Although this is a silent film the version I watched is a restoration by the BFI that includes an newly commissioned score that fits well with the film apart from the small section that includes lyrics which seemed out of place to me. Silent films are often hard to watch for modern audiences, there is a reason film making moved to sound after all, but there is plenty of interesting direction here to keep the viewer interested.

4/5

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