The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog

Starring: Marie Ault, Arthur Chesney, June, Malcolm Keen, Ivor Novello
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Horror, Thriller
1927

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A landlandy (Marie Ault) begins to suspect the lodger (Ivor Novello) staying with them is the madman killing women in London.

Review:

Tim: This is technically Alfred Hitchcock's third movie (more if you include early, unfinished ones), but he considered it his first true movie. This is the earliest Hitchcock movie that exists today in its entirety. For that reason alone, this movie is absolutely a must-see. That being said, this movie is a very early effort by Hitchcock, and it is fairly flawed. The movie itself is completely silent, but on most DVDs, the distributor added a musical score, which in many cases, isn't very good at all. The score on the one I watched was completely inappropriate, as the music didn't line up with what was happening on screen. It effectively ruins the movie, taking us out of the story.

The movie itself is only 83 minutes, but it feels much longer. The story is very simple, but it takes a long time to build up to any exciting events. To be fair, I was actually fairly bored at various points throughout the movie. There are definitely some exciting moments, but most of the movie is somewhat slow. It was actually hard work to get through the entire film.

As I mentioned, there are some very good moments. The highlight of the film for me has to be the scene where the ceiling becomes transparent, and you can see the lodger pacing back and forth. How Hitchcock did this in 1927 is beyond me. It is an amazing effective, and was my favorite moment of the movie. The chase scene near the end is also pretty fantastic.

However, there were more flaws than strengths in this film. While most of the cast is decent, Ivor Novello never really did it for me. I thought he was a bit too over-the-top, and his over-acting was a bit much. I also have read that Hitchcock had a different, more ambiguous ending to the film in mind, but the Studio wouldn't allow it. This movie would have been better had that ending been the one we received. That is a shame. The film's conclusion is a bit weak.

The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog is not a great movie, but it is an important one. It is so interesting to see one of the earlier movies, especially one coming from a man who would eventually become a master of the craft. You can see some of Hitchcock's trademarks in this film (he has a cameo, for instance) and it is fun to watch for those. I would recommend this movie for its importance, but it isn't a great movie in the least.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Ring, Downhill, The Farmer's Wife, Easy Virtue