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The Lodger (1927)
Hitchcock finds his feet with this silent masterpiece. Ivor Novello is perfectly cast as the mysterious lodger renting a room in a London house. But paranoia soon sets in with the family members who live there as a killer is murdering beautiful women in the surrounding area.
This is regarded as the first Hitchcock classic and even though it’s a silent film, it is truly gripping. It must’ve been hard to get true emotions through the screen in the silent era but Novello manages this perfectly with his creepy aura and stargazing stare. Is he the believed London ripper known as “The Avenger” or does he have an ulterior motive for his arrival?
As in previous Hitchcock pictures a love triangle evolves with the mysterious lodger, the Daughter of the house and her partner who happens to be a local policeman. Her partner tries everything in his power to prove that his rival is the real killer especially when he realises the two have an attraction for each other. The love triangle theme seems to be a common occurrence in Hitchcock’s silent films and early British years talkies.
Hitchcock uses many experimental methods including a false perspex floor to show the suspicious lodger pacing around his room above the family below, who fear their tenant as the killer. Every detail is so well thought out. Hitchcock had little directorial experience at this point but the end result must’ve given him so much confidence. The finale with a cuffed Novello caught on an iron fence whilst being pursued by a lynch mob through the streets should go down as one of the golden moments of the silent era. This film was raved about by critics at the time of its release and should still be celebrated today.
The Lodger (1927)
Hitchcock finds his feet with this silent masterpiece. Ivor Novello is perfectly cast as the mysterious lodger renting a room in a London house. But paranoia soon sets in with the family members who live there as a killer is murdering beautiful women in the surrounding area.
This is regarded as the first Hitchcock classic and even though it’s a silent film, it is truly gripping. It must’ve been hard to get true emotions through the screen in the silent era but Novello manages this perfectly with his creepy aura and stargazing stare. Is he the believed London ripper known as “The Avenger” or does he have an ulterior motive for his arrival?
As in previous Hitchcock pictures a love triangle evolves with the mysterious lodger, the Daughter of the house and her partner who happens to be a local policeman. Her partner tries everything in his power to prove that his rival is the real killer especially when he realises the two have an attraction for each other. The love triangle theme seems to be a common occurrence in Hitchcock’s silent films and early British years talkies.
Hitchcock uses many experimental methods including a false perspex floor to show the suspicious lodger pacing around his room above the family below, who fear their tenant as the killer. Every detail is so well thought out. Hitchcock had little directorial experience at this point but the end result must’ve given him so much confidence. The finale with a cuffed Novello caught on an iron fence whilst being pursued by a lynch mob through the streets should go down as one of the golden moments of the silent era. This film was raved about by critics at the time of its release and should still be celebrated today.