Customer Reviews

Lodger & Murder

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Considered the first true Hitchcock film, 'The Lodger' is the director's most visually audacious masterpiece, made under the heavy influence of German Expressionism. Like his master, Fritz Lang, he imposes on his thriller narrative an angular, geometric grid: his use of domestic space, with its various levels, stairs, ceilings, walls, doorways, window frames etc., is part of the film's rich pleasure. He also shares with a Lang a relish for new technologies, analysiing the diffusion of media and their ability to whip up violent mob hysteria; while equating the policeman with a suspected serial killer. The Lodger's entrance, pure Guignol as he stands concealed in a black cape as the lights go out, reminds me of Conrad Veidt.

What makes the film so Hitchcock is its Englishness; its joy in sensation (the film opens with a startlingly huge close-up of a blonde being murdered); provocative visual puns (there is much Hitchcockian fun with handcuffs; the first 'love' scene, with the Lodger's head looming and filling up the screen like the earlier female victim); and surprising sexiness (the heroine is a 'mannequin', justifying much backstage activity with girls in their underwear; a teasing bath scene); its Catholic iconography, riddling the Lodger with a much heavier guilt than murder.

The film is so visually busy, especially in its first third, it threatens to overwhelm the picture, and Hitchcock would learn not to start at such a high pitch. But of all his British films, 'Lodger' is perhaps the closest to a (sour) vision of modern England. In its grim vision of media-provoked mob violence, its plot about a serial killer become mysterious celebrity, its portrait of an affluent, 'swinging' society masking murders and sexual dysfunction, this disturbing film could have been made for our times.

'Murder', an early talkie, is staid, even slow by comparison, although it conjures an equally nerve-racking London atmosphere, and contains some frightening scenes of violence. It is much more subtle enquiry into jury and justice than '12 Angry Men'.

The Lodger was Hitch's fifth film. He had begun to develop many of the innovative techniques that would become a hallmark of his later films. The Lodger has one striking visual image making it worthwhile; as the people downstairs are listening to a man they suspect to be Jack the Ripper pacing above them, the floor becomes transparent and we actually see the character walking across the floorboards. This one sequence doesn't make the film but it illustrates Hitch's visual genius.

4 Years later Hitch made Murder. Again, his unique abilities in visually telling a story were striking. Although the story is quite interesting (and well shot) for its time, it has become a bit of a creaky melodrama with the passage of time. Still, there are a number of visual motifs that would crop up later in Hitch's other better known films.

Comparing either film to Hitch's later mature works would be like comparing a child's performance at writing a trike to his or her later mastery of a 10 speed; while one can see talent it's clear that it hasn't been developed yet.

These transfers are not the best around but given the age of the prints and the fact that the original nitrate negatives are no longer around, it's unlikely we'll ever see a pristine print
of either of these films.

American Movie Classics restored "THE LODGER" from 35mm with original tints, yet the version they showed on their cable channel still eludes the DVD collector. Don't waste your time with this poor quality DVD, wait for AMC to release theirs.

As for "MURDER!", an excellent version of this was released over a decade ago on Laserdisc by Image Entertainment, why the hold out on DVD? Again, wait until the good copy gets released.

both these movies are very good but you would never know from the poor prints that are used here. really very poor transfers hurt stories that both depend on strong visual scenes. skip it

"Murder" looks at least as good or better than 3 other versions I have. It also includes about 8 minutes that was edited out of Laserlight/Delta's version. You will notice different print quality and tints here and there. They must've used the best they could find (copy).

"The Lodger" looks better than other versions I have, too. It has a new classical score and new title cards- which can be a little distracting at first.

I'm sure there are better prints out there based on the other reviews, but for now, it's OK.

There is a distinct absence of dialogue in The Lodger, a welcome change for audiences in the midst of the silent picture-era when title cards were used inordinately to convey the emotions and the mindset of the characters onscreen. Alfred Hitchcock instead freely uses the camera, unlike any English-speaking director before him, to express directly to his audience what is taking place onscreen. Hitchcock was never especially fond of dialogue. He was quite reluctant at the time they first came out and throughout the rest of his filmmaking career to delve into `talkies', although in time he would accept the challenge of turning them into yet another tool for which to sculpt his vision onscreen. The resistance toward dialogue can be seen in The Lodger to great effect. The scene in which, thanks to the creation of a glass floor in the construction of this sequence, the Lodger is viewed downstairs by Joe Betts and Daisy's parents pacing, almost neurotically, in his room above is most illustrious. And the exceptional use of the staircase, the unsettling stranger, and the innocent blonde bathing, all elements which would resurface in Alfred Hitchcock's famous thriller, Psycho, in 1960, are used to their full potential in creating an intimidating atmosphere for audiences and characters onscreen alike.

Furthermore, The Lodger marks the first time in which audiences encounter the mannerism which would make Alfred Hitchcock's films famous. For example, the scene in which the Lodger responds to Daisy's last move on the chess board by saying, "I'll get you yet", is the bit of dark humor future generations of movie-goers would be accustomed to seeing from Hitchcock movies.

Regardless of his actual performance, Ivor Novello remains one of director Alfred Hitchcock's most intriguing selections as the Lodger, even if the arrangement was not entirely his own. The decision to cast stage heartthrob Novello as the lead in this picture certainly goes against type, a trademark of Hitchcock in years to come, but, as the director himself soon found out, it came at a price. Studio executives at Gainsborough Pictures, the silent film production studio Hitchcock was employed at the time, thoroughly aware of the performer's legions of adoring fans, were weary of implicating Novello's character as the Avenger in any way, including an ambiguous outcome Hitchcock concocted which was rejected in favor of a `falsely accused' conclusion. There are unmistakably moments in the film in which Novello's stiff and undeviating performance work perfectly in sync with the atmosphere of the story, particularly audiences' first encounter with the Lodger himself. In the doorway of the bordering house stands a tall, pale-white man with his nearly his entire obstructed by a cloth with the exception of his glaring eyes. Novello's initial appearance in the picture is remarkably unsettling even by the horror picture standards of today. Unquestionably the scene is renascent of Max Schreck's Graf Orlock in the 1921 silent picture, Nosferatu, a German picture from which Hitchcock certainly drew from in this film. However, this is where appreciation of Novello's performance ends abruptly. His almost petrified performance grows increasingly exhausting as the film winds down to its conclusion and the insinuation that he is indeed the serial killer is proved wrong.

While on the subject, the outcome of The Lodger is easily the most disappointing and egregious errors Hitchcock is forced to make in this picture. The Lodger's creepy mannerism, rather then acting as an implication of his guilt as the Avenger, prove him to be nothing more then stalker and a likely sexual predator, a revelation which makes the conclusion all the more distrusting. It feels too cobbled together to be taken for face value and comes off as anti-climatic more then anything else. This however is no fault of Hitchcock who was pressured by studio executives to develop an ending which did not implicate Novello as the serial killer. This just goes to prove, then as much as it does today, that studio executives have not the slightest clue how to properly produce motion pictures. Although enthralling to the last, the chase sequence at the end just is not nearly as scintillating as the revelation of the Lodger as the serial killer would have been for audience, then or now. Even an ambiguous ending in which no resolution to the mystery of the Lodger was given would have been better then what is in the final print.

Hitchcock himself was never happy with this ending and tried in vein through the rest of his career to remake The Lodger the way he had intended it. Sadly, this never came about.

It is a shame, a travesty actually, for director Alfred Hitchcock's first enduring motion picture to be in the abhorrent condition audiences find itself in today. Why studios out in California have failed to pick up this picture and restore it to its former glory as it should remain is beyond anyone.The ending aside, The Lodger is truly a remarkable film, a perfect demonstration of the camera techniques, innovative storytelling, mystery, intrigue , and pure idiosyncrasies which would make Alfred Hitchcock one of the best, if not THE best, director in Hollywood history.

Most of Hitchcock's movies are readily available to fans; only his silent and early sound films are hard to come by. These two examples of the second class will appeal to loyal fans of Hitch who want to see early examples of his story-telling techniques. Viewing these movies will require patience, for many reasons. First, as is often the case, the quality of the prints has eroded over time; second, the technology applied to make the films, especially the early sound technology, was primitive; third, Hitchcock's talents as a film maker were still under development, and these films do not fully display the creative inspiration of his more mature films.

"The Lodger" is not really Hitchcock's first movie, but it is the first movie that has recognizable Hitchcock themes and nuances. It's about a man who might be guilty of murder and the girl who loves him (recalling "Suspicion" as well as other fims). The story is told almost entirely visually, with little dialogue. The best sequence is at the beginning, as the story of a mass murderer is told from the moment a body is discovered, through the spreading panic, eventually focusing on the home of a pretty blond girl and her family (the murderer prefers "golden curl" victums). This house has a room to let, which a handsome but mysterious figure eventually occupies. Much of the rest of the movie is a romance, combined with suspence as we wonder about the true identity of the Lodger, and worry about the safety of the girl.

"The Lodger" is more satisfying than "Murder" which is burdened by bad sound technology and ponderous melodramatic dialogue. Hitchcock, in an interview with Truffaut, mentioned that there was a lot of improvised dialogue in this movie, which does not work, because the actors often simply can't find things to say. The story itself is also far less satisfying, with very little suspense, and is more a pure murder mystery, suggesting "Dial M for Murder". There are intimations of sexual perversion, fetishism, and voyeurism in both of these movies, as well as Hitchcock's notorious preference for blonds with long legs in lace lingerie.

"Murder" is a very interesting film, one of the first to explore jury deliberations. The film has the feel of a live play, rather than a film. The acting is very good. The "Lodger" is also interesting for those who want to understand Hitchcock and his techniques. But, it was his first film and shows his youthfulness. However, the Whirlwind DVD reproduction is dreadful. The quality of the images vary from scene to scene. In general, the objects are blurred and out of focus and the imagery is very dark. The sound is not very good either. I have an old VHS version that I taped directly from television and it is of much better quality. In my opinion, don't buy this version but wait for someone else to produce a better quality reproduction.

i love a good hitchcock film, but the lodger... sorry. silent movies are difficult to get through(and i've taken enough film classes where i've had my fair share)- it's easy to let my mind drift. the more dialogue cards the better, and this one doesn't have many.

the lodger is a story of a murder and mistaken identity. and the premise is interesting enough... a series of murders, the victims all girls with golden curls, a golden curled girl involved with a policeman on the case, her parents rent out rooms, and an awfully suspicious lodger moves in and begins to woo her much to the policeman/parents disdain.

but, it's silent, and it's slow, and there's a novel out there somewhere that hitchcock based the film on. THAT i'd like to get my hands on.

if you feel you must see everything hitchcock made- then by all means- get it, if your just looking for a good film to add to your collection, and you aren't obsessed with german expressionism or hitchcock- skip it.

oh, and p.s. there's a mistake in the editing of this dvd version. at the very end the editors left out a key shot that hitchcock intended as the 'did he or didn't he?' final moment.

i didn't see the other film on the dvd.