Customer Reviews

Sabotage / The Lodger

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

(Please note that the DVD edition I am reviewing is the Lasterlight release double feature of Alfred Hitchcock's SABOTAGE and THE LODGER. It's the one with that groovy introduction by the collarless cardigan-wearing Tony Curtis, who does not wear his strange, black leather gloves in this particular Laserlight introduction.)

The viewing of this DVD was the first time that I had ever seen either Hitchcock's SABOTAGE or his silent feature, THE LODGER. Since this was an extremely inexpensive DVD purchase (as part of a three disc set), I assumed that there would be one fairly good film packaged with one forgettable dud. So, when I finished watching and enjoying SABOTAGE, I deduced that the second film on the disc would be the one that would be awful. Surprisingly, THE LODGER turned out to be almost as good as the first film. This is an excellent DVD to purchase if you are unfamiliar with either of these great movies. The picture and sound quality are not perfect, but for a budget release, they are quite acceptable.

SABOTAGE is a masterful piece of work. It has a straightforward, yet engaging plot that will keep you spellbound the entire way through. There is some genuinely surprising material contained here, and if anyone tells you that a film from the 1930s can't shock anyone in the 21st Century, you merely have to show them this film to demonstrate how wrong they are. Although the film seems predictable at times, there are moments that will surprise even the most cynical of viewers.

The action is fast and the tension is thick. The acting from the leads is quite excellent, with particular mention going to the main villain of the piece. Although the identity of the saboteur becomes obvious almost immediately, you'll be mesmerized watching the characters as they attempt to arrive at the same conclusion, and wondering if they can solve things before it's too late. Also of note are the family of foreign agents in the bird shop, and the wife who's torn between the truth and the man she married. This film is worth viewing even if just for the dangerously playful interaction between the main characters.

The picture quality on this film is certainly watchable. There may be better prints out there on more expensive discs, and I wouldn't claim that it's a particularly crisp picture; if you are fussy about the quality of your DVD, then you might want to give this disc a miss. But for what you pay, this is definitely a worthwhile purchase. On the other hand, the sound quality isn't terribly good either. This is unfortunate, as there are a few lines that are spoken quietly enough to be lost. This wouldn't be a problem, if the Laserlight people had put English subtitles on the disc. It's strange that English is not included, as they do have subtitles, in Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. Of course, this problem only affects the first feature on this disc, since the second film is a silent movie.

THE LODGER is also a class film, and makes a great addition to this disc. Given the age of the film, it's not surprising that the picture isn't in terribly great shape. It's in much worse shape than the first movie, though at no point is it completely unwatchable. Laserlight has released worse looking DVDs before (stand up, MR. ARKADIN) but this is definitely not one of their clearer products.

While the image quality is relatively poor, the quality of the story itself shines through. It's a thrilling story that contains several more experimental sequences than I was expecting to see. The movie is slightly repetitive and at times it goes over the top, but this is merely to increase the tension. We know, more or less, what's going to happen (apart from the very silly conclusion), but our interest is piqued by how we get from step to step. It's a fascinating journey. It's just a pity that the ending to the film seems to come out of nowhere. Apparently, the studio management forced Hitchcock to end the film in the way it does which explains why it feels so out of place compared to the entire lead up. Despite the disappointment and let down of the ending, the beginning and middle sections are excellent and exciting, and they more than make up for relatively poor resolution.

Considering the low price, this DVD is a great buy. These are two great movies that belong in everyone's collection. There are some problems with the picture and sound, but for the price you pay, you definitely get value for your dollar.

This review refers to the LaserLight Special Edition DVD of "Sabotage" and "The Lodger"......

Sylvia Sydney, who graced the screen for more than 70 years stars in "Sabotage". Younger viewers may remember Miss Sydney as "Juno" in Beetlejuice" or "Grandma" in "Mars Attacks". If you have never seen any of her earlier works(this one from 1936), you are in for a real treat. In this terrific thriller, she is Mrs. Verloc. A lovely woman who is slowly becoming suspicious of her husband's(Oscar Homolka) strange activites.And with good reason, he is involved in a deadly conspiracy.

It is the eve of WWII, and people in Britain are becoming aware of Nazi activity. Various occurences of Sabotage seem to be popping up around the cities. Small at first, a black out is the first sign, but when a bomb explodes and kills everyone on a bus, the evidence points to Mr. Verloc.Scotland Yard detective Ted Spencer(John Loder)is on the case and must catch the culprit before he kills again. And of course, along the way falls for the beautiful Mrs. Verloc. Hitch does a great job(as always) at keeping us involved with the characters, the story, and keeping the suspense going. You'll recognize his signature traits all through the film."Sabotage" is based on a novel by Joseph Conrad who also wrote "Heart of Darkness".

Where's Hitch....Sorry, the elusive Mr. Hitchcock does not seem to make an appearance in this one.

Next up is the film which was probably the first to firmly implant Hitch's style in his films as we know them. It is a Silent, made in 1927, the very scary "The Lodger".

A serial killer known only as "The Avenger" is loose on the streets. He is attacking beautiful young blonde women. Paranoia runs rampant through the city. When a mysterious stranger takes a room at the home of the Buntings, they begin to suspect his movements as being mighty similar to those of "The Avenger". The Lodger has taken quite a shine to Daisy, the beautiful blonde haired daughter of the Buntings. While Daisy's parents fear for her life, her boyfriend, who also happens to be a detective, is enraged with jealousy and is out to prove this mysterious stranger is in fact the killer. The city gets work up as well, and goes after the lodger with a vengance.

These wonderful great silent actors, bring us the fear and paranoia of these characters in all their wonderful actions. It's truley amazing how without words they can portray these feelings. Hitch's use of shadows and lights, camera angles, and his supberb direction really make this a great thriller. The added musical score for some reason is on the whimsical side, but somehow works for this film. The cast includes Ivor Novello as The Lodger, June as Daisy and Marie Ault and Arthur Cesny as The Buntings.

Looking for Hitch: A nose for news...in the first 5 minutes.(hard to spot but he's there.) He is also said to be in the mob scene near the end, it's possible but a little hard to tell in these dark scenes.

The LaserLight DVD is a good transfer of these old films. "Sabotage" looks excellent. The images are clear with barely of sign of age. No problem with the sound or dialouge. "The Lodger" is not in as good as shape though. The film shows the signs of it's age throughout, but none the less, is perfectcly viewable. I haven't viewed any other DVD's of this one, so I can't compare. Any Hitch fan would be delighted with these movies, and they make a great addition for collectors.

Have a thrilling time with Hitch......Laurie

more Hitch stuff:
Hitchcock's Notebooks: An Authorized and Illustrated Look Inside the C
Secret Agent
Alfred Hitchcock Presents volume 2
39 Steps [VHS]

The Lodger is the first 'real' Hitchcock and a masterpiece. Unfortunately, the quality of this copy is even worse than the vhs-copy I played hundred times. Wait for the release of the restored version!

In reviewing these classic British Hitchcock DVDs from Laserlite, I review the film transfer more than film itself...

...of Sabotage, I can say little more than what has already been said of the film. It's an excellent Hitchcock thriller about a young woman who suspects her husband may be a saboteur after a rash of London sabotages leave him missed at home. There's a wonderfully suspenseful and controversial segmant in which a young boy is riding in a bus with a bomb. One would be hard pressed to find anything that the Hotchcock could have done to improve upon this film.

What really stuck with me after this viewing of the film, however, was how brilliant the transfer looks! Laserlite got the gray-tones and contrast level so well, the audio soundtrack so spotless, the cropping so perfect, that one would be tempted to think that Laserlite either copied this straight from the Criterion laserdisc then remastered it again, or that someone at Criterion lost their job, found an original 35mm negative and got hired by Delta, because this is one unbelievably pleasant viewing experience! I do not recall one scene in which I couldn't see what was happening because of bad contrast, I do not recall one moment of hissing on the soundtrack, I do not recall even one missing frame from the movie, no heads are cut off by bad cropping and whites are white, grays are gray, blacks are black and silver are even brilliantly silver. I think it is safe to conclude that, as of the writing of this review, there is not a better copy of Alfred Hitchcock's Sabotage available on DVD. Even Criterion will be hard pressed to upstage this one (that is, if they ever get around to reissuing their Hitchcock laserdiscs on DVD.) It's too bad that not every Laserlite DVD can be this incredible, expecially films like Secret Agent, The Skin Game and Number 17 which are lesser knowns that Criterion will probably never get around to releasing (nor would they be expected to.)

As for the added features, this DVD includes a very beat up copy of The Lodger, Hitchcock's first suspense film. I've only ever seen one other copy of The Lodger which was as bad or worse than this one. From what I understand, there is only one good 35 mm. copy of The Lodger available for a good transfer, but it's being held by a British museum and low budgest companies like Delta (Laserlite) do not have to budget to rent the film for a proper transfer to DVD and/or restoration of the film. So, these low budget home entertainment companies must use the same terrible 16mm print of the film. Conidering the circumstances and the fact that this is just an extra bonus, I won't be harsh on it, but it must be said that the Laserlite folks weren't as disriminating with the canned musical accompaniment as they should have been. Certain scenes which are suppossed to be tense and suspenseful have playful music playing behind it ruining the mood that I'm sure Hitchcock intended. Also included is a forgettable trailer to one of Hitchcock's later films and an intro and wrap-up to the film by Tony Curtis which, presumably, is intended to make you feel like you watching a classic move channel of some sort.

Overall, I would have to say this is the best Laserlite DVD so far.

5 Stars to Hitchcock for his wonderful films, 5 stars to Laserlite for an incredible entertainment package.

In 1926, a new British director generated significant audience and critical interest in his film inspired by the Jack the Ripper murders a generation earlier and of some significant stylistic similarity to the Germanic style of filmmaking that was dominating horror cinema at the time (cf. Cabinet of Dr Caligari; Nosferatu; The Golem; The Student of Prague etc.) In Alfred Hitchcock's The Lodger, Ivor Novello plays a new resident of a boarding house who comes under suspicion when a series of murders occur in the same area. The Lodger is sometimes injudiciously dismissed by horror fans, mainly because of Hitchcock's pioneering and (then) original central conceit (which I will not identify because it'll give too much away - but if you see it you'll know immediately what I'm referring to). Those who love The Lodger can however make a strong case for its lineage in the genre, starting with Fritz Lang's M (1931), through to Roman Polanski's The Tenant (1976). Interestingly, Polanski - another great genre director - inverts the premise fifty years later, telling the tale of an outsider (a Polish expatriate) who leases an apartment in France. In the case of The Tenant, it is the lodger who becomes increasingly suspicious of the other tenants, believing not only that they had diabolically conspired in the murder of the previous tenant - an alleged suicide - but were doing the same to him. The Lodger remains a timeless, well-told tale that provides a surprisingly resonant preview of the visual trickery that would eventually make Hitchcock the maestro of horror suspense auteurs. But wherever you stand on The Lodger, the 1926 arrival of Hitchcock as a creative force working on the fringe of the horror genre is in any case an important moment, given the revolutionary entries he would later contribute to the genre proper (most notably The Birds and Psycho). THIS DVD EDITION IS DEFINITELY NOT THE VERSION TO GET THOUGH. Even the VHS is better.

Both of these great Hitchcock films were recently shown on AMC. I did a comparison of the AMC broadcast to the DVD. The DVD fared poorly compared to the beautiful prints presented by AMC. The jacket of the DVD claims that these were made from the best available sources. Perhaps they mean the sources available to them as obviously there are far superior prints available. This is a waste of DVD's great picture quality potential. These are films in the public domain that I am sure will be done right when the authorized versions come out (which I am guessing will be the versions seen on AMC).These discs are not even worth the inexpensive price.

As you can probably guess from the title of my review, the entire 3 stars for this DVD is for 'Sabotage'. This print of 'The Lodger' should be consigned to the garbage can where it belongs - it is totally unwatchable. This is such a pity since 'The Lodger' is easily Hitchcock's best silent work. There are at least two better prints available, one of which is a newly restored version that is amazingly good even on VHS, so get this one instead (I own a PAL VHS copy). Picture quality for 'Sabotage' is mercifully very good. Hitchcock was really getting in to his stride with 'Sabotage' and the film contains the infamous scene where a young boy, an old woman and a dog are sitting on a bus next to a bomb. The bomb slowly ticks away and at 1.45pm .... well, I suggest you see for yourselves - and as this is one of Laserlight's budget DVDs, you can afford to as well.

IF you don't own a Laserdisc player, buy this Laserlight DVD. If you do own one look for the Laserdiscs!
"SABOTAGE": The Criterion Laserdisc is sharper and smoother with clearer sound than this DVD.
"THE LODGER": There is a Japanese Laserdisc that is much sharper and less choppier than this DVD.
Even better, watch the 35mm restoration of "THE LODGER" on the AMC cable network, complete with color tints. Why this version has not appeared on DVD yet is a puzzle to me.

This is a great early Hitchcock film. The suspense is great. The editing and cinematography are classic Hitchcock. The opening of the movie is great with the jump cuts and the montage squence of the London blackout.

The film hits very close to home in this age terrorism. Although it takes place during the years leading up to WW II. It is very appropos today. The saboteur uses a boy to carry a bomb which goes off on a London bus.

The film begins with the head of a girl in close-up... She is very blonde, and her curling hair fills the screen... She is screaming... Cut to a theater sign, announcing a show called "Tonight, Golden Curls." The lights of the sign are reflected in water... From that water the golden-haired girl is drawn out to land... She is no longer screaming... She is dead... Assassinated!

That scene was more than the start of a film... It was also the real start of suspense films in England...

"The Lodger," based on a novel by Mrs. Belloc Lowndes, was set in a Jack the Ripper-style murder wave in a foggy London... The victims were always blonde girls, always killed on the same day of the week...

While the whole capital speculates in contagious fear, a new lodger turned up at a peaceful boarding house... He wears a black cloak and carries a black bag...

There are other details which make us mistrust the mysterious tenant without, obviously, conclusive proof... So is he or isn't he the serial killer? Well, you have to see the film, and to follow a plot that was to dominate and control several of Hitchcock's later films: the concept of suspicion, the essential point for suspense...