The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Marie Belloc Lowndes (novel)
Eliot Stannard (scenario)

Release Date:

14 February 1927 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

A landlady suspects her new lodger is the madman killing women in London.

Plot Keywords:

Suspect | Detective | Rent | Killer | Serial Killer

Cast

Marie Ault	...	The Landlady
Arthur Chesney	...	Her Husband
June	...	Daisy - a Mannequin
Malcolm Keen	...	Joe - a Police Detective
Ivor Novello	...	The Lodger

Also Known As:

The Case of Jonathan Drew

Runtime:

75 min | USA:83 min | USA:101 min (TCM print) | Spain:67 min (VHS version) | Canada:98 min (Ontario)

Country:

UK

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Spain:13 | Spain:T | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:15 (2007) | Germany:12 | UK:PG | USA:Unrated | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Islington, London, England, UK

Company:

Carlyle Blackwell Productions

Trivia:

This is the first film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in which he makes one of his trademark cameo appearances.

Goofs:

Continuity: After the lodger escapes handcuffed, Daisy meets him sitting on a bank in the street. Then she sits down side by side with him. After that he puts his head on her right shoulder, with his face touching her face. Between shots she appears alone with nobody on her shoulder.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Female eyewitness: Tall he was - and his face all wrapped up.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Vintage Hitchcock at his best.

In a quiet British town, a serial killer known as The Avenger is on the loose. Noted for his partiality for blondes, The Avenger has killed seven women-and shows no signs of stopping.

Ivor Novello, as the title character, is a quiet and mysterious man who appears at a boarding house soon after the seventh murder is committed. The landlady reluctantly allows him to stay in an upstairs room, but becomes suspicious when she notices the young man turning over all the portraits of blonde-haired women in his room. It doesn't help the landlady's suspicions when the man begins showing an interest in her daughter, Daisy (naturally, a blonde). Daisy's boyfriend, a detective, is assigned to The Avenger's case, and (almost immediately) becomes suspicious of the lodger as well.

Although The Lodger isn't Hitchcock's first feature, it most certainly is the film that launched his career as the "Master of Suspense." Noticeable Hitchcock trademarks are apparent here-namely the lodger's arrival and the ceiling/mirror scene.

Loosely based on the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper, this silent thriller is fast-paced with exceptional performances. The score, at times, seems out of place, but Hitchcock fans will nonetheless enjoy this film.