The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, 1927.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Starring Ivor Novello, June Tripp, Marie Ault and Arthur Chesney.
Described by the man himself as "the first Hitchcock picture" (albeit, his third), silent thriller The Lodger is inspired by the Jack the Ripper murders and revolves around the inhabitants of a London boarding house owned by Mr. and Mrs. Bunting (Chesney and Ault). When a mysterious stranger (Novello) arrives, the couple soon come to suspect their new lodger may be the dreaded Avenger killer and begin to fear for the safety of their daughter Daisy (Tripp) as the two become romantically involved.
Based on Marie Belloc Lowndes novel of the same name (which also served as the basis for future adaptations in 1932, 1944, 1953 and 2009), The Lodger introduces a number of Hitchcock trademarks such as his celebrated cameo appearances (Hitch features twice: sitting at a desk in a newsroom and as an onlooker during an arrest) and themes common to many of his later works.
Completed in 1926, producer Michael Balcon was furious with the finished result and employed Ivor Montagu to help re-edit the film. The Lodger sat on the shelf until February 2007, at which time it launched the career of the 27-year-old director when it became the most successful British film to that point.
Read more about The Lodger in our article Silent Master: The Early Films of Alfred Hitchcock.
Embed courtesy of Internet Archive.
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