Hitchcock is famous for his 1950´s and 1960´s american films so it may be a bit of a surprise for some, that he started his career way back in the early 1920´s silent era. He himself did not regard his early output as any good, except for "The Lodger". This classic of silent British cinema, has recently been restored and issued on blu-ray with a new score by electronic master Nitin Sawhney.
A handsome young man, the lodger (Ivor Novello), arrives at the Bunting family home, inquiring about their room for rent. He acts a little weird but looks like a gentleman and wants the room. The neighborhood has been hit with murders of seven blond young girls, so far, but the killer has not been caught yet. The daughter of the family is friendly with a young detective, who has recently been given the Avenger case, which is the name by which the killer calls himself.
Strangely the lodger asks for all the paintings in his room to be removed, apparently they show images of young blond girls and that makes him anxious. When the daughter comes to help remove them she is attracted to the handsome lodger. Soon the husband of the house notices in the newspaper, that another murder has occurred and the mother relates the murder to the lodger leaving the house last night at that exact time.
The Bunting parents and the detective start to get suspicious towards the lodger and he also matches the description the murder by other witnesses. The daughter is told to be careful with him but she cannot see anything wrong and gets more and more emotionally involved. At one point, while the detective visits, the daughter screams, while she is at his room. When they barge in, they find them in an embrace laughing. The detective confronts the lodger to tell him to keep his hands of his girl, but she tells him to stay away.
Filled with hate and jealousy, the detective gets a warrant to search the lodger´s room. They find his bag that holds a gun, a map of the places of the murders and a picture of the first victim. The lodger breaks down but then confessing that he is the brother of the first victim and that his mother, on her deathbed, urged him to find her killer. That was why he rented the room in this area.
The detectives do not believe him and handcuffs him to bring him down to the station. The lodger manages to escape and the daughter catches up with him and aids him as he is still handcuffed. The locals starts to notice the odd couple and they follow then and fast end up becoming a lynch mob ready to kill the presumed Avenger. Meanwhile the detective learns that the actual killer has been caught and then he turns to helping the falsely accused lodger escape the angry masses.
The performance of Novello is stunningly good in my opinion. This is the silent era, so exaggerated expressions are usually a part of the style. But his performance is very controlled and delicate. His slightly androgynous and pale complexion, adds to the suspense of the mystique of his real intentions. The moment when Mrs. Bunting opens the door and his Jack The Ripper silhouette appears in the door-frame, he is scary on Nosferatu level. There are several indications that Hitchcock borrowed a few expressionist ideas from his time with UFA in Germany.
Check out the way the lodger opens his eyes to a manic stare in the door, just like Cesare waking up in "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". Check the bedroom window casting light on the wall behind Mrs. Buntings bed in typical expressionist style. Check out the dark silhuettes nearest the camera during the fashion show, that resembles the soldiers silhuettes in "Die Nibelungen". There are many bold and daring shots, like from behind characters or the transparent roof, shots from inside cars etc. All these creative shots actually makes the scenes in the family kitchen seem rather mundane, like stiff theater stage shots.
Hitchcock manages very well to keep building and holding the tension between the family and the lodger, while at the same time he balances the indicators, so that we are kept in doubt whether he is guilty or not. This is all classic Hitchcock suspense and the combination of his artistic choices and his firm grip on the plot, probably is why he himself was so fond of this particular film.
The new score is a mixed bag, since at times it feels a bit out of touch with the mood of the particular scene. There are also some choral work that i do not think fits the film at all. Actually this is the first time i have ever heard choral music in a score for a silent film. What I do if the score tends to be a little annoying is to lower the volume till it becomes "bearable". From an artistic and Hitchcock "development" point of view this is a must see film. There are shots of great suspence and expressionist beauty that is worth it alone. But the plot is also very well executed and you really feel the Hitchcock "presence" most of the time. A recommendable film.
Rating: 8/10