The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

since this one also had Downhill with it, I decided to buy this one also!The Lodger: Alfred's first mystery movie! This is really decent, but it's silent and I'm not particularly fond of them! Decent story, but for a better film about The Lodger watch the 1953 movie The Man In The Attic!! C+Downhill: An extremely depressing and boring movie! Not to watch again!! D RP

PHOTO 1: Hitchcock's first on-screen cameo (ever) @ 05:24PHOTO 2: Hitchcock directing in 1927 (the woman on the right is his wife, Alma Reville who is listed in the credits as Assistant Director of "The Lodger").*PHOTO 3: Alma Reville's only on-screen cameo in a Hitchcock film @ 7:42PHOTO 4: Alfred & Alma's wedding photo (1926)PHOTO 5: Why does the Lodger have cat's eyes? @ 1:05:15PHOTO 6: Hitchcock's second on-screen cameo? @ 1:25:35 (not accepted by all Hitchcock scholars).If it really is Hitchcock, then this scene was directed by the Assistant Director,PHOTO 7: On-screen credits for the "The Lodger"PHOTO 8: Ivor Novello's father in the "Downhill" dream sequence @ 1:35:34 looking a lot like NosferatuPHOTO 9: Nosferatu (1922)* For more about the amazing Alma Reville, see the 2012 film "Hitchcock" starring Anthony Perkins, with Helen Mirren as Alma:  Hitchcock (Blu-ray / DVD Combo) "The Lodger" (1927), based on the hunt for Jack the Ripper, was Hitchcock's second completed film.It was an international sensation, establishing the 28 year-old director as a major force in British film.Despite the serious story, Hitchcock's tone can be disarmingly playful (a trademark of the mature Hitchcock).Most reviews on Amazon are for Public Domain DVDs, not the Criterion Blu-Ray.In 2017, Criterion Collection released the British Film Institute's 2k digital transfer of "The Lodger", coupled in a double bill with Hitchcock's fifth film, "Downhill".Both silent films feature British matinee idol Ivor Novello.The picture quality may strike you as nothing special, unless you are familiar with earlier DVD transfers.A heroic rescue job for these 90 year-old films.In "Downhill" (1927), 34 year-old Ivor Novello is miscast as a teenager who is expelled from his snooty boarding school after being falsely accused of dancing with a shopgirl.[dancing being a euphemism for something else - Novello was again miscast.]This ruins his chances of going to Oxford, and his life goes "downhill".When he finally reaches bottom, Novello has an impressive twenty minute delirium scene.A lot of interesting ideas: My favorite is @ 1:35:34 where his father appears in a dream sequence looking a lot like the vampire in Murnau's "Nosferatu", filmed five years earlier (photos 8 & 9).No murders and no Hitchcock cameo.The shopgirl works at at "Ye Olde Bun Shoppe".Bonus Features:-- No audio commentary, but Criterion has provided two "visual essays" totaling 50 minutes which serve just as well, and allow on-screen comparison of scenes from "The Lodger" with later Hitchcock films.-- Twenty minute lecture-demonstration by composer Neil Brand, composer of the new film score (modern but effective).-- The usual Hitchcock interviews with Francois Truffaut and Peter Bogdanovich.-- Thirty minute radio dramatization of "The Lodger" from 1940 directed by Alfred Hitchcock for the radio series "Suspense".Starring Herbert Marshall (as the Lodger, "Mr. Sleuth") and Edmund Gwen (as Daisy's father).Completely different plot.Bizarre.Shortly after the 26 minute mark, Daisy's mother says "Go on, Open the door"A stagehand yells "Cut!" and the actors go out of character.The plot breaks down and Alfred Hitchcock comes on to announce that the show is over.Except it's not Hitchcock's voice (most people in 1940 would not recognize his voice anyway).I'm not really giving away the ending.There is no ending to give away.See Comment One (dated July 1, 2017) for an internet link to the radio show.Ivor Novello:The British actor/playright/songwriter (real name David Davies) starred in 22 British films between 1920 and 1934, including a 1932 sound re-make of "The Lodger" (directed by Maurice Elvey), with a significantly different ending.Novello was a Welshman, but is burdened with a curious Italian accent in the sound remake.The 1932 film (re-titled "The Phantom Fiend" in the US) is available on DVD:  Vintage Horror Double Feature: Phantom Fiend (1932) / Ghost Walks (1934) "The Lodger" was remade once again in 1944 with the tragically short-lived Laird Cregar:  Lodger [Blu-ray ]MGM DVD (2009)In 2009, "The Lodger" was released on a very good DVD from MGM.The print (from the "National Film and Television Archive") is not as clean or detailed as the Criterion print.The leaflet that came with the MGM DVD had two whopping errors:-- The lodger is not named "Jonathan Drew".That was his name in the original novel, but in Hitchcock's film he is unnamed, only referred to as "the lodger".-- The MGM leaflet claims that in the 1932 sound remake, the Lodger is revealed as the murderer at the end of the film.A terrible spoiler, but it ain't true:Not only is he not the murderer, but the 1913 novel, Hitchcock's 1927 film, and the 1932 remake have three completely different endings.On the plus side, the MGM DVD had a helpful audio commentary from Patrick McGilligan, plus a 23 minute featurette, plus an interview with Hitchcock's granddaughter.Worth keeping for the extra features.Unfortunately the MGM DVD is out-of-print and rather expensive:  The Lodger or in  Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection (Lifeboat / Spellbound / Notorious / The Paradine Case / Sabotage / Young and Innocent / Rebecca / The Lodger) --------------------------------------------------------------------ALFRED HITCHCOCK FILMOGRAPHY:Alfred Hitchcock directed 56 feature films (not counting short subjects).One film, “The Mountain Eagle” (1927) is lost."Blackmail" (1929) is counted twice - it was Hitchcock's final silent film, and was also filmed as his first talkie.All are at least on on DVD, with two exceptions:The silent version of "Blackmail", and "Mary" (1931, the German language version of "Murder!")34 films are on Blu-Ray (links are included)PART ONE: BRITISH PERIOD, 1925 - 19391925 The Pleasure Garden - silent1927 The Mountain Eagle - silent, LOST FILM1927 The Lodger - silent, BLU-RAY  The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray ], coupled with "Downhill"1927 The Ring - silent1927 Downhill - silent, BLU-RAY coupled with  The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray ]1928 Easy Virtue - silent1928 The Farmer's Wife - silent1928 Champagne - silent1929 The Manxman - silent1929 Blackmail - silent UNAVAILABLE1929 Blackmail - sound version1930 Elstree Calling [musical comedy revue with four directors]1930 Juno and the Paycock1930 Murder!1931 Mary - German language version of "Murder!" with a separate cast UNAVAILABLE1931 The Skin Game1931 Rich and Strange1932 Number Seventeen1934 Waltzes from Vienna1934  The Man Who Knew Too Much (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray ] (first version)1935  The 39 Steps (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray ]1936 Secret Agent1936 Sabotage1937 Young and Innocent1938  The Lady Vanishes (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray ]1939  Jamaica Inn [Blu-ray ] - I don’t know why it’s so expensive.PART TWO: HOLLYWOOD PERIOD, 1940 -1 976(some of them were filmed in the UK, but for American studios)All but two have been released on Blu-Tay.1940  Rebecca [Blu-ray ]1940  Foreign Correspondent [Blu-ray ]1941 Mr. & Mrs. Smith NOT ON BLU-RAY1941  Suspicion [Blu-ray ]1942  Saboteur [Blu-ray ] *1943  Shadow of a Doubt [Blu-ray ] *1944  Lifeboat [Blu-ray ]1945  Spellbound (hitchcock) [Blu-ray ]1946  Notorious (hitchcock) [Blu-ray ]1947  The Paradine Case  [Blu-Ray]1948  Rope [Blu-ray ] *1949  Under Capricorn [Blu-ray ]1950 Stage Fright NOT ON BLU-RAY1951  Strangers On A Train (BD) [Blu-ray ]1953  I Confess (1953) [Blu-ray ]1954  Dial M for Murder (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray) [1954] [Region Free ] (2-D and 3-D versions)1954  Rear Window [Blu-ray ] *1955  To Catch A Thief (1955) (BD) [Blu-ray ]1955  The Trouble with Harry [Blu-ray ] *1956  The Man Who Knew Too Much [Blu-ray ] (second version) *1956  The Wrong Man [Blu-ray ]1958  Vertigo [Blu-ray ] *1959  North By Northwest (1959) (BD) [Blu-ray ] *1960  Psycho (1960) [Blu-ray ] *1963  The Birds [Blu-ray ] *1964  Marnie [Blu-ray ] *1966  Torn Curtain [Blu-ray ] *1969  Topaz [Blu-ray ] *1972  Frenzy [Blu-ray ] *1976  Family Plot [Blu-ray ] ** Fifteen Blu-Ray box: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray] (2012) or 2016 reissue:  Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray ] (same contents)Fourteen Blu-Ray box (minus "North by Northwest") Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection [Blu Ray ] (2012)This is a British import.The contents of the British and American Blu-Rays are identical.Unlike most British Blu-Rays, these are region-free and should play on any US player.* Fifteen Blu-Ray box: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray] (2012) or 2016 reissue:  Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray ] (same contents)Fourteen Blu-Ray box (minus "North by Northwest") Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection [Blu Ray ] (2012)This is a British import.Same bonus features, but it sells for less.Unlike most British Blu-Rays, these are region-free and will play on any US player.

I first saw this silent, which its director considered his first real "Hitchcock movie," in 1974: a terrible 16mm print whose virtues, at a young age, I was unable to appreciate. Watching it forty-three years later—lovingly restored, with a beautifully composed musical soundtrack—is nothing short of a revelation. Once I moved myself beyond the style of its time (1926)—the hideous but necessary pancake makeup, the theatrical poses adopted by the actors of that era, and so forth—I was stunned by its achievement. Even at the tender age of 27, Hitchcock knew exactly what he was doing and how to do it. I was amazed by camera placement and compositions that captured what this director would accomplish, with maturity and greater technical resources, twenty and thirty years later. Hitchcock enthusiasts will see in "The Lodger" nearly exact images replicated in films like "Vertigo" and "Psycho." Already Hitchcock declared his predilection for blondes, handcuffs, and "The Wrong Man" on the run. In a real sense this movie was a rough draft for "Suspicion" and compromised by many of the same constraints: Ivor Novello, in his time, could no more be a cast as a villain than Cary Grant could be some fifteen years later. The bonus features, particularly a thirty-minute filmed essay by William Rothman, enhances one's insight. The few title cards—used mostly for necessary exposition that could not be conveyed any other way—are largely superfluous: this is pure cinema in the way that Hitchcock always strove to achieve, Criterion never disappoints, and this is no exception. The restoration is magnificent for a film ninety years old; the supplemental materials (including thirty minute audio clips from interviews of the director by Bogdonavich and Truffaut) are not fluff; they are substantive contributions to the film's achievement. I believe this is a must-own for Hitchcock lovers.UPDATE TO PREVIOUS REVIEW: After reading other reviews for this item, I think it imperative to clarify some confusion swirling around "The Lodger." Many reviewers have docked "stars" from this item because they are obviously reviewing a different product from the one identified here. It becomes obvious when one reads reviews being posted from the early twenty-first century: the Criterion Collection's edition of "The Lodger" was not released until June 27, 2017—at this writing, just over three months ago. The reviewers of earlier editions with inferior remastering and production values did not misrepresent what they saw, which probably was miserable. But they are not reviewing the Criterion edition, which is now the new benchmark. Cinephiles, to be sure, may and will argue the merits and mars of the Criterion version, but at least they are arguing over the same thing.Amazon ought to separate out and distinguish older, dreadful copies of a film from recent, pristine editions of the same title. It's quite misleading, because purchasers have a right to know exactly what they are buying. In this case, if you shell out your hard-earned shekels, make sure you are buying s sweet peach, not a moldy prune.

邦題『下宿人』ロンドンで続発する若い金髪の女性を狙った連続殺人事件。犯人は「復讐者」という署名入りの紙切れを被害者の遺体に置いて行く。今夜も、また新たな被害者が出て、ロンドンの街は騒然となる。ちょうどその頃、ある下宿屋に、顔半分を布で覆い、黒い鞄を下げた陰気な青年(アイヴァー・ノヴェロ)が、下宿を申し入れて住み始める。下宿屋を営むバンティング夫婦(アーサー・チェスニー、マリー・オールト)は、男の不可解な言動から、彼が「復讐者」なのではないかと疑い始め…。ベロック・ロウンデズの原作(ノヴェロ主演で舞台化も)を映画化した、ヒッチコック監督作品第3作目。本作のノヴェロ主演のトーキー版リメイク作も含め、その後、アメリカでも、『謎の下宿人』や”Man in the Attic”などとして、数度リメイクされている。後の作品で恒例となる、ヒッチコック監督がカメオ出演するきっかけとなった最初の作品としても有名だ。霧深いロンドンの夜、レビューの華やかなネオン・サイン”To-Night— Golden Curls”が明滅していたかと思うと、続いて、唐突に、悲鳴をあげて(もちろん、サイレントなので聞こえないのだが、聞こえるのだ！)慄く金髪女性の表情のクローズ・アップへとカットが変わり、ショッキングで不穏な連続殺人事件の物語が幕を開ける。その後も、恐怖と疑惑が渦巻くこの物語は、監督3本目という若干28歳の新進監督の無駄がなく、緊密な演出によって、サイレント作品ならではの極上の味わいを持って展開することになる。実際、本作は、簡潔でありながら豊かな視覚的イメージで紡がれて、今さらながら、ヒッチコックという人は、映画というメディアの特性をキャリアの最初期から熟知していた天才だったということを教えてくれる。もちろん、インタータイトルも出てはくるものの、かなり少なく、言葉による回りくどい説明など不要と言わんばかりに、映像を観ていれば、何もかもが、これ以上はないというぐらい明確に把握できるという具合だ。ヒッチコック的視覚による叙述の巧さは、すでにして熟練の域に達していると言って良い。あのあまりに有名な、二階の部屋を神経質そうに歩き回る下宿人の足を、ガラス板を使って下から撮ったという天才的な閃きによる奇抜なショットなども、決して空疎なテクニックに陥ることなく、家主の極度の不安というエモーションの具体的な視覚化という感じで唸らされるばかり。そのショットに止まらず、本作は、全編、登場人物たち(下宿人、家主、デイジー)の恐怖、不安、疑惑を視覚として表現しているヒッチコック監督の徹底した「視覚的人間」ぶりが感じられる。ヒッチコック監督は、インタビューで「撮影に入る前に、頭の中で作品は出来ていて、後は、それを撮影するだけだ」という趣旨の発言を何度もしているが、本作を観ていると、その言葉の通り、ヒッチコック監督の頭の中で組み立てられた緻密な視覚的叙述と構成が忠実に再現されていることが手に取るように分かり、スリリングだ。本作は、偏執的な殺人事件を扱い、間違えられた男、金髪女性、主人公を助けようとするヒロイン…など、後の作品でも繰り返し現れるモチーフなどから、実質的に最初のヒッチコック作品と言われることが多い。しかし、そういったこと以上に、視覚で語ることこそ映画である―ヒッチコック監督が好んで使った”Pure Cinema「純粋映画」”と言ってもいいかもしれない―という、ヒッチコック監督が終生持ち続けた信念と自信が明確に表れている点こそ(それは、セリフを得たトーキー時代になっても変わることはなかった)、最初のヒッチコック作品と呼ぶに相応しい理由になっているのだと思う。疑惑の下宿人を演じるノヴェロは、当時のイギリスのスターで、いわゆる演技派ではないが(こういった興行的価値の高い俳優を使う機会に恵まれたのも、ヒッチコック監督のある種の才能だろう)、秘密を抱えた陰気でナイーブな青年を好演している。本Blu-rayは、2012年に、英BTI、英Park Circusの協力を得て、英ITVが所蔵する35mmデュープ・ネガを2Kフィルム・スキャン、レストア(染色も)して作られたHDマスターを使用。キズ、パラもほとんど取り除かれ、諧調の豊かさ、深さ、ディテール表現の細やかさとも文句なしの素晴らしさ。90年前(2017年現在)の作品ということが信じられない美麗な画質だ。ニール・ブランドによる2.0ch リニアPCM音声の伴奏音楽も、明瞭そのもの。特典には、同じくノヴェロが主演した『ダウン・ヒル』も収録(実質的に2本立て！)。こちらも、『下宿人』同様、2Kフィルム・スキャン、レストアされたHDマスターを使用。やはり、画質、音質(ニール・ブランドの伴奏音楽)ともに極上のものだ。2002年に発売された日本盤DVD『 ダウンヒル 』の質(英Carlton=ITV)も、当時は素晴らしいと感じたものだが、やはり、HDだと全く印象が変わる。その他の特典として、下記のものが収録。米Criterionならではの盛りだくさんの特典だ。●映画研究家、ウィリアム・ロスマンによるヒッチコックの視覚スタイルの解説(32分54秒)●美術史家、スティーブン・ヤコブによるヒッチコックの舞台装置の使い方の解説(17分42秒)●1962年に行われたフランソワ・トリュフォーによるインタビュー音声抜粋(26分23秒)●1963年と1971年に行われたピーター・ボグダノヴィッチによるインタビュー音声抜粋(19分42秒、20分58秒)●ヒッチコック監督による1940年製ラジオ版『下宿人』(30分48秒)●ニール･ブランドへのインタビュー(22分37秒)映画評論家、フィリップ・ケンプによるエッセイが書かれた冊子も同梱。本Blu-rayは、北米盤ながら、日本同様、R-A仕様なので、日本のBlu-rayプレーヤーで問題なく視聴可能だ。日本では、本作のパッケージ・ソフトは、一度として正規のものが発売されず、現在も、DVD黎明期に発売されたIVCのDVD盤が流通しているという情けない状況が続いているので、米Criterionの本盤は、まさに決定盤という感じだ。映画ファン必携の一枚であることは言うまでもない。当然、星5つ！ ダウンヒル

A murderer is stalking the foggy streets of London – but you are only in danger if it is a Tuesday night and you are female with blond hair. At the same time, a mysterious lodger rents a room in a boarding house near the scenes of the murders. The owners of the boarding house have a daughter with blond hair who is increasingly drawn to the handsome and cultured but enigmatic lodger while her policeman boyfriend jealously observes proceedings. Where is the lodger from and why did he leave the house on the night of a murder? The policeman and landlady harbour suspicions. The gothic meets German expressionism. ‘The Lodger’ is also the portrait of a warm and good-humoured lower middle-class family of the 1920s working day and night to run their business and earn a living. 75 minutes of pure entertainment that is more likely to put a smile on your face than give you bad dreams.

The filming and directorship of this movie is fantastic it is a top movie but what else do you expect from Hitchcock.The only minus point of this is the ending.

For many people, Alfred Hitchcock resumes to six movies: Psycho, The Birds, Marnie, Vertigo, North By Northwest, and Rear Window. But before those classics, he also filmed tens of motion pictures. Many of them talkies, but also silent films during the 1920s. And of these productions, the first one that defined the Hitchcockian style is The Lodger. His third film, working alongside his wife Alma Reville, who would be his muse and story/editor collaborator/scriptwriter for several masterpieces. And in this project, it is an adaptation of Mary Belloc Lowndes’s novel that took as inspiration the horrifying Jack The Ripper; who terrorized nineteenth century London. Though in this version, that serial killer is called the Avenger and preys on blonde women. Causing a frenzy in London during which a woman called Mrs. Bunting accepts as lodger a mysterious young man, played by Ivor Novello, whose strange behaviours makes her suspect that he might be the Avenger. A thought that worries her as that lodger and her daughter Daisy, a blonde woman, develop a friendship that hints romantic feelings between them. Which doesn’t please at all Daisy’s friend Joe, who is courting the woman and is also a police officer who ends up believing that the lodger is the serial murderer.Through this movie, we notice several elements that shall be part of the Hitchcockian style. The director’s short cameo, a murderer, a blonde figure that attracts the attention of the hero and antagonist, strong female characters in power that take control of their lives and situations (Mrs. Bunting and Daisy), dazzling camera work, food pleasures, and also a romance. Latter element that people forget or never notice as they keep focusing their sights on the Suspense/Horror elements of Hitchcock’s movies. Never realizing that the mystery nature hides wonderful and touching romances that are the true stories of those motion pictures. In this case, the love triangle between Daisy, Joe, and the lodger. Where one quirky man we fear might be dangerous hides instead an unexpected secret and a kindness/humanity that Joe seems to lose over the film. Making me at times wonder, during my first viewing of the film, if Joe wasn’t the killer himself. A suspicion that displays Alfred Hitchcock’s talent to instigate such feelings into his audiences.In the Criterion release of The Lodger, the distributor employed the British Film Institute‘s latest restoration. A stunning release where the yellow tints (nice visual nod to the blonde topic of The Lodger) shine on the screen. A rich 2K definition that allows us to admire the characters, their emotions, and the gorgeous locations they live in a way that Hitchcock would appreciate. Especially in the beautiful intro titles where the artist displays his graphic designer past and his love for German Expressionism; which influenced his visuals. For the music, the composer Neil Brand offers a wonderful soundtrack that respects the visual elements of the film, the mood, and the actors’ performances. Even the inclusion of a singing duet during some romantic scenes was quite adequate; adding a modernity to the story that made it relevant today, and reinforced the romantic nature of The Lodger; reminding us that though the story is sold as a suspense thriller, deep down, it is and has always been a romantic film.Of the special features from Criterion, we get a wonderful dialogue with Neil Brand about his soundtrack work and how he enriched the visual language of The Lodger into a musicality that would honor it. Even better, they also included two Hitchcock treasures: First DownFall, another silent film he did with Ivor Novello the following year and which I shall review soon. Then, the radio adaptation of The Lodger which the director directed in 1940 for the CBS radio station. Finally, we have beautiful analysies from scholars and historians about Hitchcock’s artistic skills in his visuals.In conclusion, The Lodger is a superb silent film stands out among some of Alfred Hitchcock’s best productions. One that fans of the filmmaker and of silent cinema should not ignore.

Si The Lodger reste un excellent film muet d'Hitchcock il est regrettable que la beauté de plus de la moitié des images en noir et blanc soit saccagée dans cette restauration par une colorisation puérile (dans les extérieurs nuits le noir devient du bleu, dans les intérieurs le blanc vire au saumon, etc.) voire grotesque : pour souligner le happy end l'image devient carrément rose ! De plus la bande musicale ajoutée est loin d'être appropriée, surtout quand débarquent des chants qui n'ont strictement rien à voir avec le déroulement du récit. Je doute que le maître aurait apprécié cette version mal corrigée de son œuvre.