Love seeing Hitchcock’s familiar obsessions turn up so early on in his career... blondes, foreshadowing, the cameo, and the wrong man scenario. Blueprints for a career laced with Sex, murder, and shadows.

The Lodger is stacked with ominous camera angles and top notch lighting that accentuated the suspense in a similar fashion as Lang and Murnau did, the influences were a welcomed late night/half in the bag cinematic treat and I can’t believe how much better this movie was than I remembered. I was fixated on the screen... totally admiring the technique and visual eye on display here, the chandelier swaying back and forth and that staircase seen are a chefs kiss—that hand sliding down the bannister like some Nosferatu serpent won’t be leaving my thoughts anytime soon. 

Love this movie.

60/100

The last notable Hitchcock film I hadn't yet seen. (All that's left now is some of the minor early stuff: Manxman, Skin Game, etc.) Is-he-or-isn't he? narrative not terribly suspenseful by this director's soon-to-be-towering standard—this is neither as creepy nor remotely as fog-shrouded as I'd always assumed—but Hitchcock's experiments in suggesting sound via purely visual means still astonish. It's one thing to cut from the lodger pacing in his room to the family downstairs, staring up at the ceiling in response; it's pure Hitch to frame the ground-floor actors beneath the pendants of a gently swaying chandelier-style light fixture, and then to eliminate the ceiling altogether (replaced with glass, I assume?) and show the lodger's actual footfalls. Those are fairly brief flourishes, though, and it'd take him nearly another decade to start choosing and/or commissioning screenplays that could match his formal wit.

In Fançois Truffaut’s fantastic book-length interview with Alfred Hitchcock (which I cannot recommend enough), Hitchcock describes The Lodger as being “the first true 'Hitchcock movie',” a statement which is made clear from the very first shot of the film. The introduction of Hitchcock’s “wrong man” trope and the honing of his suspense-driven directorial style makes The Lodger a must-see entry in the master of suspense’s repertoire. This is undoubtedly the best of the director’s silent features and a definite contender for the best film that he made in Britain before his move to Hollywood.

Full review up here if you want to give it a read

"The Lodger" is a solid early silent film from Alfred Hitchcock. Taking inspiration from German expressionism "The Lodger" is a translucent off-kilter thriller with an engaging narrative and cinematography that changes colours with the mood of the film. Some of the acting can come across as a bit melodramatic but for a silent film the actors do a good job of selling the story. Over-all this is a really solid entry in Hitch's early filmography and one I'd recommend.

Regarded by Hitchcock himself as his first true film, The Lodger sees Hitchcock dip his toes into the pool he would later dive into. Suspenseful murder mysteries with a blonde beauty.

The Lodger holds strong visuals and some technical ingenuity for the time that is rather admirable. The film has some pacing issues but the story maintains intrigue for the majority of the film. However when the reveal comes, it sort of feels like the easiest way out, but this is hardly a slight on the story.

The Lodger is certainly worth a watch to see Hitchcock's beginnings and the seeds of a genre he would later master.

Hitchcock Ranked List

Hitchcock's use of sound to shock and build tension is all the more impressive in a silent movie. In my humble opinion, that guy is like some sort of "master" of suspense.

Interesting early Hitchcock. Not as visually dazzling as some of the more feted films of the era, but still has its fair share of flourishes and signs of what would come in the director's career. Of real interest here is the film's commentary on how media can influence people - the way the narrative slyly makes the viewers themselves accessories to this is truly clever

This movie is an early Hitchcock classic. This is the first film Hitchcock made that is an early showing of the style he would employ in his films in the future. This movie is intense and gripping even though it is a silent film. If you can tolerate silent film this is a must watch.

جو رازآلود و خوفناک خوبی بر فیلم حکم‌فرماست. خیلی نقطه ضعف یا برجسته خاصی نداره که بگم. عنصر تعلیق، زمینه‌چینی، شخصیت‌پردازی و فضاسازی به خوبی در فیلم پیاده‌سازی شده و با اینکه چیزی حدود صد سال از فیلم میگذره، با این حال کلیشه کمتری نسبت به خیلی از فیلم‌های رازآلود و جنایی امروزی داره.

Silent film encouraged so much visual inventiveness, and Hitchcock certainly has some fun ideas here. That detective sure was obnoxious.

there are some GREAT shots in this thing, lovely to see hitchcock having such a mastery of the camera so early in his career. it was also interesting to see the common themes and tropes of hitchcock's career in their baby stages. that was mostly what this movie was though: interesting. i was a little surprised at how emotionally disengaged and tension-less i found this movie. maybe it was because of the medium, this certainly would've worked better as a talkie. either way, this was some seriously impressive filmmaking that was even more enjoyable to watch given the context of the career that it was in, but it didn't make me feel much.

chill out dad, all he wanted to do was buy her a dress

"Even if he is a bit queer, he's a gentleman."

Brilliant silent thriller from a young Hitchcock with lots of interesting elements. The introduction of the lodger, sweeping in from the fog, is particularly evocative. Ivor Novello has a gaze to rival the intensity of Richard Attenborough in Brighton Rock - but what are those clouded eyes expressing?

Don’t know if I’ve watched a silent Hitchcock. Really good.

the simple storyline of this silent film is easy to understand even though the text of the conversation is not all displayed

obsessed with how absolutely waifish men looked in the 1920s. ivor novello, i am looking directly at you.

Not good.

Pieces of this movie are good, and a lot of it is bad. I actually loved the opening of the film but once it gets underway it just slogs. I didn’t feel any tension, I didn’t like any of the vampire-like characters in this film. M was a way better film about a serial killer. 

The music in this is sometimes good but mostly terrible. The inter titles are actually pretty cool, but they just overuse them and I don’t know why. But nevertheless they look nice so I’ll overlook it.

Anyways I think this is the only one of the films I’ve seen by Hitchcock that I dislike and that are actually bad filmmaking wise. 

6/10 for originality and some cool shots