Tweet Criterion ~ The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog Blu-ray

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Lodge ... ay/122277/" target="_blank

[Mike Gebert]

The cool thing is, it will include Downhill, also starring Ivor Novello. Score is by Neil Brand.

United Kingdom
1927
91 minutes
Black and White
1.33:1

Spine #885
With his third feature film, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, Alfred Hitchcock took a major step toward greatness and made what he would come to consider his true directorial debut. This haunting silent thriller tells the tale of a mysterious young man (matinee idol Ivor Novello) who takes up residence at a London boardinghouse, just as a killer who preys on blonde women, known as the Avenger, descends upon the city. The film is animated by the palpable energy of a young stylist at play, decisively establishing the director’s formal and thematic obsessions. In this edition, The Lodger is accompanied by Downhill, another 1927 silent exploration of Hitchcock’s “wrong man” trope, also headlined by Novello—making for a double feature that reveals the great master of the macabre as he was just coming into his own.

The cool thing is, it will include Downhill, also starring Ivor Novello. Score is by Neil Brand.

Excellent news! I've been wanting a decent copy of this movie for ages.

I'd love for the silent version of Blackmail to be next. I've still never seen it.

...just after I bought import Blu-rays of each film...well Neil Brand can be hit-and-miss with the scores - his effort on Piccadilly was a distinct disappointment.

[Mike Gebert]

...just after I bought import Blu-rays of each film

Someone had to, to make them release them.

[silentfilm]

While Downhill is not a murder mystery, it is still a very good film. Ivor Novello's life goes down the tubes after taking the blame for a fellow student's theft. Hitchcock has a great scene where we see Novello working as a waiter and we see him steal something, but that is actually not what happened at all...

...just after I bought import Blu-rays of each film...well Neil Brand can be hit-and-miss with the scores - his effort on Piccadilly was a distinct disappointment.

I actually liked the score on Piccadilly but to each their own.

I'll definitely be picking this one up and I'm glad that I resisted the urge to pick up the UK version, even though the Criterion version will be pricier (though I always buy at the Barnes and Noble 50% off sales they have twice a year for Criterion.)

I have the UK version, but I'll probably pick this up to get Downhill. Clever marketing---had they not included it, I might well have passed.

I'l buy it for the extras, you know, a scarf like the guy wears; the burst of fog as the case opens…

Rick

Cinecon had a nice 35mm print of "Downhill" a few years ago. It's pretty twisted.
Randy

Does anyone know if these are the BFI restorations that made the rounds as part of the Hitchcock 9 tour a few years ago? I saw a few of them -- including these two, and Blackmail -- and they all looked great, so I'm assuming that's what they are (I can't imagine why Criterion would undertake a new restoration when the BFI had so recently sunk so many resources into their own). I've asked around, but have yet to get the attention of someone who knows the answer.

I actually liked the score on Piccadilly but to each their own.

Same here. I guess I probably haven't watched Piccadilly in a few years, but I recall enjoying the score. But then I'm not as annoyed as others are by Maria Newman.

I'll definitely be picking this one up and I'm glad that I resisted the urge to pick up the UK version

No kidding. I was so close to ordering the UK Lodger when I saw the Criterion announcement. Definitely glad I held off, and I gotta say I'm digging the artwork Criterion has put together. Plus Downhill!

...just after I bought import Blu-rays of each film...well Neil Brand can be hit-and-miss with the scores - his effort on Piccadilly was a distinct disappointment.

I actually liked the score on Piccadilly but to each their own.

Not saying Brand's score was a sonic obscenity that made me dive for the mute button, just flat and lacklustre - there are spots where it does nothing and should be doing something. I can think of a half dozen composers - some of whom are members here - who could have made Piccadilly a truly riveting experience. It's a great film that deserves a better score than the one it carries.

That's fine. I'm open to differing opinions. For example I hate the pots and pans score by the Alloy Orchestra on the Arbuckle Keaton shorts Kino released.

That's fine. I'm open to differing opinions. For example I hate the pots and pans score by the Alloy Orchestra on the Arbuckle Keaton shorts Kino released.

Oh, trust me, we're in full agreement on that one.

Interesting. I bought the book a few months ago, having been interested in London crime mysteries. This might encourage me to actually read it. Is this movie supposed to be quite good?