THE LODGER (1927) *** Alfred Hitchcock's excursion into Jack the Ripper land couldn't have been stranger, or more wonderful, if he'd focused on the freemason or monarchy conspiracy theories. Not his first film, but by his own admission the first imprinted with his style, his palate appears to be nearly complete. Closed-in heads, superimposed shoes, twists of plot where twists of fate should be, the master convulses a bevy of characters simultaneously sinister and sympathetic. Young Alfred shows off his unique ability to spin suspense out of celluloid right out of the gate, generating an incredible level that even he is not yet ready to sustain. Incredible, triumphant, and unclear whether anything like this could ever be contemplated outside of London, no matter what imitative hacks in Boston might try to conjure. Tremendous performances all around. It's difficult to put a finger on, but in over-acting their parts the cast communicates in perceptive and comprehensive ways. It's like, the more modern drama schools teach them to act, the less they are able to transmit. We are creating filters, rather than amplifiers. Ivor Novello, Marie Ault, Arthur Chesney, and June Tripp were great amplifiers.
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