Poor sound and creaky photography are the flaws in this first sound version of "The Lodger", an allegory version of The Jack the Ripper story previously made as a silent film by Alfred Hitchcok and later remade several times. Ivor Novello had appeared in the Hitchcock silent and repeated his role in this sound version which is barely watchable.
Early British sound films haven't had the luck of American films in being restored, and the low budget B films suffer greatly as a result. This one has patches where I was desperately struggling with the dialog. Long pauses too make the film interminable and setting it in modern times seems to take away the gloriously gloomy atmosphere that makes the London fog seem like a character more than just a weather condition.
The future Lucy Nannette of MGM's "A Tale of Two Cities", Elizabeth Allen, is certainly lovely and has a gentle demeanor which makes her the perfect screen heroine. But the lack of truth on the re-telling is a major detriment so I must put this one as a missed opportunity that fails to impress.
Early British sound films haven't had the luck of American films in being restored, and the low budget B films suffer greatly as a result. This one has patches where I was desperately struggling with the dialog. Long pauses too make the film interminable and setting it in modern times seems to take away the gloriously gloomy atmosphere that makes the London fog seem like a character more than just a weather condition.
The future Lucy Nannette of MGM's "A Tale of Two Cities", Elizabeth Allen, is certainly lovely and has a gentle demeanor which makes her the perfect screen heroine. But the lack of truth on the re-telling is a major detriment so I must put this one as a missed opportunity that fails to impress.