Tags:
Film: The Lodger
Year: 1944
Director: John Brahm
Writer: Barré Lyndon
Starring: Laird Cregar, Merle Oberon and George Sanders
Review:
This was a movie that I heard about in the Horror Show Guide Encyclopedia that I'm working through. I believe that this is another one that I probably came across as well since there are so many movies out there that use Jack the Ripper and his murders as the basis for what they're doing. It ranges from things like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to From Hell. I was curious as to how an older movie like this would handle the subject matter. This was watched as a Foray through the Fours.
Synopsis: a landlady suspects that her new lodger is Jack the Ripper.
We start this off with someone reading a wanted poster. It is through this that we learn that there have been multiple murders. The police are looking for any leads that they can get. There are more on duty and we see a woman leave a pub with a group. She heads off on her own. This turns out to be fatal as her throat is slit in an alley. This is a brazen crime as the police aren't too far away.
It then shifts over a man who is walking at night, he is played by Laird Cregar. He sees a sign for the name of the street, Slade. He then goes into a house where a woman has a room for rent. It is here that he meets Ellen Benting (Sara Allgood). She's the landlady. He tells her that his name is Mr. Slade. She finds this interesting with the road of the same name around the corner. She shows him a room upstairs and then he wants to see the attic. He's willing to pay whatever if he can live in the room and use this other room for experiments. They agree to terms. We also learn that they’re renting rooms due to an unfortunate clerical error that her husband, Robert (Cedric Hardwicke), is responsible for. Mr. Slade moves in that night.
Ellen tells her husband about the transaction and he finds it odd. He isn't thrilled to have a stranger living with them. He does soon befriend their tenet. Now there's another person living here, their niece. She is an actor by the name of Kitty Langley (Merle Oberon). She is getting quite popular and it is a matter of time before she is headlining bigger productions. Until then, she is working locally and doing more racy ones.
Kitty also make friends with Mr. Slade, wanting him to come to one of her performances. He isn't fond of actors and we get bits of information where he blames what happened to his brother on them. He is taken by Kitty though. Not only is she beautiful, but kind. He considers seeing her perform. Mr. Slade isn't the only one though. Inspector John Warwick (George Sanders) from Scotland Yard is also smitten with her. He is tasked with finding Jack the Ripper.
There are other odd things with the tenant. He goes out each night for long stretches. When he is asked questions, he gives odd responses. There is evidence about the ripper that gets revealed and it makes Ellen suspicious of him. Robert and Kitty can explain things away. The more victims that are killed, the closer they get to the theater that Kitty works and the place she stays.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I'll start is that this is an interesting take on the true crime of Jack the Ripper. What we're getting here is that we know who the killer is early on. It doesn't do much to hide that. That is curious since this is one of the most famous unsolved crimes. What we are getting more of here is Ellen trying to convince her husband and niece that Mr. Slade is guilty. What they point out to her makes her question her gut. It then is John trying to confirm what is told to him by this family. There are things that happen that change Robert's mind, but even then, he isn't convinced. He doesn't trust this tenant around Kitty.
Sticking with this idea, I do like that we're seeing early police work. John thinks he's found a fingerprint from the ripper. What is interesting there though is that it doesn't match up to Mr. Slade’s prints, which deflates the group. There is more that goes into this, but I like that this doesn't rush into him being accused. We see our characters trying to find evidence. I did appreciate that murder mystery aspect that would carry into the gialli film down the road.
Now I did see a gripe is that this doesn't have the suspense of trying to figure out the killer. That didn't overly bother me, because I got sucked in by them trying to prove it. Mr. Slade is odd. We know that from the start. That doesn't make someone a killer. Now we see him make up an alias on the fly. Being the era, it came out, we don't see the killings so that works in its favor as well. I'll shift to discussing filmmaking. I thought that the cinematography was good, especially with the costumes to capture Victorian era London. Framing was good as well. If I have gripes, the pacing hurts slightly to give Kitty's on-stage performances. Having some of that sets the stage. It then feels like filler to pad the runtime by showing as much as they do. There isn't much in the way of effects, but that is also the era this made.
All that is left then is acting. What is interesting is that I don't know if we have a true lead. It shifts as things go on. Oberon is attractive and brings good stage presence to bring her role to life. She feels like this actor who has a big personality that draws people in. She's also the target for the killer so that helps with tension. Cregar is great as Mr. Slade. His stare is creepy and works for what was needed there. Sanders is great as this detective on the case who is also interested in Kitty. Hardwicke and Allgood work as the couple who take Mr. Slade in. I do like how they shift as the story develops. Other than that, the rest of the cast rounded this out for what was needed.
In conclusion, I thought this was a solid take on the Jack the Ripper case. It is different from what I'm used to. We know who the killer is from early on, so it is more about the people he is staying with to prove that he is. Cregar's acting was good and his stare is unnerving. The rest of the cast are good around him. I'd say that this is well-made with the cinematography and framing being able to capture the era it is set in. If I have a gripe, the stage performances feel like filler. I thought this was a solid on this case and the different approach works for me. Would recommend it to those interested in it or fans of this era of cinema.
My Rating: 7.5 out of 10