To me, this movie is perfection.

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Fresh and Exciting

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I wasn't sure at first what to make of this one. there are some parts of the movie that I liked very much,, and on the other hand there are some parts that just seem to drag on forever. I have nothing against silent films,, as I have been watching more of them lately,, not just Hitchcock ones either.. the story is sort of like Jack the Ripper, but not,, set in a different time period,, a man takes up residence at a local motel, and the owners/operators suspect he is the man going around London killing all of the pretty young blonde girls. the movie has some tense scenes and some mystery to it,, some action here and there, to me it seems like there were parts of the movie that weren't tied together.. and therefore made it a little hard to follow from time to time,, otherwise it was a decent movie.

I don't know if this is first actual film as writer and director. Anyway the film's dark plot is about London's serial killer known as the Avenger. The landlady and the landlord suspect the lodger could be the Avenger. This film is dark but definitely worth watching just to see how he evolved as a director. The cast includes Ivor Novello as the mysterious lodger. Up until film, almost all actors and actresses had only stage experience. The early silent films offered another to way act for better salaries. This silent film is actually an early thriller classic. The cast do a terrific job especially Ivor Novello. The film might have been inspired by the Jack the Ripper case in London, England.

If you are making a Checklist of Hitchcock Films, by all accounts this is considered the First. Though technically He made three Movies before this, they were of little consequence, two have been lost and the other mostly ignored. So this is where to begin.It is a Silent Movie and was manipulated by the Director with his flare for unique Visuals and Showy Effects and Camera Angles. It was a trait He would carry throughout His Prolific Career and would Endear Audiences and Critics for Six Decades.This is a Murder Mystery and Love Triangle combined to make an interesting Story that is quite emotional and suspenseful. It is an Eerie Movie with many Ominous proceedings taking place indoors and out. A Mood you could cut with a knife. Certainly one of the first Serial Killer Films. It does have a tacked on Ending that is nothing like the Tone that brought Us there and was a reluctant concession from Young Hitchcock.Stay away from horrible Public Domain Prints that have been around for years and seek out the newly Restored, Tinted Print for Maximum Enjoyment. Not the best Silent Film, though one that is a Landmark for the Director who would only get better.

Saw this today as part of a double bill with Underground, directed by Anthony Asquith, and I have to say, this didn't come off across as well as it's partner. It's a perfectly good and engaging story about a lodging house and the going's on around it, and Ivor Novello shines out in a way that took me by complete immersion.Yet, the score by Nitin Sawnhey was lacking in my opinion. Two uses of vocal tracks really disrupted things, and generally the music was all a bit bombastic and busy. Which is a shame as the movie itself was quite entertaining, although it can't really be said to have had you on tenterhooks necessarily.The underlying alienation, the money-grabbing opportunism, the fear of the other aligned to the curiosity of us all, are very enjoyable aspects of this golden-hued feature. Definitely worth a watch.