Though this film’s Ripper carries a grudge against exquisitely beautiful actresses - women of the type who seduced and destroyed his brother - the women he actually targets are middle-aged derelicts, much like the Ripper’s actual victims.
This is the first film I know of, in any language, to treat the killings in a way that resembles the Ripper murders. The Lulu films, such as Pandora’s Box, tell the story of a beautiful young seductress who turns into a beautiful young prostitute who ultimately becomes a beautiful young Ripper victim. Hitchcock’s Lodger has the killer target beautiful young blonde models, while the 1932 version has him target random young beautiful women who happen to be out alone at night. The operative terms in all of these instances are: beautiful and young. The 1944 Lodger departs from this characterization. Here, the killer preys on down-and-out middle-aged barflies.
In addition to its more realistic treatment of the victims, this film addresses the fact of serious mutilation beyond the throat slitting. As the landlord puts it: “He slits their throats… and then he uses his knife.” The full details are too shocking to reveal to the public.
These departures from the earlier, more sanitized, film adaptations are indicative of the filmmakers’ general willingness to take this film right to the edge of social acceptability. The beautiful and respectable ingénue (played by Merle Oberon) becomes a music hall sensation by bringing a rather naughty (and very leggy) Parisian dance to the English scene. The Lodger uses its period setting (the cusp of the wild 1890s) to push back hard on the production code and bring the skirts all the way up.
And then, there’s Laird Cregar, whose general soft-spokenness makes his lodger’s sudden shifts into impassioned monomania all the more threatening. One moment, he quietly negotiates terms with his landlady. The next, he frantically turns pictures of old actresses to the wall... because their eyes followed him around the room. By understating his lodger's more ordinary interactions, Cregar carefully modulate his performance so that even his character's most extreme moments never drive him into overacting.
Article comments
1 - Ragozy
Interestingly enough, this is one of those jewels in the rough. For years my father talked about this film - which he had seen as a young man.
On a visit a few years before he passed away, TCM showed this film. We were all told that this was a no misser and we all sat down and watched. Was it a good film because it was something my father remembered; or perhaps because we were altogether with him? It doesn't matter. Good film!
2 - Cindy Collins Smith
Thanks, Ragozy. Not sure what you mean by "jewel in the rough" (I would tend to say that about a high-quality film done on a small budget - like Detour). But I enjoyed reading about your family watching The Lodger together with your father.
3 - Christine
Unfortunately this is not available in region 2 DVD format. Sniff! I am a film geek and fan of Ripper cinema and this film seems to be best Lodger adaptation. The 1940´s Hollywood version of Victorian London, B&W photography and all, with clean-mouthed literate language and only implied violence - yummy! Sounds a jewel crown instead of sinking in to the Whitechapel sewers...