Episode Details

Episode Topic: The Film of "The Lodger" 

In week 2 of our book club, we will discuss Alfred Hitchcock’s film adaptation of Marie Belloc Lowndes’ novel "The Lodger." "The Lodger" was the first film Hitchcock directed in London after completing two films in Germany in 1925. It stars Ivor Novello, a matinee idol of his time, and is notable for its expressive use of lighting and shadow, qualities influenced by German films of the period. Changes in several characters from the novel, especially Daisy and the detective, create a more ambiguous moral universe for the film and challenge our assumptions about the lodger’s guilt. In directing his first feature in the U.K., Hitchcock benefited from collaborating with experienced colleagues such as Ivor Montagu and screenwriter Eliot Stannard and we will talk about the influence of London’s thriving film culture on his work.

Featured Speakers:

• Susan Ohmer, The William T. and Helen Kuhn Carey Associate Professor of Modern Communication, University of Notre Dame
• Kieron Webb, Head of Conservation, British Film Institute
• Rev. Jim Lies C.S.C., Director for Academic Initiatives & Partnerships, University of Notre Dame, London, England

Read this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: go.nd.edu/897205.

This podcast is a part of the  London Book Club Series titled “Hitchcock in London".

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