Next up: Hitchcock's 'The Lodger' (1927) on Tuesday, March 28 in Newport, R.I.

Ivor Novello stars in 'The Lodger' (1927).

Ready to move in: Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Lodger' (1927), which I'm accompanying on Tuesday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Jane Pickens Theatre in Newport, R.I.

Although it's not Hitchcock's first movie, it's generally regarded as the first true "Hitchcock" film, meaning it has elements of what became his signature style.

Among them: 'The Lodger' contains the first Hitchcock cameo, a trademark he would continue for the duration of his long directing career.

It occurs right near the start of the film, and might not be obvious because Hitchcock is only seen from behind, and he also has hair. Here's a quick preview so you'll know what to look for:

Lots more info in the press release pasted in below. If you're in the Newport area, I hope you'll join us to experience this film as intended: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience.

Yesterday saw a surprisingly healthy turnout for 'The Regeneration' (1915), an early drama that's part of our ongoing 'Silent New York' series at the Town Hall Theatre in Wilton, N.H.

The film was included because it was shot mostly on New York's Lower East Side, then a warren of slums and tenements that housed many poor and newly arrived immigrants.

Because of that, I made that point that because none of the actors are remembered today, we should really regard the city itself as the film's star.

But I now realize that many people actually would have recognized the film's female lead if I had mentioned an extraordinary role she played long after the silent era ended.

Since I didn't say it then, I'll include it here.

Remember in 'Sunset Boulevard' (1950), there's a scene where faded silent star Norma Desmond (played by Gloria Swanson) plays cards with cronies from her glory days.

At the table are Buster Keaton, H.B. Warner, and...Anna  Q. Nilsson, who starred in 'The Regeneration' way back in 1915!

I'll have to remember that the next time I accompany the film.

Okay, here's more info on 'The Lodger.' See you when you check in Tuesday night at the Jane Pickens Theatre in Newport, R.I.!

*   *   *

I scream, you scream, we all scream for 'The Lodger' (1927).

MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2023 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Hitchcock's first thriller, 'The Lodger,' to screen Tuesday, March 28 at Jane Pickens Theatre

Creepy silent drama about killings in London marked legendary director's debut; to be shown with live music at historic Newport venue

NEWPORT, R.I.—A half-century of murder has to start somewhere.

And for movie director Alfred Hitchcock, it began with 'The Lodger' (1927), a silent thriller that stunned audiences when first released, and which contained many of his trademark touches.

'The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog,' will be shown on Tuesday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Jane Pickens Theatre Film and Event Center, 49 Touro St., Newport, R.I.

The screening, the latest in the venue's silent film series, will feature live accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in creating music for silent films.

Admission is $15 per person; members $13. Tickets are available online or at the door.

'The Lodger,' shot in England and based on a story and stage play by Marie Belloc Lowndes, concerns the hunt for a serial killer in London.

British matinee idol Ivor Novello plays Jonathan Drew, a quiet, secretive young man who rents a room in a London boarding house. Drew's arrival coincides with the reign of terror orchestrated by a mysterious "Jack The Ripper"-like killer, who murders a blonde woman every Tuesday evening.

As the film progresses, circumstantial evidence begins to mount, pointing to Drew as the murderer. Suspense and drama escalate in true Hitchcock fashion as the viewer wonders if the lodger really could be the killer—and if so, what danger awaits the landlord's daughter, who is developing feelings for the mysterious stranger.

The all-British cast includes Malcom Keen, Arthur Chesney, and Marie Ault.

'The Lodger' introduced themes that would run through much of Hitchcock’s later work: an innocent man on the run, hunted down by a self-righteous society; a strong link between sexuality and murder; and a fixation on blonde women.

About 'The Lodger,' Hitchcock scholar Donald Spoto wrote that for "the first time Hitchcock has revealed his psychological attraction to the association between sex and murder, between ecstasy and death."

'The Lodger' also launched the Hitchcock tradition of making a cameo appearance in each of his films. In 'The Lodger,' Hitchcock appears briefly about three minutes into the film, sitting at a desk in a newsroom with his back to the camera and using a telephone.

The cameo appearance tradition, which continued for the rest of his long career, came about in 'The Lodger' when the actor hired to play the part of the telephone operator failed to turn up, and Hitchcock filled the role.

Some critics say 'The Lodger' broke new ground in the previously moribund British cinema, showing a truly cinematic eye at work.

In creating the movie, Hitchcock evoked contemporary films by German directors F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, whose influence can be seen in the ominous camera angles and claustrophobic lighting.

While Hitchcock had made two previous films, in later years the director would refer to 'The Lodger' as the first true "Hitchcock" picture. The movie has since been remade several times, most recently in 2009, in an updated version starring Alfred Molina and Hope Davis.

'The Lodger' will be accompanied by live music by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist who performs at venues across the region and beyond.

"Films such as 'The Lodger' were created to be shown on the big screen as a sort of communal experience," Rapsis said. "With an audience and live music, they still come to life in the way their makers intended them to.

In creating music for silent films, Rapsis performs on a digital synthesizer that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra and creates a traditional "movie score" sound.

'The Lodger' will be shown on Tuesday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Jane Pickens Theatre Film and Event Center, 49 Touro St., Newport, R.I.

Admission is $15 per person; members $13. Tickets are available online at www.janepickens.com or at the door. For more information, call the box office at (401) 846-5474.

The Halloween home stretch: 'Caligari,' 'The Lodger,' and Chaney in 'West of Zanzibar'

Lon Chaney as 'Phroso the Magician' and companion in 'West of Zanzibar' (1928).

Coming up: one final long weekend of Halloween-themed silent film screenings.

Highlights include accompanying a 35mm print of 'West of Zanzibar' (1928), the lurid Chaney/Browning thriller, on Saturday, Oct. 31, and no less than three screenings of Hitchcock's 'The Lodger' (1927).

But the spooky fun starts tonight with 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' (1920) at Wellesley College, just outside Boston. Screening is at 6:30 p.m. at Collins Cinema in the Davis Museum Complex.

Admission is free; the film is part of retrospective on film-making of Weimar-era Germany. 'Cabinet' is a good choice this close to Halloween—the proto-Tim Burton set design alone is worth seeing this film, which probably seems more creepy today than it did when first released.

The twisted visual landscape of 'Caligari.'

One of the challenges of 'Caligari' is that the film has several instances of the title character ringing a sizable (and seemingly very loud) hand bell to attract attention from passersby in a carnival midway.

So for an accompanist, the question becomes: "Should I try to match the obvious on-screen action by ringing a real bell right there during the screening?"

In the case of Caligari, I do actually ring a bell. Specifically, it's a large clangy brass bell that once belonged to my grandmother. It makes quite a racket, and the cues in Caligari are easy to match, so I go for it.

Likewise in the case of the Keaton short 'The Haunted House,' where the ghost traffic is so heavy, Buster ends up playing traffic cop to control a busy hallway. To do this, he uses a whistle to signal stop and go, and blowing an actual whistle (while keeping the music going) helps punch up the gag, I think.

But if I'm unsure of where the cues might be, or if a sound effect might distract from the on-screen moment, I hold off on matching what are often literally the "bells and whistles."

Why? Because if you're even just a little bit off, it breaks the spell that a successful silent movie screening creates. Or if it's a key dramatic moment, you don't want to rob it of any significance by doing something unexpected in the accompaniment.

Anyway, it's my only screening of 'Caligari' this Halloween season, so come to Wellesley College tonight if you're hankering for a Halloween helping of German Expressionism.

Ivor Novello dressed to kill (really?) in Hitchcock's 'The Lodger.'

Then follows three screenings of Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Lodger' (1927), the title I've focused on for this Halloween cycle, having played for it twice already this month.

Let's see. The schedule looks like this:

• Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, 7 p.m.: 'The Lodger'; Putnam Arts Lecture Hall, Keene State College, Keene, N.H. There's usually an admission charge for these screenings but I just checked and apparently this one is free and open to the public.

• Friday, Oct. 30, 2015, 7 p.m.: 'The Lodger'; Red River Theatres, 11 South Main St., Concord, N.H.; (603) 224-4600; http://www.redrivertheatres.org/. Great small non-profit venue that specializes in offbeat and independent films that otherwise wouldn't get shown in this part of the world. Admission $10 per person.

• Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015, 8 p.m.: 'The Lodger'; Leavitt Theatre, 259 Main St. Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine; (207) 646-3123; http://www.leavittheatre.com. The season-ending show in a vintage seaside resort one-screen theater that opened in 1923 and has barely changed since. Admission $10 per person.

That's a whole lot of Lodgers. But I think I have some good material in the style of Bernard Herrmann that helps bring out the "Hitchcock" qualities of the film, which can be found throughout this early feature from the director.

For more specifics about each screening, check the "Upcoming Silent Film Screenings" link at upper right.

But there's one more: 'West of Zanzibar' (1928), also on Saturday, Oct. 31.

A screening of the Chaney/Browning silent MGM thriller will open a 12-hour Halloween marathon of feature films, all shown in 35mm, at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, Mass. The marathon is on Halloween Day and runs from noon to midnight.

From what I understand, the 35mm print of 'Zanzibar' is exceptionally well struck and in great shape. Also, it's very difficult to source 35mm prints of any of the MGM/Chaney/Browning pictures, so this is an extremely rare chance to see 'Zanzibar' in its native film format, projected on the enormous screen of the Somerville Theater's vintage 1914 main house.

It's quite a privilege to do live music for a film as bizarre as 'Zanzibar,' with Chaney playing a magician paralyzed from the waist down and bent on revenge against the man who crippled him and stole his beloved—a 20-year quest that leads to a showdown in the remote jungles of Africa. Classic Tod Browning madness, with no less than Lionel Barrymore in a key role.

Lurid, twisted, dark—and perfect for Halloween.

The marathon program begins at noon with 'West of Zanzibar'; other titles (all in 35mm) include 'Dracula' (1931), 'The Monster That Challenged the World' (1957); 'Seconds' (1966); 'Aliens' (1986); and 'The Lost Boys' (1987). Admission is one price for the whole 12-hour program, with tickets $30 per person.

I urge any classic film buffs in the Boston or New England area to consider making a pilgrimage to the Somerville to experience 'West of Zanzibar' on the big screen in 35mm, as well as the other marathon titles, all under the watchful eye and legendarily exacting standards of head projectionist David Kornfeld. It's an event not to be missed.

And then comes November, which brings silent film gigs in California and Virginia, among other places. More on that after Halloween!

One other thought: I'm always eager for new ways to attract audiences to silent cinema. So the other day, a friend suggested promoting the Chaney film as an inspirational tale for the disabled.

Being differently abled didn't prevent him from realizing his dreams of revenge!

Er—still thinking about that one.

This weekend: "Chiller Theater" in Vermont, followed by Buster Keaton in New Hampshire

Ivor Novello is dressed appropriately for cold weather in Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Lodger.'

The coldest weather of the season arrives this weekend, just in time for the annual "Chiller Theater" silent film program in Brandon, Vt.

It's called "Chiller Theater" in part because the Brandon Town Hall and Community Center lacks a functioning central heating system.

But the show must go on, so bring blankets and mittens and whatever else you need to keep warm for our screening of Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Lodger' (1927) on Saturday night.

More details about the screening can be found in the press release below.

But 'The Lodger' is a great film for music, which I rediscovered while accompanying the film this past Wednesday at the Rogers Center for the Performing Arts at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass.

It was one of those occasions where I had some good material to work with, and didn't try to overthink things or ramp things up too quickly.

With Hitchcock, sometimes a single held note can accomplish more than anything else you could play. I think I'm getting better at recognizing these moments and taking advantage of them.

Hitchcock's first-ever cameo role (that's him leaning over the desk) comes near the start of 'The Lodger.'

Hitchcock know how to incorporate surprise into his films, so perhaps it's fitting that something unusual happened during the Rogers Center screening.

Prior to the show, I went over the program with the projectionist, a nice guy with whom I'd never worked before.

When I'm working with someone new, I'm careful to lay out how I'd prefer the ending of the program to be managed.

With a film on DVD, when "The End" flashes, I like to have the movie paused on screen and then for the lights to come up while I finish out the score.

Okay, fine. Simple enough, no problem.

But 'The Lodger' has a false ending. After the film's climax winds down, a transitional title comes up that says this: "Every Story Has an Ending."

So the projectionist his pause. But the problem is, the film had five more minutes to go!

I sat there playing transition music, somehow hoping that he'd realize it wasn't over and would unpause the film.

But no! The lights started coming up, and people began applauding as if 'The Lodger' was all done.

Now the decision became whether to just go with it and take a bow, or to turn around and call out to the projectionist (and the audience—about 80 people) that the film wasn't over!

I finally turned around and did just that. So people quieted down, the houselights dimmed again, and then the film resumed.

But alas, the spell had been broken. Robbed of its momentum, 'The Lodger' limped to a finish that lacked the impact that Hitchcock intended. Rats!

Here's what I felt like doing when 'The Lodger' was paused prematurely.

This was all my fault for not anticipating how confusing the titles would be to a projectionist not familiar with the film. Live and learn!

But I had to think that Hitchcock, master of the intentional distraction, would have been amused by what happened.

Well, I'm doing music for 'The Lodger' again in Brandon on Saturday night, so we'll see how that goes. (And I do the film three more times before Halloween.)

I'm then overnighting in Rutland because I have another show the next day in Charlestown, N.H.: a Buster Keaton double feature at the Silsby Free Library in downtown Charlestown.

The screening, which includes 'Sherlock Jr.' (1924) and 'Seven Chances' (1925) is Sunday, Oct. 18 at 2 p.m.

I always enjoy returning to Charlestown, a community I covered as a reporter in the late 1980s for the Eagle-Times daily newspaper.

I may have changed a bit in the nearly 30 years since, but Charlestown hasn't. That's the charm of the place. It's kinda like a New Hampshire version of Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon.

Even the local grocery store is named "Ralph's."

Okay, below are more details about 'The Lodger' up in Brandon, Vt. on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.

It's the final show of our 2015 season of silent film, which has seen record crowds attend the monthly events.

Hope to see you there. And bring some firewood just in case!

* * *

An original French poster for 'The Lodger' retitled the film 'Golden Hair,' correctly highlighting one of Hitchcock's obsessions.

TUESDAY, OCT. 6, 2015 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Hitchcock's first, 'The Lodger,' to screen Saturday, Oct. 17 in Brandon (Vt.) Town Hall

Creepy silent thriller about London murders marked legendary director's debut; to be shown on the big screen with live music

Note to Editors: Some previously released info on this program included incorrect event date. Correct date of event is Saturday, Oct. 17.

BRANDON, Vt.—A half-century of murder has to start somewhere.

And for movie director Alfred Hitchcock, it began with 'The Lodger' (1927), a silent thriller that stunned audiences when it was first released, and contained many of his trademark touches.

'The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog,' is the featured attraction of this year's "Chiller Theater" event at Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Route 7 in downtown Brandon, Vt. on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.

The program, the final installment of the Brandon Town Hall's 2015 silent film series, will be accompanied by live music performed by silent film composer Jeff Rapsis.

"What better way to get into the Halloween spirit a little early than a silent film from Alfred Hitchcock?" Rapsis asked.

Admission is free; donations are welcome, with all proceeds to support the town hall's ongoing renovation. The screening is sponsored by local residents Gary and Nancy Meffe.

The program is billed as "Chiller Theater" not only due to the spooky subject matter, but also because the Town Hall lacks a central heating system. Depending on the temperature, attendees are advised to wear coats and bring blankets.

'The Lodger' used distinctive title cards that seem inspired by expressionist filmmakers in Germany, where Hitchcock worked for a time in the 1920s.

'The Lodger,' shot in England and based on a story and stage play by Marie Belloc Lowndes, concerns the hunt for a serial killer in London. British matinee idol Ivor Novello plays Jonathan Drew, a quiet, secretive young man who rents a room in a London boarding house. Drew's arrival coincides with the reign of terror orchestrated by a mysterious "Jack The Ripper"-like killer, who murders a blonde woman every Tuesday evening.

As the film progresses, circumstantial evidence begins to mount, pointing to Drew as the murderer. Suspense and drama escalate in true Hitchcock fashion as the viewer wonders if the lodger really could be the killer—and if so, what danger awaits the landlord's daughter, who is falling in love with the mysterious stranger. The all-British cast includes Malcom Keen, Arthur Chesney, and Marie Ault.

'The Lodger' introduced themes that would run through much of Hitchcock’s later work: an innocent man on the run, hunted down by a self-righteous society, a strong link between sexuality and murder, and a fixation on blonde women. About 'The Lodger,' Hitchcock scholar Donald Spoto wrote that for "the first time Hitchcock has revealed his psychological attraction to the association between sex and murder, between ecstasy and death."

Let's hope the on-screen action between Marie Ault and Ivor Novello is enough to warm up the heatless Brandon Town Hall.

'The Lodger' also launched the Hitchcock tradition of making a cameo appearance in each of his films. In 'The Lodger,' Hitchcock appears briefly about three minutes into the film, sitting at a desk in a newsroom with his back to the camera and using a telephone. The cameo appearance tradition, which continued for the rest of his long career, came about in 'The Lodger' when the actor supposed to play the part of the telephone operator failed to turn up, and Hitchcock filled the role.

Some critics say 'The Lodger' broke new ground in the previously moribund British cinema, showing a truly cinematic eye at work. In creating the movie, Hitchcock had clearly been watching contemporary films by German directors F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, whose influence can be seen in the ominous camera angles and claustrophobic lighting.

While Hitchcock had made two previous films, in later years the director would refer to 'The Lodger,' his first thriller, as the first true "Hitchcock thriller." The movie has since been remade several times, most recently in 2009, in an updated version starring Alfred Molina and Hope Davis.

The Brandon Town Hall's silent film series aims to recreate the full silent film experience, with restored prints projected on the big screen, live music, and the presence of an audience. All these elements are essential to seeing silent films they way they were intended, Rapsis said.

"If you can put it all together again, these films still contain a lot of great entertainment," Rapsis said. "By attending these screenings, you can see why people first fell in love with the movies."

Rapsis performs on a digital synthesizer that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra and creates a traditional "movie score" sound.

‘The Lodger' will be shown on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Route 7, Brandon, Vt.

Admission is free; free will donations are encouraged, with proceeds to support ongoing renovation of the town hall. For more information, visit www.brandontownhall.org.

Early Hitchcock: 'The Lodger' (1927) on Thursday, Sept. 11 in Plymouth, N.H.

That's British actor Ivor Novello on the poster for this week's screening of 'The Lodger.'

Think about it: Alfred Hitchcock began directing movies when they came without soundtracks.

And for the rest of his long career, he maintained that silent film was "the purest form of cinema."

How odd that a man who ended up helming wide-screen color spectaculars such as 'North by Northwest' (1959) should yearn for the silent film era, with all its limitations.

What he meant, I think, was that if you stripped cinema down to its essence, you'd have one thing: pictures that move.

That was silent cinema. And this limitation forced Hitchcock (and other filmmakers, too) to make the most of this essential quality of cinema. (At right, an unflattering picture of a very young Hitchcock.)

And for the best directors, the limitations of silent film weren't limitations at all. They actually served to concentrate all the energy on telling a story visually, which I think helped establish some of the unique qualities of cinema at a very early time in its development.

For instance: even within the confines of silent film, Hitchcock was already finding ways to be Hitchcock. 'The Lodger' (1927) shows much of Hitchcock's style already in place. Heck, the film started his long-running practice of playing brief cameo roles in his films.

So 'The Lodger' is worth seeing, especially if you're a Hitchcock fan. You'll find it interesting, I think, to see how Hitchcock could still be unmistakably Hitchcock using just moving images on the screen.

For me, Hitchcock's movies hold an honored place in my "Great Movie Experiences Hall of Fame," mostly because of fortuitous timing.

While I was in college, five of Hitchcock's big 1950s spectaculars were restored and released to theaters for the first time in decades.

This was in the early 1980s, just before home video became widespread, and so it was big news. These films hadn't been seen in public (or television) for decades.

And as a freshman at Fordham University, I was able to see pictures such as 'Rear Window' (1954) and 'Vertigo' (1958) at the most prestigious theaters in New York City, often with packed houses. What an impression they made!

(I recall 'The Trouble With Harry' (1955), set in New England, made me feel terribly homesick. But then so did 'On Golden Pond,' which had come out that summer and was filmed in New Hampshire.)

The re-release of the Hitchcock films was my first experience being among a lot of people who really enjoyed older cinema. For me, it was quite a rush, and helped me realize the importance of screening films in a theater with an audience: something I advocate for strongly today.

With that in mind, I hope you'll join us for our screening of 'The Lodger' (1927) on Thursday, Sept. 11 at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center in Plymouth, N.H.

For more info, check out the press release below. Thanks!

* * *

Ivor Novello plays the title role in 'The Lodger' (1927).

THURSDAY, AUG. 21, 2014 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Hitchcock's first, 'The Lodger,' to screen
Thursday, Sept. 11 at Flying Monkey Moviehouse

Creepy silent thriller about killings in London marked legendary director's debut; to be shown on the big screen with live music

PLYMOUTH, N.H.—A half-century of murder has to start somewhere. And for movie director Alfred Hitchcock, it began with 'The Lodger' (1927), a silent thriller that stunned audiences when it was first released, and contained many of his trademark touches.

'The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog,' will be shown at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m. The program, the latest in the theater's silent film series, will be accompanied by live music performed by silent film composer Jeff Rapsis. Admission is $10 per person.

The film, shot in England and based on a story and stage play by Marie Belloc Lowndes, concerns the hunt for a serial killer in London. British matinee idol Ivor Novello plays Jonathan Drew, a quiet, secretive young man who rents a room in a London boarding house. Drew's arrival coincides with the reign of terror orchestrated by a mysterious "Jack The Ripper"-like killer, who murders a blonde woman every Tuesday evening.

As the film progresses, circumstantial evidence begins to mount, pointing to Drew as the murderer. Suspense and drama escalate in true Hitchcock fashion as the viewer wonders if the lodger really could be the killer—and if so, what danger awaits the landlord's daughter, who is falling in love with the mysterious stranger. The all-British cast includes Malcom Keen, Arthur Chesney, and Marie Ault.

'The Lodger' introduced themes that would run through much of Hitchcock’s later work: an innocent man on the run, hunted down by a self-righteous society, a strong link between sexuality and murder, and a fixation on blonde women. About 'The Lodger,' Hitchcock scholar Donald Spoto wrote that for "the first time Hitchcock has revealed his psychological attraction to the association between sex and murder, between ecstasy and death."

'The Lodger' also launched the Hitchcock tradition of making a cameo appearance in each of his films. In 'The Lodger,' Hitchcock appears briefly about three minutes into the film, sitting at a desk in a newsroom with his back to the camera and using a telephone. The cameo appearance tradition, which continued for the rest of his long career, came about in 'The Lodger' when the actor supposed to play the part of the telephone operator failed to turn up, and Hitchcock filled the breach.

Some critics say 'The Lodger' broke new ground in the previously moribund British cinema, showing a truly cinematic eye at work. In creating the movie, Hitchcock had clearly been watching contemporary films by German directors F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, whose influence can be seen in the ominous camera angles and claustrophobic lighting.

While Hitchcock had made two previous films, in later years the director would refer to 'The Lodger,' his first thriller, as the first true "Hitchcock movie." The movie has since been remade several times, most recently in 2009, in an updated version starring Alfred Molina and Hope Davis.

In reviving the original 'The Lodger,' the Flying Monkey aims to show silent movies as they were meant to be seen—in high quality prints, on a large screen, with live music, and with an audience.

"All those elements are important parts of the silent film experience," said Jeff Rapsis, who will improvise a musical score during the screening. "Recreate those conditions, and the classics of early cinema leap back to life. They all featured great stories with compelling characters and universal appeal, so it's no surprise that they hold up and we still respond to them."

Rapsis performs on a digital synthesizer that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra and creates a traditional "movie score" sound.

Upcoming feature films in the Flying Monkey's silent film series include:

• Thursday, Oct. 9, 6:30 p.m.: 'Chicago' (1927). The original big screen adaptation of the notorious Jazz Age tabloid scandal, based on real events. Dancer Roxie Hart is accused of murder! Is she innocent or headed for the slammer? Later made into the popular Broadway musical. A film long thought lost but recovered only recently.

• Thursday, Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m.: 'The Phantom of the Opera' (1925). Long before Andrew Lloyd Webber created the hit stage musical, this silent film adaptation of the classic French novel starring Lon Chaney helped place 'Phantom' firmly in the pantheon of both horror and romance. Just in time for Halloween—see it if you dare!

‘The Lodger' will be shown on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 South Main St., Plymouth, N.H.; (603) 536-2551. Admission $10. For more information, visit www.flyingmonkeynh.com. For more info on the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.

Coming Oct. 2: 'The Lodger' in Wilton, N.H.

Back in New England after a week in another "New" -- New Mexico, where I spoke at a newspaper conference and rode on not one but two narrow gauge mountain railroads. But now it's back to silent film screenings, and next up is a film I've wanted to do for a long time: Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Lodger' (1927), which we're screening on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 4:30 p.m. at the Wilton (N.H.) Town Hall Theatre.

Hitchcock was still quite active when I was growing up in the 1960s and '70s, so he's been a real figure to me since at least then, which makes him one of the few folks active in silents who was still part of contemporary culture in my lifetime. As a kid, I never saw 'The Birds' (1963), but somehow knew it was the scariest film ever made, at least until Steven Spielberg came out with 'Jaws' (1975). (By the way, I saw 'Jaws' this past August at the Somerville Theatre in Somerville Mass., where they screened a fantastic 35mm print. The thought occurred to me that it owed a lot to Hitchcock's 'The Birds,')

It was only while in college (at Fordham in New York City) did I begin to become aware of what I now think of as Hitchcock's best work -- the big feature films of the 1950s, including 'Vertigo' (1959), the remake of 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' (1956), 'Rear Window' (1954) and 'The Trouble With Harry' (1955).

At the time, these hadn't been released to television and hadn't been shown in theaters for years. I'd never seen any of them, so it was big news in 1984 when new prints were struck and made available for limited theatrical runs. I forget which moviehouse in NYC ran them, but a group of us made pilgrimages to see them all. I came away with a new appreciation for Hitchcock, I think in part because I saw his work as he intended it: screened in a movie theater packed with people caught up in the action. The Hitchcock screenings still stand as some of the great "movie theatre" experiences of my life.

And then, in 1989, I saw a home video release of 'North by Northwest' (1959), which I had never seen before and which instantly became one of my favorite films of all time, and remains so. At that point, I was also beginning to become aware of the contributions that composer Bernard Herrmann made to Hitch's films of this era. This appreciation would grow to admiration and, later, astonishment when I started doing film music of my own. Herrmann was a pioneer in finding ways for music to add so much to a film -- for it to serve not as background, but as a full participant.

More than anyone else, I think Herrmann created what we think of today when we think of "film music." (A close second would be Carl Stalling, who scored the Warner Bros. cartoons for more than two decades. I'm serious!) And I find that I use a lot of Hermann's techniques, even though he wasn't around in the silent era, because it's a musical approach that we now all have in our bones. It bridges the gap and helps modern audiences to "get" silents, I think, at least in the way I try to do music for them.

And Hitchcock himself was one-of-a-kind: a master storyteller in film who turned the thriller genre into something of his own personal amusement park, with recurring trademarks and themes and even the famed cameo appearances. His secret, I think, was to not show everything (which cinema could do) but to leave things to an audience's imagination. And that can make them infinitely more intense and personal.

At his best (and he had a high batting average over a very long career), Hitchcock produced grand entertainments that took audiences on wild rides through the human psyche. And I'm pleased to say that many of the elements we'd come to expect from "the master" were present in 'The Lodger' (1927), his first full-fledged thriller. (Yes, he worked on films prior to this, but always thought of 'The Lodger' as his first.)

So I'm really looking forward to presenting this one on Sunday in Wilton. Here's the press release. See you there! And by the way, the Film Forum in NYC is currently screening some of Hitch's great films from the 1950s. They're running 'Vertigo' on Saturday, Oct. 29, and I hope to make there prior to a mini-Fordham reunion later that day in da Bronx.


FRIDAY, SEPT. 16, 2011 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Hitchcock's first, 'The Lodger,' to screen Sunday, Oct. 2 at Wilton Town Hall Theater

Creepy silent thriller about killings in London marked legendary director's debut; to be shown on the big screen with live music

WILTON, N.H.—A half-century of murder has to start somewhere. And for movie director Alfred Hitchcock, it began with 'The Lodger' (1927), a silent thriller that stunned audiences when it was first released, and contained many of his trademark touches.

'The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog,' will be shown at the Wilton Town Hall Theater on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 4:30 p.m. The program, the latest in the theater's silent film series, will be accompanied by live music performed by silent film composer Jeff Rapsis. Admission is free, with donations welcome.

The film, shot in England and based on a story and stage play by Marie Belloc Lowndes, concerns the hunt for a serial killer in London. British matinee idol Ivor Novello plays Jonathan Drew, a quiet, secretive young man who rents a room in a London boarding house. Drew's arrival coincides with the reign of terror orchestrated by a mysterious "Jack The Ripper"-like killer, who murders a blonde woman every Tuesday evening.

As the film progresses, circumstantial evidence begins to mount, pointing to Drew as the murderer. Suspense and drama escalate in true Hitchcock fashion as the viewer wonders if the lodger really could be the killer—and if so, what danger awaits the landlord's daughter, who is falling in love with the mysterious stranger. The all-British cast includes Malcom Keen, Arthur Chesney, and Marie Ault.

'The Lodger' introduced themes that would run through much of Hitchcock’s later work: an innocent man on the run, hunted down by a self-righteous society, and a strong link between sexuality and murder. About 'The Lodger,' Hitchcock scholar Donald Spoto wrote that for "the first time Hitchcock has revealed his psychological attraction to the association between sex and murder, between ecstasy and death."

'The Lodger' also launched the Hitchcock tradition of making a cameo appearance in each of his films. In 'The Lodger,' Hitchcock appears briefly about three minutes into the film, sitting at a desk in a newsroom with his back to the camera and using a telephone. The cameo appearance tradition, which continued for the rest of his long career, came about in 'The Lodger' when the actor supposed to play the part of the telephone operator failed to turn up, and Hitchcock filled the breach.

Some critics say 'The Lodger' broke new ground in the previously moribund British cinema, showing a truly cinematic eye at work. In creating the movie, Hitchcock had clearly been watching contemporary films by German directors F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, whose influence can be seen in the ominous camera angles and claustrophobic lighting.

While Hitchcock had made two previous films, in later years the director would refer to 'The Lodger,' his first thriller, as the first true "Hitchcock film." The movie has since been remade several times, most recently in 2009, in an updated version starring Alfred Molina and Hope Davis.

In reviving the original 'The Lodger,' the Wilton Town Hall Theater aims to show silent movies as they were meant to be seen—in high quality prints, on a large screen, with live music, and with an audience.

"All those elements are important parts of the silent film experience," said Jeff Rapsis, who will improvise a musical score during the screening. "Recreate those conditions, and the classics of early Hollywood leap back to life. They all featured great stories with compelling characters and universal appeal, so it's no surprise that they hold up and we still respond to them."

Rapsis performs on a digital synthesizer that reproduces the texture of the full orchestra and creates a traditional "movie score" sound.

‘The Lodger' will be shown on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 4:30 p.m. the Wilton Town Hall Theater, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.; (603) 654-3456. Free admission; donations encouraged. For more information, visit http://www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com. For more info on the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.