The suggested viewing order for all of these films would be in chronological order, as it offers a nice insight into Hitchcock's progression as a director. That's definitely the case with Young and Innocent as well, though you can see the clear sense of development as far as Hitchcock’s techniques are concerned.

Oftentimes you have the everyman finding himself caught up in a large conspiracy, oftentimes setting out to thwart the problem with a woman by his side. Through the mid-30s till the early 40s, there's definitely a similar throughline that runs through Hitchock's career. She’s the daughter of a police officer, and as she finds herself along for the ride, she also has to interact with her family members, all while continuing to keep up the facade of what’s really happening around her. What’s fun about Young and Innocent is how Hitchcock incorporates Nova Pilbeam’s character into the scheme of things. Along with a young woman, he sets out to find the key piece of evidence in helping him clear his name.

It’s an easy case to make that The Lodger is Hitchock’s finest silent film effort, as it so expertly captures all of the early elements of what audiences would later come to love him for.Īfter a young man finds the corpse of a woman he knew on the beach, he is quickly accused of committing the crime. You’d see this in movies like Gaslight (1944), which would utilize its almost suffocating at times setting incredibly well, and a type of set that Hitchcock himself incorporated so wonderfully in movies like Psycho. In many ways that a lot of his older films so perfectly utilize sets in a way that they almost feel like characters themselves, the residence in The Lodger has a similar creepy old house vibe. Taking clear inspiration from Jack the Ripper, Hitchcock gets a solid foundation for a mystery shrouded in the increasingly heavy subject material. With Novello in the lead role-who Hitchcock would also work alongside in the same year in Downhill-he gives a well-rounded performance that does a great job of creating a sense of unease around him. When a young man ( Ivor Novello) takes up lodging at a guest house, suspicions begin to arise around his stay. The film takes audiences to London, as a serial killer remains at large.

Often cited as the first great Hitchcock film, there’s a clear directorial vision that’s present throughout The Lodger, especially when compared to many of his other earlier works.

Shadow of a doubt watch