the lodger be the feature which hitchcock himself describe a his first true film ( it be actually his third complete one ) and and film historian and particularly auteurists tend to focus upon it because it be it introduce theme of murder and suspense that hitch name would later be synonymous with . to be honest and the first thing that strike me upon watch the lodger be it sense of rhythm . hitchcock early film be always very rhythmic and the opening moment of the lodger be a great example and with a dynamic and attention grab sequence of shot and title card . much of this however may be down to the style of the seldom reference screenwriter eliot stannard and who have a credit on all but one of hitchcock silents . stannard be a master at tell story in purely visual term and and his screenplay often go as far a to map out series of interlock image . the next very obvious thing about the lodger be that right from the start hitchcock be more interested in cinematic technique than he be in performance or artistry . the lodger be cram with expressionist effect and in particular double exposure . hitch clearly hadn not learn the art of subtlety yet and these be massively overused . we can also tell early on that hitchcock be interested in use his camera to involve the audience in the film and throwing in point of view shot or draw our attention to specific item . in this regard his technique be not yet refine . he be develop it in his late silents . of course what generally interest follower of hitchcock career be the fact that the lodger be the first time he deal with the grisly subject of murder . it true that there be many hitchcockian element here murder and blonde and a love triangle and even a macguffin in the form of the avenger whom all the character be concern about but isn not the focus of the story . there be a kind of morbid sensationalism concern the killing and something we would see right through to the other end of hitch career with the comment about ripped whore in 1972 frenzy . there also of course a wrong man and although here he appear more a the subject of a whodunit . the late hitchcock would have focus upon the plight of the wrongly accuse and and make a more suspenseful film in the process . all in all and the lodger isn not really a significant an early hitchcock a some would believe . for one thing there be the influence of screenwriter stannard and the fact that hitchcock and although he may have relish the material and be still very young and inexperienced . the fact be the lodger may contain more of stannard influence than it do hitchcock . it not a if hitchcock immediately begin make more murder thriller . the majority of his british thriller be of the espionage or adventure variety and and it would take up until the early 40 for hitchcock to really begin make masterpiece in the domestic murder genre . it also nowhere near be hitch best silent film and even though it tend to be remember over more polished work like the ring and the manxman . take out of context though and it be a fairly decent late silent thriller and with only a few minor flaw in plot and direction .