Dick
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- May 22, 1999
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- Rick
THE LODGER (1926)LABEL: NetworkCOUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UKREGION: Region B LockedASPECT RATIO: 1.33:1C/BW: B&WSOUND: One Choice Only: LPCM Surround (apparently 5.1) with score by Nitin SawhneySUBTITLES: None. Intertitles make these unnecessary. BONUS MATERIAL: Photo galley, interview with composer Nitin Sawhney, 15-page booklet.CHAPTERS: 12Probably the best and best-known of the silent films directed by Alfred Hitchcock, very much suggesting the crimes of Jack The Ripper without ever mentioning the name. There is a lot to like about the film, and it does include a few of what would soon become signature Hitchcock touches.
The image quality is delightful. Correctly framed at 1.33:1, the presentation is mostly tinted, and I actually like the colors chosen to present this. While the contrast is not terrific (mediocre black levels), the detail is strong, and the picture is very sharp. I was quite happy after watching this.
But there is a caveat...A HUGE CAVEAT.
The surround score is by someone named Nitin Sawhney, who I am not familiar with. He has provided a mostly serviceable modern score for THE LODGER, not unlike those TCM added to various silent films when they were holding contests for musicians nation-wide. I like most of this music well enough and, credit where credit is due, the final few moments have a lovely underscore.
BUT...
During a romantic sequence early-on in the film, there is suddenly a modern pop song, and not a good one, taking me completely out of the movie. I instantly thought: what an ego! This Sawhney dude needed to find an outlet for a song he had written and just arbitrarily stuffed it into this movie. It's COMPLETELY INAPPROPRIATE. What was Network thinking, allowing this to happen without even offering an alternate soundtrack option? I bought this disc having read there were issues with the score, so I can only blame myself, but I had no idea how bad this song was. Just when I thought that song was an anomalie, another one was thrown at me toward the end of the film (not as bad as the first, but what the hey?).
So, it's a toss-up. Fine PQ, sometimes awful (i.e. offensive) music score. A message to Mr. Sawhney: I hope you didn't give up your day job.
The image quality is delightful. Correctly framed at 1.33:1, the presentation is mostly tinted, and I actually like the colors chosen to present this. While the contrast is not terrific (mediocre black levels), the detail is strong, and the picture is very sharp. I was quite happy after watching this.
But there is a caveat...A HUGE CAVEAT.
The surround score is by someone named Nitin Sawhney, who I am not familiar with. He has provided a mostly serviceable modern score for THE LODGER, not unlike those TCM added to various silent films when they were holding contests for musicians nation-wide. I like most of this music well enough and, credit where credit is due, the final few moments have a lovely underscore.
BUT...
During a romantic sequence early-on in the film, there is suddenly a modern pop song, and not a good one, taking me completely out of the movie. I instantly thought: what an ego! This Sawhney dude needed to find an outlet for a song he had written and just arbitrarily stuffed it into this movie. It's COMPLETELY INAPPROPRIATE. What was Network thinking, allowing this to happen without even offering an alternate soundtrack option? I bought this disc having read there were issues with the score, so I can only blame myself, but I had no idea how bad this song was. Just when I thought that song was an anomalie, another one was thrown at me toward the end of the film (not as bad as the first, but what the hey?).
So, it's a toss-up. Fine PQ, sometimes awful (i.e. offensive) music score. A message to Mr. Sawhney: I hope you didn't give up your day job.