The film is about the Lodger (Ivor Novell) being labeled guilty for murder. There is a rash of women being strangled in London at the hands of a man called the Avenger. The villain is a neurotic, detective Joe Betts (Malcolm Keen) who is extremely jealous of the Lodger (Ivor Novello ) who becomes friendly with his fiancé Daisy Bunting (June, Lady Iverclyde). Betts wants to pin the Avenger murders on the Lodger, because Betts is feeling insecure about his romantic relationship with Daisy. .
There is a few a symbolic metaphors used Lodger, the first one was uncovered was the use of a staircase. InArt of Alfred Hitchcock? written by Donald Spoto supports this fact by stating,The Lodger [displays] classic staircase, [which] is [known] as western symbol, describes relationships in terms of ascent and descent along the stair case. [?] The landscape of the mind and emotion is all more acutely rendered because; it is drawn symbolically and in silence? (1). This film shows the stair case at different points of the characters relationship with others using the stair case as a symbolic metaphor. The interesting twist at the end of the movie is the fact that the Lodger would consider taking drastic measures to clear his own name, that he would consider murdering the Avenger. Therefore, by this act alone creates a victim of circumstance. .
[?] The major [theme of the Lodger movie] is not discovery of the crime, but, the criminal tendencies which exists in apparently innocent characters? (1). .
By the 1930's Alfred Hitchcock has established himself as a director in Britain. Film such as; Secret Agent (1936) and, The Lady Vanishes (1938) are both dealing with situations of the current decaying political environment in Europe. In the movie, 39 Steps (1939) was a pre-war, spy chase thriller that gave Alfred Hitchcock international fame. The film starts with a murder of a secret agent.
