The Bootleg Files: The Lodger, aka The Phantom Fiend

Posted on April 5, 2024 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 860: “The Lodger,” also known as “The Phantom Fiend” (1932 thriller starring Ivor Novello and Elizabeth Allan).

LAST SEEN: On several online video sites.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain labels.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A lapsed copyright in the United States.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely as a fully restored production.

During the 1920s, the British film industry was a mostly uninspired environment that failed to match the Hollywood film machine or the silver screen output from France, Germany and the Soviet Union in terms of artistry and commercial appeal. That situation shifted somewhat with the 1927 release of “The Lodger,” an adaptation of Marie Belloc Lowndes’ thriller inspired by the Jack the Ripper murders. Under the direction of the then-unknown Alfred Hitchcock, “The Lodger” was a visually imaginative study in fear and paranoia – and much of its appeal at the time was the against-type casting of matinee idol Ivor Novello as a mysterious figure suspected of being a serial killer.
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Acting for Hitchcock, Part 1

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Phil Hall

“The Online Movie Show” returns for its fifth season! Up first: part one of a two-part conversation with film historian Dan Callahan on Alfred Hitchcock’s approach to bringing great performances out of his actors.

The episode can be heard here.

Hitchcock and the Censors

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Phil Hall

Throughout his career, Alfred Hitchcock engaged in a battle of wits with film censors in Britain, Hollywood and World War II-era Washington. On this episode, we learn about Hitchcock’s ability to evade censorship controls. Our guest on this episode of “The Online Movie Show” is John Billheimer, author of the new book “Hitchcock and the Censors.”

The episode can be heard here.

The Bootleg Files: Elstree Calling

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 678: “Elstree Calling” (1930 British musical revue co-directed by Alfred Hitchcock).

LAST SEEN: We cannot confirm the last public exhibition of this film.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On bootleg video labels only.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Never made available for U.S. commercial home entertainment release.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: It is possible, but not a priority.

In 1930, the first British musical feature film was released under the title “Elstree Calling.” Today, most people are aware of the film only because of Alfred Hitchcock’s involvement in the production.

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Rope (1948)

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Felix Vasquez

While most people would consider films like “Psycho,” or “Rear Window” to be top notch Hitchcock, I often insist that “Rope” is where Hitchcock manages to shine the most. At the very least it’s what I consider the best Hitchcock has ever been because he manages to challenge himself at every turn here. With “Rope,” adapted from an actual real life crime, Hitchcock lingers on his characters and his setting, adopted ten minute long extended takes that were the length of a normal camera magazine. With the long takes, Hitchcock is allowed to use the camera as a proxy for we, the spectator, who are watching and waiting to see if our villains Phillip and Brandon are going to be caught.

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78/52 (2017) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2017]

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Felix Vasquez

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a hardcore film and horror buff and one of the first shots of a horror movie I ever recall watching was the scene in “Psycho” where Marion Crane is stalked in her shower and mercilessly stabbed to death. It’s a scene I’ve seen at least a thousand times since I was a child and its effectiveness and impact have never worn off for me. Every scene, every second, every single shot is so deliberate and meticulous that Hitchcock creates an entity on to itself in a genuinely flawless horror film. It’s not often you’ll find a full length documentary about one shot in an entire movie, but the iconic moment with Janet Leigh is a sequence that warrants so much examination and analyses. It’s every bit the symbolism and metaphor audiences of the fifties weren’t expecting.

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