The film series “The Master of Suspense: Alfred Hitchcock Classics” continues with a screening of 1927’s The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog. Hitchcock had already directed a couple of films before helming this silent feature, but this is the movie that was commonly called (even by the Master himself) “the first Alfred Hitchcock picture.” Among other reasons, it’s the director’s first thriller (his two previous flicks were both melodramas); it incorporates one of his favorite themes, that of a potentially innocent man being hounded for a crime he may not have committed; it features some nifty techniques that would come to full flower in subsequent works; and, as the cherry on top, it features the first of his legendary cameo appearances. Ivor Novello stars as a stranger who arrives on the scene just as a serial killer known as The Avenger (though clearly based on Jack the Ripper) is prowling the London streets and murdering nubile blondes. Could he be the killer? Local pianist Ethan Uslan will provide live musical accompaniment for the film. Free admission. 2 p.m. ImaginOn’s Wachovia Playhouse, 300 E. 7th St. 704-416-0252.
This article appears in Jul 7-14, 2009.
