The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog

Dir: Alfred Hitchcock | UK | 1927 | 90 mins | Cert. PG

Set in a foggy and unsettled London with a Jack the Ripper type serial killer on the loose, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) was Alfred Hitchcock’s first thriller, and his first major commercial and critical success. Based on a story by Marie Belloc Lowndes, the film is a masterpiece of atmospheric thriller filmmaking. It contains many of Hitchcock’s subsequent trademark themes, and also features his first recognisable film cameo. Made for Michael Balcon’s new Gainsborough studios, The Lodger quickly established Hitchcock as a name director. The film was described in glowing terms by trade journal Bioscope: “It is possible that this film is the finest British production ever made.”

Formed in 2006, Minima are a Bristol-based four-piece band specialising in live accompaniment to screenings of classic silent films. Their instrumentation includes cello, double bass, guitars, dulcimer, mandolin, synthesiser and drum kit, creating a bold and unique live sound. Minima’s original scores strike up a thrilling relationship with the images and narratives of some of the most iconic silent films of 1920s, creating a truly immersive audio-visual experience. Minima specialise in the gothic horrors and thrillers of the era, performing to Nosferatu, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Phantom of the Opera and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger.

Images of the band and the film can be found on our Flickr site.

“Minima’s spine-tingling music clung to each twist of the movie… spellbinding accompaniment.” (The Guardian)
“Minima are one of the leading bands accompanying silent film in Europe” – Robert Rider, Head of Cinema, Barbican Centre, London).
“A superbly sinister live score by the soundtrack group Minima.” (The Financial Times)