• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Soundtrack Review: Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger by Nitin Sawhney

July 23, 2012 by admin

Simon Columb reviews Nitin Sawhney’s new soundtrack for the silent Alfred Hitchcock classic The Lodger…

Nitin Sawhney has become a sought-after film composer through successful scores for Nike adverts and BBC’s Human Planet TV series. This summer, in conjunction with Network Releasing and the BFI, Sawhney has composed a new score for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1926 silent film The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog. I cannot help but smile at the apt timing of this release during the summer whereby sun is the last weather we Londoners are expecting – fog is much more likely. In addition to this, the film stars Ivor Novello as a man suspected of being the serial killer known as (how perfect is this in 2012…) ‘The Avenger’. The film harks back to Hitchcock’s roots in German Expressionism as he uses angular shots and reflects the mental states of the characters in the arrangement of the shot itself – not dissimilar to Expressionist classics The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Nosferatu.

Sawhney notes the influence of Bernard Herrmann – the exceptional composer who worked with Hitch on his most memorable films Vertigo and The Birds. You can feel his influence as strings pull the music forward through this score. The gentle, sweeping strings lure you into the story and fill your head with thoughts of murder, harking back to Psycho. In many instances, a single brass instrument will boldly dictate the melody as strings – possibly a harp – gently set the backdrop to the sequence.

Personally, the first score which I recalled when listening to this initially was A Single Man by Korzeniowski. Interestingly, Korzeniowski was hugely influenced by Herrmann too, even choosing a track from Vertigo to use within the film itself. The Lodger can sometimes move into smaller-scale piano melodies that don’t suit the huge London Orchestra Symphony that dominate the vast majority of the score – but it is often short-lived, before the sweeping strings pull you back into the majestic Herrmann-territory Sawhney aims to channel.

This truly is a fascinating score that uses the Hitchcock film to musically pay homage to an incredible composer. Sawhney doesn’t only imitate the style of Herrmann, he also manages to modernise the score by even introducing some vocals in the later tracks. Try and seek this score out, but be prepared for a couple of jarring moments whereby it drops from a grand and epic sound to cheap and fleeting moments that seem out of place.

The Lodger OST is released today, RRP £14.99.

Simon Columb

Originally published July 23, 2012. Updated April 10, 2018.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

20 Epic Car Chases That Will Drive You Wild

The Essential Indiana Jones Rip Off Movies of the 1980s

10 Horror Movies Ripe for a Modern Remake

Ten Controversial Movies and the Drama Around Them

8 Essential Feel-Good British Underdog Movies

The Next 007: 3 Actors Who Could Lead James Bond Into the New Era

The Contemporary Queens of Action Cinema

Are we about to see The Rocknaissance?

Horror Video Games We Need As Movies

Asian Shock Horror Movies You Have To See

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

Top Stories:

Movie Review – Bugonia (2025)

10 Must-See Comedy Movies From 1995

Why the 80s and 90s Were the Most Enjoyable Era for Movies

10 Horror Movies Ripe for a Modern Remake

Movie Review – Black Phone 2 (2025)

Movie Review – After the Hunt (2025)

2025 BFI London Film Festival Review – Nouvelle Vague

10 Must-See Boxing Movies That Pack a Punch

2025 BFI London Film Festival Review – Blue Moon

90s Guilty Pleasure Thrillers So Bad They’re Actually Good

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

Eight Essential Sci-Fi Prison Movies

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Revisited: The Birth of a Horror Icon

10 Great Cult B-Movies of the VHS Era

The Essential One Man Army Action Movies

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles and Opinions
  • Write for Flickering Myth
  • About Flickering Myth
  • The Baby in the Basket