The Tenant
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Movie Reviews of The Tenant
Movie Review: THE TENANT (PARAMOUNT PICTURES/1976)
Summary: 4 Stars
REVIEW: "There's something going on in my building." declares our protagonist, Trelkovsky, to his friends over dinner one night: and so begins his long, slow descent into fear and paranoia in Roman Polanski's dark, disturbing thriller "THE TENANT". This is the third (and weakest) entry in the director's so-called "apartment house trilogy" (preceeded by the classic "REPULSION", and the sinister evil of "ROSEMARY'S BABY"). It stars Polanski himself (a canny move) as a quiet, somewhat put-upon fellow who is ecstatic to find an apartment for let in Paris that has just come open due to the previous tenant's suicide. From this sombre beginning the film becomes increasingly more and more bizarre: as the audience is never quite sure if Polanski's character is really in danger from the other neighbors (who may or may not have conspired to kill that former tenant), or whether someone is trying to drive him crazy, or whether he is having a complete mental breakdown. I won't give away the ending: but safe to say that the tremendous buildup turns out to be a bit of a let down (and that much of what went on before is left unexplained). Repeated viewings of the film helps to alleviate the initial sense of disappointment (while teasing its audience to try and figure out just what the heck is going on with this story). Of course, anything by Polanski is always worth watching, but the screenplays to "REPULSION" and "ROSEMARY'S BABY" were far more clearly defined nightmares (one internal, one external) of urban life. "THE TENANT" tries to have it both ways: as a psychological horror story and as a real-life horror story. Yet it falters a bit on both accounts despite the excellent performances, and the beautiful camera work by legendary cinematographer Sven Nykvist.
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY SEEN THE MOVIE: if you haven't yet seen the film then I would suggest you stop reading this review as I am going to reveal the ending to it. The whole gist of Trelkovsky's eventual descent into madness can also be analyzed from a spiritual point-of-view. As we see the poor guy becoming more and more unhinged it is certainly arguable that he is undergoing demonic possession: to the point of dressing like the dead woman who previously rented the apartment, speaking in her voice, and seeing all sorts of evil hallucinations. There are a couple of scenes I can refer to in order to back up this hypothesis: the earlier one inside a church where he attends Simone's funeral and has a panic attack (with the sermon by the priest gradually turning into a sadistic, mocking liturgy in which Trelkovsky "hears" him say such stuff as "Christ ascended into Heaven and have joined the hosts of angels on high: but not for creeps like you" and "What are you doing here in my temple? The graveyard is where you belong! Thou shalt stink! Thou shalt stink like some putrified corpse lying along the wayside! Verily, I say unto thee: thou shalt never enter into my kingdom."), and the gory finale where he is confronted by concerned neighbors but "sees" them morphing into forked-tongued snakes and demonic-looking monsters. The idea of the Devil exploiting Trelkovsky's own fears and weaknesses, and the final overtaking of his mind by evil forces may be a frightening way to view "THE TENANT", but it will certainly add to the discussion of the ordeal Polanski puts his audience through. Either way it is a terribly sad, terribly creepy, and terribly depressing motion picture.
Movie Review: If you like Kafka...
Summary: 4 Stars
Yes, this is a bizarre film. If you don't like your films a little "artsy," you might want to steer clear. If done well, I really like this type of film and found myself enjoying this one. I have not read the novel by Roland Topor, so I cannot draw comparisons between the movie and the book. It seems to me, however, that Mr. Topor was heavily influenced by the works of Franz Kafka. His use of absurdities, such as playing soccer with a human head and Mr. Trelkovsky changing into a woman, reminds me of "The Metamorphosis." The alienation, sense of solitude and conspiracy reminds me of "The Trial." Despite its morbid themes, the film also has a pervasive, dark humor to it that reminds me of both Kafka's writing and Stanley Kubrick's films. The film begins innocuously enough and really takes its time to build suspense. Although known as a director, it turns out Polanski can act and is quite charming and charismatic. It is his ability to carry the film as an actor that draws us into this film and captivates us, even though nothing terribly exciting happens at the onset. The film is filled with interesting characters and terrific dialogue, which alone would be enough to make the film worth recommending. Then there is the luminous Isabelle Adjani, who alone also would make the film worth watching. She is absolutely gorgeous, even behind those massive 70's glasses and funky clothes. Unfortunately, her time on screen is all too brief. One thing that bothers me a little is the fact the film was apparently shot in both English and in French, though one of the languages is dubbed, depending on which language track you choose. (i.e. the English is dubbed if watching in French and the French is dubbed if watching in English) I would rather watch the film in the original language with subtitles, even if it was shot using two or more languages. Just a minor grievance. Although it has nothing to do with the content of the film, I couldn't help but contemplate the relationship between Polanski and Eva Ionesco, who was about ten or eleven when the film was shot. Everyone is aware Mr. Polanski was forced to leave the United States because if his illicit contact with a thirteen year old girl, and most are aware that young Miss Ionesco posed nude for her mother at about the same age and appeared nude in such films as "Spielen Wir Liebe." Given that Mr. Polanski is also a photographer, I just could not resist wondering about that.Movie Review: Creepy and Real
Summary: 4 Stars
I recieved this DVD for my birthday last year, and had it sitting on the shelf for a quite a while. Finally one night I put it in after getting tired of watching predictable movies and got to see one of Polanski's finest attempts at making an original mystery come to life. All I knew is that it was going to be a "psychological thriller" and that he had just made CHINATOWN a year before. I was amazed to see what he had accomplished with this story. Polanski stars in it as a new tenant who moves into an apartment building with some of the weirdest and most intriguing characters I've seen in cinema. Great acting from all of them; it makes me convinced that these people exist somewhere, if not right next to me. Polanski's talent at slowly bringing in audiences to a story is certainly impressive. Once the audience is in, the film twists completely and it becomes a roller coaster racing all over the place. We are desperately trying to hold on as he takes us on a journey on how he is seeing these people through his mind. With Isabelle Adjanti acting out a strange role other than her "sad and beautiful" typical characters, I found myself appreciating her acting more than ever. The imagery in this film is some of the best I've seen, and the music makes it a work of art. There were times where I would play a scene over and over again because of the mix of music and visuals. When the film is over, it made me want to see it again because as usual, Polanski leaves the audience with letting US decide what really happened. The key to watching this film is letting yourself fall into what he showing you---not trying to predict what will happen...because you won't believe the final outcome.Movie Review: One of Polanksi's best works.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great psychological thriller by Roman Polanski, who wisely cast himself into the lead role. It takes place in Paris at an apartment building where the previous tenant killed herself by jumping off her balcony & breaking her neck.
Trelkovsky (Polanski) is a reclusive guy who hears about the apartment & gladly takes the room. He slowly gets cold & evil stares by his neighbors & fellow tenants. He starts to see clues left behind the previous tenant, a tooth in the wall, some Egyptian writing, & articles of clothing. He after a time, dresses up like her in one scene & talks about how he's pregnant. He visits Stella (Isabelle Adjani), his friend & lover.
One of the most effective non-Polanski roles would go to Shelley Winters as his landlady, who at first brushes him off like he's lost his marbles, but then becomes more like everyone else there. Trelkovsky believes that the people are out to get him & wish for him to do the same thing as his previous tenant. He tries to kill himself towards the end, but only breaks his leg, tries again, & succeeds at it then after believing that dying is better than staying in the place any longer. He really wants to get out of the place, but can't afford to at all.
Roman Polanski masterfully ties in elements of the supernatural throughout the movie, the pace is very slow but not enough to be boring. The music is perfect for the mood of the flick, as is the camerawork & the casting. Starring the likes of: Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas, Jo Van Fleet, & Shelley Winters, it has a strong cast. The DVD itself is kinda skimpy with only a trailer as the bonus features, but the audio & picture quality is good enough to make up for it.
Movie Review: Eerie Polanski thriller
Summary: 4 Stars
Roman Polanski both directs and stars in a bizarre follow up to his classic "Rosemary's Baby", again displaying an affinity for old apartment houses in "The Tenant".
Polanski stars as Trelkovsky a droll, unassuming clerk who rents an apartment in Paris which became vacated due to the apparent suicide of the previous tenant. The victim a young woman Simone Choule plummeted through a window crashing through a glass roof before hitting the ground.
Polanski moves in after being okayed by suspicious landlord Monsieur Zy played by veteran actor Melvyn Douglas. His neighbors take an annoying stance with him pestering him with demands and conditions he must follow.
Within short order Polanski finds himself falling into the same habits as the dead girl, frequenting the same restaurants, ordering the same food , smoking the same brand of cigarettes. Polanski gradually falls into a paranoic madness imagining the neighbors are plotting to drive him to a similar suicide attempt. He eventually loses it completely dressing in drag and donning a wig, in his mind becoming the suicide victim Simone Choule.
Polanski demonstrates an expansive imagination in his creation of the madness surrounding this outlandish film. Considering the unusual history of this talented artist such creativity is not unreasonable to expect