The Tenant (1976)

A meek Polish man, Trelkovsky, rents an apartment where the previous tenant, Simone Choule, committed suicide by throwing herself from the third floor window. As the days pass, Trelkovsky becomes convinced that the other tenants, the concierge (Shelley Winters), and his landlord Monsieur Zy (Melvyn Douglas) are conspiring to drive him to kill himself as well.The opening credits for The Tenant appear over a breathtaking Louma crane shot that crawls around the exterior of a Paris apartment complex (reminding me of a similar sequence in Dario Argento's Tenebrae): it's an impressive way to begin a film, but sadly very little about the rest of Roman Polanski's '76 psycho-drama comes close to matching it.For much of the time, very little of interest happens, the film detailing the trivialities of Trelkovsky day-to-day life, all at a snail's pace. Polanski uses these scenes to drip-feed us clues as to what is happening to his character (Trelkovsky gradually assuming the habits of Simone); in this way, The Tenant is similar in style to Polanski's earlier psychological drama Repulsion, where a very measured pace was also employed, but the director (taking the lead role) is no Catherine Deneuve (although he does dress up in drag for part of the film), and his script is far less evolved. The result is boredom instead of intrigue.At over two hours long, The Tenant is a real test of one's resolve, with the quite frankly ridiculous sight of Polanski in full make-up and woman's attire making the film impossible to take seriously. Even the presence of French beauty Isabelle Adjani (as Simone's friend Stella), and some more impressive Louma work, don't help matters much. One just wishes that Trelkovsky would hurry up and chuck himself out the window (which he eventually does, not just once, but twice—talk about over-egging the pudding!).3/10—a real disappointment.

"The Tenant" focuses on Trelkovsky, a young European who moves into a crumbling apartment building in Paris where the former tenant, an Egyptologist, committed suicide by leaping out of the window and through a pane of glass. Trelkovsky finds himself pestered by the other tenants, as well as both his landlord and the concierge (Melvyn Douglas; Shelley Winters), but most bothersome is the inexplicable occurrences in the building—items disappearing in a matter of seconds; his neighbors standing motionless in the windows of the communal bath house for hours on end; and moreover, the subtle and bizarre changes to his personality.Decried by many critics upon its release but heralded as a cult film and final installment in Roman Polanski's "Apartment Trilogy," "The Tenant" is one of the weirder offerings from the auteur. One major difference is that Polanski stars and directs, which allows him a double-edge that the previous films of the trilogy ("Rosemary's Baby," "Repulsion") did not allow.As with the former two films, "The Tenant" is a slow and cerebral offering that ramps up the nightmarish qualities almost to the point that they border on surrealism, though it never quite reaches that extreme. The almost-surrealism of the film is unexpectedly unnerving and, though not nearly as claustrophobic as its precedents, the film is considerably more bizarre. The dynamics of the characters are odd from the get-go: the disaffected landlord listens to Trelkovsky practically beg for the near-derelict apartment. The same day, Trelkovsky discovers the story of Simone, the former tenant who attempted suicide in the apartment. He goes to visit her in the hospital, where he meets her eccentric friend (Isabelle Adjani); Simone dies in front of them, though the extent to which this registers with them (particularly Trelkovsky) is vague. After they leave the hospital, the two go see a Bruce Lee movie at the cinema. Many have remarked the Kafkaesque qualities of the film, and it's a valid observation. There is a distinct meeting of the arbitrary with the absurd, an element that seems to be embedded within "The Tenant," and the visual components that carry it along are striking and at times downright chilling. Polanski is memorable in the lead role, while Melvyn Douglas and Shelley Winters have unexpected turns as the disaffected owner/cold concierge of the apartment building. Adjani's character is wacky and more or less peripheral, but her scenes are great.The film's conclusion is fittingly ambiguous and frankly expected given how deep Polanski whisks his audience down the rabbit hole with the film. It is perhaps as frustrating as it is thought-provoking, and is far more equivocal than "Repulsion" or "Rosemary's Baby," both of which left more perceivable breadcrumbs. More than anything, though, the visual qualities of the film are what I found to be most striking (and most terrifying). It is, on multiple occasions, the film equivalent of a portrait of a nightmare, and for that, it is a true gem. 9/10.

This film should be listed as a cinema self help story called When Bad Movies Happen to Good Film Makers". Watching The Tenant is a bit like having to sit and listen to your brother-in-law explain why he once again has gotten fired from his latest job, only not quite as interesting. It's the third part of Polanski's apartment trilogy. It should be the third part of a Robot Monster and Plan 9 from Outer Space Trilogy.I saw The Tenant nearly 35 years ago and had quite frankly forgotten it. A close friend whose cinematic opinions I respect, got a copy of The Tenant on 16mm, recently and convinced me to view it with him. I got the same feeling watching it again as I would were I trapped in a dentist chair and having Lawrence Oliver keep asking me "Is it safe?"My friend loves the film and considers it a masterpiece of horror. I just say we should agree to disagree.I love Isabelle Adjani and I could watch a film of her just brushing her teeth, but even she isn't enough to lift the movie for me. Roman Polanski is a genuine artistic genius so I can easily forgive him a bit of egotistical self indulgence which The Tenant is. If you adore The Tenant as a landmark in the history of horror cinema- Why is it with Polanski you always find yourself saying film or cinema rather the movies or pictures? - anyway if you like it, well more power to you! I'll watch the Screaming Skull.

Entire movie is nerve-racking experience. Not exactly frightening but unsettling and leaving us disturbed.Every time I watch this movie, it makes me think from different angle.I read some where that it was Roman Polanski's experiment and he did not liked it much. Still I rate this movie more than his other classic work like Rosemary's baby and Repulsion which are also dealing with loneliness and psychological issues.This film would have been incomplete without Sven Nykvist. This was the first time Sven working with Polanski and he nailed it. This is one the best photography and camera work by him. Use of Jimmy Jib in opening credit scene is astounding and notable. It's single uncut shot where camera moves slowly showing every window in apartment and finally tenant entering as if birth of human being, soul(Tenant) entering in body(Apartment). Marvelous job. Unlike Sven's earlier work with Ingmar Bergman where he has used extreme closeup and bright colors to lit up the actors, here in Tenant he kept the tone dark and shot the sequences in low light, still manages to show every single visual detail of the background which was extremely necessary to create necessary atmosphere.Regarding screenplay - Though I have yet to read original novel but watching movie, I feel Polanski and Gerard's screenplay must have justified the Roland's novel. Original story is ambiguous and so does the movie script. Every time we watch, we can change our conclusion. It's unclear and confusing. Entire premise of Apartment and tenant is symbolic representation of Body and Soul. Movie mainly deals with Protagonist's paranoia. How his loneliness and weak mind absorb his identity and transform him to psychologically disturbed person. Location plays vital role in his loneliness. And who else knows better than Polanski how to use location and camera.All actors have played their part very well. It was Polanski's smart move to chose himself as the main character. His face and physical stature fits the role perfectly.Only single scene which I am yet to understand is Slap of kid ??? May be that shows how much he is disturbed.If you really like movies dealing with mind game / psychological issues, then along with Repulsion and Rosemary's baby this one is for you.