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Movies / On DVD / The Tenant
The Tenant

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The Tenant (1976)

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Reviews Counted:20

Fresh:18

Rotten:2

Average Rating:8/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: Trelkovsky (director Roman Polanski), a Polish immigrant residing in Paris, moves into an apartment vacated by a young woman who committed suicide by leaping out of her window. Upon moving in,... Trelkovsky (director Roman Polanski), a Polish immigrant residing in Paris, moves into an apartment vacated by a young woman who committed suicide by leaping out of her window. Upon moving in, Trelkovsky begins feeling that the woman's personality traits are being thrust upon him. At a local shop, the proprietor offers him the breakfast and cigarettes that the woman usually purchased--and he accepts them. Holed up in the psychotic environment of a dark Parisian building that's peopled with odd characters, Trelkovsky feels himself overcome by a kind of madness. His slow mental deterioration finally compels him to emulate the woman's final, tragic hours. Polanski's twisted and darkly comic thriller was nominated for the Golden Palm (Best Picture) at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival. [More]

Starring: Roman Polanski, Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas, Jo Van Fleet

Starring: Roman Polanski, Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas, Jo Van Fleet, Shelley Winters, Bernard Fresson, Lila Kedrova, Claude Dauphin

Director: Roman Polanski

Director: Roman Polanski
Producer: Andrew Braunsberg
Story: Roland Topor
Composer: Philippe Sarde
Screenwriter: Gerard Brach

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jul 1, 2003

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Tenant

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1 - 20 (sorted by source)
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Owing to the very same personal urgency that makes it a masterpiece, it is overwhelmingly solipsistic and ultimately alienating.

Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
09/14/07
Tim Brayton
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

Roman Polanski’s key error is almost certainly casting himself in the lead, as he is not an adept enough thespian to pull of the challenging transformation of his character.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
03/08/04
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film

The end result is somewhere between Franz Kafka and William Castle, but still worth seeing.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Tenant carries the most shocking double climax in all of cinema.

comment Comment
02/06/06
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
10/03/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Polanski directs Polanski in this creepy tale of isolation and bad real estate.

comment Comment
04/03/05
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
11/12/04
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
04/09/04
Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson
eye WEEKLY

No review available.

comment Comment
10/06/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

A masterpiece of anguish.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
07/03/03
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

No review available.

comment Comment
06/26/03
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

The Tenant's mysteries are thick indeed.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
06/25/03
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Glyphs Film Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
Scott Tobias
Scott Tobias
Glyphs Film Guide

Nightmarish, disturbing, brilliant Polanski.

comment Comment
10/14/04
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan

The Tenant gets my vote as the most disturbing film Polanski has ever made.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
11/07/02
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/09/05
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times

No review available.

comment Comment
01/14/05
Matt Bailey
Matt Bailey
Not Coming to a Theater Near You

The Tenant is Polanski at his funniest, and its humor is premised on its excess. You can think of it as a staring contest where your opponent is dressed in wild drag.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
09/05/03
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
PopMatters
 
 
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