The Landlord (1970)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Hal Ashby

Writers:

Kristin Hunter (novel)
Bill Gunn (writer)

Release Date:

20 May 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Watch the landlord get his.

Plot:

At the age of twenty-nine, Elgar Enders "runs away" from home. This running away consists of buying...

Plot Keywords:

Tenant | Mulatto | Brooklyn | Love | Mental Breakdown

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Beau Bridges	...	Elgar Winthrop Julius Enders
Lee Grant	...	Joyce Enders
Diana Sands	...	Francine MarieJohnson
Pearl Bailey	...	Marge, Tenant
Walter Brooke	...	William Enders Sr.
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Copee Johnson (as Lou Gossett)
Marki Bey	...	Lanie
Mel Stewart	...	Professor Duboise (as Melvin Stewart)
Susan Anspach	...	Susan Enders
Robert Klein	...	Peter Coots (as Bob Klein)
Will Mackenzie	...	William Enders Jr.
Gretchen Walther	...	Mrs. Doris Enders
Douglas Grant	...	Walter Gee Copee
Stanley Greene	...	Heywood the Butler
Oliver Clark	...	Mr. Farcus

Runtime:

112 min | 110 min (Turner library print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG (1972) | Sweden:11 | USA:R (original rating) | USA:TV-MA (TV rating)

Company:

Cartier Productions

Movie Connections:

References The Littlest Rebel (1935)

Soundtrack:

A Man

An interesting idea that just doesn't hold up throughout the film

Beau Bridges plays a rich young man who, on a whim, buys a tenement building in a lousy neighborhood. His intention is to renovate the building into luxury apartments, but over time this changes as he starts to bond with his Black residents and seems like he would like to be Black as well. At first, when he comes to the building, he is scared away by some of the residents. Seeing Lou Gossett and the rest chasing him down the street was awfully funny, as were the social commentaries made by comparing these people with Bridges' stuck up liberal family--a family with lofty ideals, but were amazingly prejudiced at heart. However, after being a mildly diverting comedy, the film turned dreadfully serious and just seemed to lose momentum. It also had some nice insights about prejudice and race relations. In the end, though, much of original impact of the film just seemed lost. And, while it was meant as a bit of shocking film in its day, today it seems a tad dated and Bridges' character a bit unlikable.

I think aside from this mixed focus, I was also disappointed because the film was directed by the same man that did the delicious black comedy, HAROLD AND MAUDE. While some elements of THE LANDLORD seemed similar to this other film in spirit, this only seemed to be in fleeting glimpses. There were many excellent moments, but overall it just didn't hold my interest.