The Landlord (1970)

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 | Love | Father Son Relationship | Black Woman

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:

Brand New Day

A feel Good Movie..

This overall excellent movie from the early 70's blackploitation period showcased the stereotypes that permeated the landscape of those times. It came out during the same time period as All In The Family. The Landlord dealt with some of the same issues as Archie Bunkers family did. Thank God there was a time that wasn't PC and things could be shown as they were and not as someone wished they would be.

As America struggled with the issues of race and prejudice, a movie such as this came along and tried to show that color shouldn't be a barrier to true love and friendship. Nowadays, it's nothing for blacks and whites to mix. The barriers have been somewhat broken, although some may say it was forced on white america with all the affirmative action laws and equal rights.

I always thought Beau Bridges was one of the least attractive actors whatwith his big bushy eyebrows, but after I saw The Landlord, he was actually somewhat handsome and cute in his 20's! And the fact that the lead actor falls in love with a light-skinned blackwoman wasn't lost on me either. Hollywood will still only use lighter black women(Halley Berry, Vanessa Williams types) for lead roles in movies. Beau Bridges even mentions it to his mother that she might like his new black girlfriend because she was "very light". I guess they were ahead of the times back then!But we all know it's so as not to offend WHITE AMERICA.

And there was also the rascism that is directed from blacks towards whites that still exist today. It's like some blacks think ALL whites are bad people. That we all are descendants from the white slave-owners! Many of us came over as immigrants from European countries and had nothing to do with slavery!

All in all, The Landlord was a good movie. I almost thought I was watching the Black Entertainment channel! But it was AMC! And it was good. And there was a lot of symbolism in the movie, like the white family wearing alot of white clothing and living in a white house! And it also shows that if you get to know someone and act like a human being with a heart, color won't matter at all. People are people on the inside and that is what we need to look at, not what is on the outside! We can appreciate our diversities and enjoy them..not ridicule them. In the movie we see that ignorance leads to the problems of racism. Not color! Check this movie out.