Jericho Mansions (2003)

A murder in an old apartment building leads the superintendent to suspect everyone, and eventually himself, of the murder.

Director:

Alberto Sciamma

Writers:

Harriet Sand, Alberto Sciamma

Stars:

James Caan, Geneviève Bujold, Jennifer Tilly

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Caan	...	Leonard Grey
Geneviève Bujold	...	Lily Melnick
Jennifer Tilly	...	Donna Cherry
Maribel Verdú	...	Dolores O'Donell
Peter Keleghan	...	Bill Cherry
Pierre Rioux	...	Robert Melnick
Bruce Ramsay	...	Eugene O'Donnell
Susan Glover	...	Valda
Mark Camacho	...	Gilbert
Victoria Jane Allen	...	Holly
Joe Cobden	...	Vikes
David Gow	...	Slasey
John Bourgeois	...	Detective Carp
David Attis	...	Big Belly
Roseanne Maloney	...	Female Singer

Storyline

Leonard Grey has been the super of the apartment building Jericho Mansions owned by Lily Melnick for thirty years. Leonard is slow and agoraphobic, as well as having amnesia, and dedicates his leisure time to build a complex bridge with clips. When the husband of the landlady (Lily) dies and she receives a call from her sister that lives in Europe, Lily rebukes Leonard and tries to force him to be fired or arrested by the police, forging evidences that he is a thief. However, most of the dwellers like Leonard and he stays working in the building. When Bill Cherry, husband of the masseuse Donna Cherry and lover of Dolores O'Donell, is murdered in Jericho Mansions during the night, the police investigate. There are many suspects, including Dolores's betrayed husband Eugene; Lily and Leonard. However, Jericho Mansions hides a dark and cruel secret.

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Plot Keywords:

apartment building | masseuse | amnesia | superintendent | agoraphobia | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language, sexuality and drug use

Details

Country:

Canada UK

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

27 April 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Jerikó bérház titka

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$6,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Milagro Films, Movision, Snowfall Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Rosemary's Baby (1968)

User Reviews

A Very Good Bad Movie

This film is so bad it's definitely good. A decent cast led by James Caan & Genevieve Bujold, a tortured script and one of the best buildings ("Jericho Mansions") in cinema since "the Bates Mansion" of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic black comedy "Psycho." I would not be the least surprised if this perfect bomb eventually became a cult classic. Maybe if it could get an extended Halloween run at an Art House cinema in Cambridge (MA)? The dialog is pure camp and the cinematography is so confusing and disjointed that a viewer could begin wondering if their sanity could really be counted upon if reality were to be ever so slightly tweaked. In spite of all this it miraculously, somehow, works! From one bad scene to the next one finds oneself, almost hypnotically, waiting to see what will happen next.

To avoid including any spoilers I will not comment on the plot. Basically, it probably can be categorized as belonging to the "Mystery" genre but this does not do it full justice as it has aspects of comedy, both black, screwball and otherwise, as well as farce and satire.

I would not hesitate to recommend this one to anyone looking for an escape from the mind numbing mainstream cinema that is afflicting the public in these times.