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The Landlord

  • 19701970
  • RR
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
The Landlord (1970)
Hal Ashby makes his directing debut with this acclaimed social satire starring Beau Bridges as a wealthy young man who leaves his family's estate in Long Island to pursue love in a Brooklyn ghetto.
Play trailer2:34
1 Video
43 Photos
ComedyDramaRomance
Hal Ashby makes his directing debut with this acclaimed social satire starring Beau Bridges as a wealthy young man Elgar who leaves his family's estate in Long Island to pursue love in a Bro... Read allHal Ashby makes his directing debut with this acclaimed social satire starring Beau Bridges as a wealthy young man Elgar who leaves his family's estate in Long Island to pursue love in a Brooklyn ghetto.Hal Ashby makes his directing debut with this acclaimed social satire starring Beau Bridges as a wealthy young man Elgar who leaves his family's estate in Long Island to pursue love in a Brooklyn ghetto.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
    • Hal Ashby
    • Bill Gunn(screenplay)
    • Kristin Hunter(novel)
  • Stars
    • Beau Bridges
    • Lee Grant
    • Diana Sands
    • Hal Ashby
    • Bill Gunn(screenplay)
    • Kristin Hunter(novel)
  • Stars
    • Beau Bridges
    • Lee Grant
    • Diana Sands
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 41User reviews
    • 39Critic reviews
    • 75Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:34
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos43

    The Landlord (1970)
    The Landlord (1970)
    The Landlord (1970)
    The Landlord (1970)
    The Landlord (1970)
    The Landlord (1970)
    The Landlord (1970)
    The Landlord (1970)
    The Landlord (1970)
    The Landlord (1970)
    The Landlord (1970)
    The Landlord (1970)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Beau Bridges
    Beau Bridges
    • Elgar
    Lee Grant
    Lee Grant
    • Mrs. Enders
    Diana Sands
    Diana Sands
    • Fanny
    Pearl Bailey
    Pearl Bailey
    • Marge
    Walter Brooke
    Walter Brooke
    • Mr. Enders
    Louis Gossett Jr.
    Louis Gossett Jr.
    • Copee
    • (as Lou Gossett)
    Marki Bey
    Marki Bey
    • Lanie
    Mel Stewart
    Mel Stewart
    • Professor Duboise
    • (as Melvin Stewart)
    Susan Anspach
    Susan Anspach
    • Susan Enders
    Robert Klein
    Robert Klein
    • Peter
    • (as Bob Klein)
    Will Mackenzie
    Will Mackenzie
    • William Jr.
    Gretchen Walther
    • Doris
    Doug Grant
    • Walter Gee
    • (as Douglas Grant)
    Stanley Greene
    • Heywood
    Oliver Clark
    Oliver Clark
    • Mr. Farcus
    Florynce Kennedy
    Florynce Kennedy
    • Enid
    Joe Madden
    • Grandfather
    Grover Dale
    • Oscar
      • Hal Ashby
      • Bill Gunn(screenplay)
      • Kristin Hunter(novel)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The opening shot is of director Hal Ashby's actual (and short-lived) marriage to actress Joan Marshall. He is flanked by the film's star, Beau Bridges (his best man) on the left and producer Norman Jewison on the right.
    • Quotes

      Elgar Winthrop Julius Enders: [being held at gunpoint by Marge] I am the new landlord. And you are disregarding your lease by practicing whatever you're practicing here with these, with these readings. I'll have you thrown out! So if you want to shoot, just go ahead and shoot. That'll be running an illegal business, nonpayment of rent... and manslaughter.

    • Connections
      Featured in Hal Ashby: A Man Out of Time (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      Brand New Day
      Lyrics and Music by Al Kooper

      Sung by Al Kooper/The Staple Singers

    User reviews41

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Surprising
    I was pleasantly surprised with the complexity of "The Landlord". It was brilliantly directed. The cutting between different scenes was effortless and added depth to the storyline. There was plenty of symbolism, which is one of the things I always look for and enjoy in a film. For instance, when Elgar (Bridges) and his father are having an argument in the bathroom during a costume party, there is a quick cutaway to another man in the bathroom who has on a gun holster, which I thought was symbolic of the 'shootout' that was going on between Elgar and his father. In addition, the Enders family is constantly seen wearing white, and their home is decorated in white.

    I thought the acting was top notch. Beau Bridges was very convincing as a naive, sheltered man learning to appreciate and embrace a different culture. But the movie is so much deeper than that... It dealt with people trying to break free from stereotypes, people struggling to be proud of who they are and be accepted for who they are, and some people not even knowing who they are, trying to find their niche.

    I love the scene at the party that was supposedly in honor of Elgar, where more than one person tells him what it feels like to go from being an outcast to being the envy of everyone. If I remember correctly, they likened it to you having a mole in the middle of your forehead, and people are basically disgusted by it. But, then one day, that becomes the thing to have, and people begin to draw moles on their faces, but you have a real mole right there on your forehead, prominent for everyone to see, and suddenly you are "it", and your self esteem is taken to new heights. It seems like everything would be fine for you now, but I also interpreted that speech as saying that, at the time, blacks felt like they were a fad that might eventually fade out. I thought the words were very powerful, as well as the way the scene was carried out.

    I don't think a film such as this could be pulled off properly now, because there is the constant threat of backlash if things aren't completely "PC", not to mention the fact that things are so different now. I think this film was made at the right time, but it still rings true 31 years later. And, thank goodness for the satisfying and realistic ending.
    helpful•30
    4
    • gisele22
    • Nov 12, 2001

    Details

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    • Release date
      • May 20, 1970 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Cartier Productions
      • The Mirisch Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 52 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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