Le locataire (1976)

A bureaucrat rents a Paris apartment where he finds himself drawn into a rabbit hole of dangerous paranoia.

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Roland Topor (novel), Gérard Brach (screenplay)

Stars:

Roman Polanski, Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roman Polanski	...	Trelkovsky
Isabelle Adjani	...	Stella
Melvyn Douglas	...	Monsieur Zy
Jo Van Fleet	...	Madame Dioz
Bernard Fresson	...	Scope
Lila Kedrova	...	Madame Gaderian
Claude Dauphin	...	Husband at the accident
Claude Piéplu	...	Neighbor (as Claude Pieplu)
Rufus	...	Georges Badar
Romain Bouteille	...	Simon
Jacques Monod	...	Cafe Owner
Patrice Alexsandre	...	Robert
Jean-Pierre Bagot	...	Policeman
Josiane Balasko	...	Viviane - Office Worker
Michel Blanc	...	Scope's Neighbor

Storyline

In Paris, the shy bureaucrat Trelkovsky rents an old apartment without bathroom where the previous tenant, the Egyptologist Simone Choule, committed suicide. The unfriendly concierge (Shelley Winters) and the tough landlord Mr. Zy establish stringent rules of behavior and Trelkovsky feels ridden by his neighbors. Meanwhile he visits Simone in the hospital and befriends her girlfriend Stella. After the death of Simone, Trelkovsky feels obsessed for her and believes his landlord and neighbors are plotting a scheme to force him to also commit suicide.

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Plot Keywords:

paranoia | landlord tenant relationship | conflict with neighbor | psychological disintegration | paris france | 

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Taglines:

APARTMENT FOR RENT: Quiet bldg. Furnished. 2 rooms. Previous tenant committed suicide.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

13+

Did You Know?

Trivia

American actress Kathryn Leigh Scott re-voiced Isabelle Adjani while appearing in the play "Le Weekend" at the Bristol Old Vic.

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Goofs

After visiting the previous tenant in hospital, he takes her hysterical friend for a cocktail. He orders a martini for himself but after returning from the loo, an amber-colored drink in a tall glass has been delivered to him instead.

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Quotes

Trelkovsky: [to child] Filthy little brat!
[slaps child]

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Crazy Credits

The film has no end credits; only the Paramount logo.

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Alternate Versions

Although the UK cinema version was complete the 1986 CIC video was cut by 6 secs by the BBFC to remove a brief extract of the banned nunchaku scene from Enter the Dragon (seen by Trelkovsky and Stella during a cinema visit). The cuts were fully waived in the 2004 Paramount DVD.

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Connections

Referenced in Rex regi rebellis (2003)

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Soundtracks

Cour D'Immeuble
Written and Performed by Philippe Sarde Et Orchestre

User Reviews

"What right has my head to call itself me?"

After his classic film noir homage Chinatown Roman Polanski returned to the themes that had given him his greatest hits in the 60s with this creepy psychological horror which, like Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby, deals with the paranoia and claustrophobia generated by apartment living.

Claustrophobic environments are the ones which Polanski is best at creating, and this has to be the most suffocating and confined picture he ever created. The emphasis on side walls and distant vanishing points is greater than ever, and even in the small number of exterior scenes the sky is rarely glimpsed. But The Tenant is not just confined spatially, but also in the intensity with which it focuses on its protagonist. Trelkovsky, played by Polanski himself is not only in every scene, he is in virtually every shot. When he is not on screen more often than not the camera becomes Trelkovsky's point of view. And of course almost everywhere he looks he sees his own reflection staring back at him in a mirror.

I can't think of any film that is more about the internalisation and solitude of one character. Some psychological thrillers, like M or Peeping Tom, manipulate us into feeling sorry for the mentally ill protagonist. Others, like Psycho, attempt in-depth scientific analysis of his mental condition. The Tenant fits into neither of these categories – it simply immerses us completely inside Trelkovsky's experience without demanding we actually understand or appreciate what is going on inside his head. We feel his paranoia and obsession even though it is constantly revealed to us that they are irrational.

Polanski was also a master of the slowly unfolding horror film. Often in his horrors there is an ambiguity as to whether there is actually anything sinister going on, but they are among the most effective at frightening audiences. Why? Precisely because they unfold so slowly and invest so much time in painstakingly setting up situations that they immerse the viewer in paranoia. A much later Polanski horror, The Ninth Gate is a bit of a mess plot-wise but at least it still manages to achieve that creeping sense of dread.

This is a rare chance to see Polanski himself in a major role. His talent in front of the camera was as good as behind it, and he is absolutely perfect as the meek Trelkovsky. Another standout performance is that of the all-too-often overlooked Shelley Winters as the concierge. In actual fact it is rather a stellar cast, although many of the familiar faces look out of place in this strange, Gothic European movie. Also sadly many of the French actors in supporting roles are atrociously dubbed in the English language version.

The Tenant is more polished and less pretentious than Repulsion, but it lacks the suspense and the character that make Rosemary's Baby so engrossing and entertaining. The Tenant is good, with no major flaws, and Polanski was really on top form as a director, but it's not among his most gripping works.

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

French English

Release Date:

11 June 1976 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Le locataire

Filming Locations:

Rue la Bruyère, Paris 9, Paris, France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,924,733

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,924,733

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marianne Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1