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:

body in a dumpster | apartment building | superintendent | masseuse | amnesia | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | 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:

House of Jericho

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

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Rosemary's Baby (1968)

User Reviews

Effective art/genre piece

I agree with the previous comment regarding this film as an attempt to merge European sensibilities .. and I might I say, as a genre piece this works very well. Much better than most of the studio crap being tossed about. I felt Mr. Caan's performance was intense and incendiary; tragic and tortured.

I was impressed by this film. If you enjoy fantastic, interesting cinematography and the lush pulp of a thriller picture, I highly recommend this one. That said, it does have its limitations. But it is an effectively powerful flick overall. I feel what has been referred to as "roller coaster" cinematography and moving the camera as these filmmakers have done, established a visual empowerment for the viewer that makes this seemingly direct-to-video indie a compelling watch.