Classic International Movie: “The Tenant”
October is classic international movies month. Today’s guest post comes from Marija Nielsen.
Title: The Tenant (Le Locataire)
Year: 1976
Writers: Roland Topor (novel), Gérard Brach (screenplay), Roman Polanski (screenplay)
Lead Actors: Roman Polanski, Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas
Director: Roman Polanski
Awards: Two nominations: Palme d’Or (1976, Cannes Film Festival, France); Best Production Design (1977, César Awards, France)
Plot summary: A bureaucrat moves into a Parisian apartment and is soon caught up in the web of paranoia and weirdness that drove the previous tenant to suicide.
Why I Think This Is A Classic International Movie
Roman Polanski is a master at creating atmosphere and piling on the tension and this movie is no exception as we follow Trelkovsky’s slow descent into full-blown paranoia. The movie slowly reveals itself to be some sort of weird time loop in which Trelkovsky relives what happened to Simone Choule, the previous tenant of his apartment, a woman who tried to kill herself and who is now in the hospital bandaged up like a mummy. We never see her face obviously but her presence is constant throughout the movie, weighing heavily in every scene and on Trelkovsky’s fragile mind. Polanski maintains the ambiguity all along, never fully explaining what’s going on thus letting the viewer make up his own mind. Is Trelkovsky sick? Or are the other tenants plotting against him, trying to drive him over the edge?
My Favorite Moment In The Movie
All of it, I’m afraid, but I’ll select a few for your particular enjoyment:
The horrific hospital visit at around the 12’ mark.
When Trelkovsky attends church around the 27’ mark.
When Trelkovsky finds a human tooth in a hole in the wall around the 41’ mark.
People standing in a bathroom opposite Trelkovsky’s apartment just watching him.
Between one hour 21’ and one hour 26’, when Trelkovsky is sick and hallucinating.
The whole third act.
My Favorite Dialogue In The Movie
Trelkovsky: If you cut off my head, what would I say? Me and my head, or me and my body? What right has my head to call itself me?
— —
Trelkovsky: I am not Simone Choule!
Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie
Script wise, Polanski deftly balances Trelkovsky’s visions or other weird happenings with perfectly rational explanations, always adding layers to both story and characters. Visually and thematically, he likes to play around with metaphors such as religion, art work on walls or street posters, and everyday objects (furniture, clothes, trash bags, cigarettes…). A second viewing paying attention to details will reveal certain things in a whole new light cleverly related to the overall plot.
Thanks, Marija!
To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!
We already have a set of classic 30s movies, 40s movies, 5os movies, 60s Movies, 70s movies, 80s Movies and 90s Movies. This month, we’re working on classic international movies. And thanks to the GITS community, we’ve got at least 22 movies in the works and hopefully more!
Those who I put in bold have already sent me their posts. If you haven’t sent yours to me, please do so as soon as you can!!!
A Prophet — Paul Graunke
Akira — Clay Mitchell
Amelie — Kevin Curran
Belle Epoque — Melinda Mahaffey
Cinema Paradiso — Traci Nell Peterson
Diabolique — Sherin Nicole
Jules et Jim — Susan Winchell
Kolya — Melinda Mahaffey
Lady Vengeance — David Joyner
Millennium Actress — Chris Neumann
OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies — John Henderson
Reprise — Wally Marzano-Lesnevich
Seven Samurai — Will King
The Lives of Others — Paul Graunke
The Tenant — Marija Nielsen
This Man Must Die — Marija Nielsen
NOTE: Looking for more volunteers, your chance to memorialize your favorite international movie and yourself as a contributor to our ongoing blog series on classic movies. Need 6 more volunteers!
Also if you have volunteered and haven’t yet sent me your analysis, please do ASAP. Thanks!