Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
ANOTHER GREAT CINEMATIC WORK - wanna know why?, August 7, 2003
In CHINATOWN, Polanski gave us a great story of corruption. In ROSEMARY'S BABY, he studied the occult. In REPULSION, he gave us a portrait of a troubled mind. Here, in THE TENANT, Roman Polanski gives us a stunning new portrayal of absolute paranoia.Polanski stars himself as the main character: a man who rents the apartment of a dead woman - who apparently jumped from her window. Strangely enough, Polanski's character starts to identify with the dead woman little by little as he starts to live in the same environment... the same apartment, the same neighbours, the same window, the same talk... and - guess what! - maybe she did not commit suicide after all... But this is just the beginning. To reveal more, it would be unthinkable. Why is this a great film? A first rate screenplay (beautifully constructed), amazing actors (Shelley Winters and Melvyn Douglas are great!), and... ...The sets! The bulding (a parisian quartier) is absolutely fantastic. Like REAR WINDOW, it was entirely built in a sound stage - incredible!!! - allowing Mr.Polanski enough freedom to put the camera wherever he wanted. But the great thing about this film is that (like in a state of paranoia) you never know what is truth or what is imagined. The main character starts to see, hear and discover things that may actually be true! - only at the end (with a finalle that makes perfect sense) you'll discover the truth behind it all. After those beautiful sets, comes the cinematography by one of the top Directors of Photography: Sven Nykvist (PERSONA, CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS, ANOTHER WOMAN, CRIES AND WHISPERS, AUTUMN SONATA, and many other works)... this film has one of the best studio cinematographies I have ever seen. The music is also beautiful and you will love it from the moment it begins. Also a great achevement is sound design. This is one of those great films where mood and atmosphere set an exemple for what to do in a film - a work where everything is right. Unfortunately, the DVD only comes with the trailer (which is also beautiful). No photos, no commentary (I was hoping this DVD would come with a commentary by Mr.Polanski), not even a small interview with anybody. Too bad if you consider the quality of the craftsmanship of this work. But at this incredible low price... one cannot complaint.
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36 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
Polanski's Penultimate Parable of Paranoia, April 7, 2003
...... or, "Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are In My Wall."There are differing views on this somewhat small film, but I think in the big picture of RP's filmmaking career, The Tenant will stand out as his most personal work. If you know anything about this man's life, what he went through (and what he was about to go through, a scandal that caused him to flee the U.S.), the events in this very darkly humorous tale become all the more haunting. The basic story: a socially awkward clerk moves in to an apartment previously occupied by a young woman who just died from injuries sustained by hurtling herself from that very apartment window. What he doesn't realize is that, by his moving in, the stage has been set for him to inherit the very miserable despair that possessed the former tenant. In the course of his solitary tenency, he hears disturbing sounds, sees strange things inside and outside his flat, and encounters inexplicable hostility from others in the building. Over time, he becomes increasingly unnerved and obsessed, incapable of controlling his own behavior, and the line between reality and delusion ultimately dissolves, giving way to psychosis. This dark ride is not without Polanski's trademark warped, absurdist humor, and one gets a sense from sharing the deteriorating experience of his self-portrayed protagonist that he himself was trying to find a way to laugh at his own miseries and fears. This could be a therapeutic element of this film; by watching the ridiculously hopeless and wretched scenario unfold, hopefully we can laugh at our own vulnerabilities, while at the same time seeing that element in other peoples' callous behavior that drives others into such a state. With Polanski's new found recognition in a film industry that cautiously turned its back on him nearly 30 years ago, we are finally given a chance to see this forgotten treasure, and it's about time. I've read many comparisons to Taxi Driver, but the subtle supernatural implications found in The Tenant's more surreal moments remind me more of The Shining, wherein an alienated individual renders himself prone to dark, irrational powers by way of his own obsession. A quiet, well-paced primal scream of a movie, this number will definitely give the viewer a twisted chuckle, and more than a few shivers after it ends. A no-holds barred, lights out masterpiece.
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
BONE-CHILLING PSYCHOLOGICAL SHOCKER..., July 20, 2003
Deliberately paced, ultimately gripping film about a seemingly nice, normal single man who moves into an apartment whose previous tenant, named Simone, committed suicide by jumping out the window. He meets her friend Stella (Isabelle Adjani) and finds himself unwittingly in the unfortunate girl's footsteps. Her brand of cigarettes, her favorite chocolate drink, her clothes and even her tooth (stuck in a hole in the wall) haunt him. No one seems to understand his concerns...least of all the difficult and bizarre tenants he's surrounded by who complain of his every move. He comes to believe it's a plot to drive him to suicide...like Simone. Roman Polanski (who co-wrote and also directed) is brilliant as Trelkovsky, the quiet tenant who's plunged into a nightmare that may or not be real. He's believable as an Everyman who suddenly finds himself alienated and in the grips of something he can't control. Is he going mad? Or is it...something else? Shelley Winters (as the concierge), Melvyn Douglas, Jo Van Fleet and Lila Kedrova as the other tenants contribute their considerable panache---making Trelkovsky's paranoic nightmare world even more sinister. A fascinating and haunting psychological journey that keeps you intrigued (and disturbed) right up until the final, bone-chilling scream. Not for every taste, but still "The Tenant" is pure cinema terror all the way. The DVD is a fine widescreen print that includes the original theatrical trailer. Even IT'S scary. Enjoy this macabre masterpiece. But I don't recommend watching it alone.
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