Rating: 
Summary: DVD Package...That's It?!?!?!?
Review: Great film, worthy of four stars, but...The DVD packaging is pathetic! Just a trailer! No image galleries, commentary, or lobby cards? Even a short essay on Polanski's "Apartment Trilogy" would have been good! This is a rich, fascinating film which should have received better DVD treatment!!!
Rating: 
Summary: After "The Pianist," Polanski's best
Review: I bought this DVD solely because I have always wanted to see this film ever since a friend told me it is Polankski's best. I found it especially disturbing, I think, because I saw it shortly after seeing "The Pianist." The social isolation of Polanski's character (a timid but clever young man who manages to take over the apartment of a dying woman even before she dies from injuries sustained in a suicide leap), the fascist-like brutality of the the neighbors, and the ever-growing maddening tension that pushes the film forward are all elements that Polanski used effectively once again in his more recent masterpiece. This juxtaposition made me think about how even the most mundane lives are small reflections of a vaster political landscape. Of course, one doesn't need to draw these comparisons to be blown away by "The Tenant." (In fact, the film has more obvious links to "Rosemary's Baby.") The film can be appreciated as a well-constructed, flawlessly acted (Melvyn Douglas as the landlord and Shelley Winters as the concierge are great) suspense thriller. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Yaaawn
Review: I don't know where to begin. I read all the reviews before I even bought this movie and all sounded great. I have to say I thought it was a horrible movie. It's about this man who moves into this building and wants to fit in but his so called strange neighbors make it hard. He picks up this woman at a bar and I don't even remember if anything happened (still don't know why they threw that in). I found it hard to follow and I found myself asking "what the heck is the plot to this." If you want a movie you can put on a fall asleep to get this movie if you want a good movie get something else.
Rating:
Summary: The creepiest movie ever made?
Review: I had never even heard of this movie before I saw it on A&E one night but it hooked me quickly. It might be the creepist movie I've ever seen and proves that Polanski makes as effective an "everyperson" as Mia Farrow did in "Rosemary's Baby". The most fascinating thing about this movie is that you aren't sure what is really happening and what is simply paranoid delusion. In any case, this movie is a masterpiece of disorientation and unease.
Rating: 
Summary: Polanski's Paranoia
Review: I like THE TENANT better with each viewing. It's similar in mood to REPULSION (some call this the "male version" of that film), and is the last chapter of what others have called the Apartment Trilogy (along with REPULSION and ROSEMARY'S BABY). Polanski fans will love this, more mainstream fans might think the pace is a little too slow. I think it's great. Watch Polanski slide into madness, similar to Catherine Deneuve's slide in REPULSION, though he starts on more firm ground than did she. Polanski is superb as Trelkovsky, nobody else could have played the role. Watch this with the English subtitles (no matter what audio track you choose), as you'll need them at points. I watched this on video without subtitles, struggled through some quiet dialogue and occasionally Polanski's accent, and then watched the DVD with subtitles. It made a world of difference. One of my favorite neglected films, I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Polanski's Paranoia
Review: I like THE TENANT better with each viewing. It's similar in mood to REPULSION (some call this the "male version" of that film), and is the last chapter of what others have called the Apartment Trilogy (along with REPULSION and ROSEMARY'S BABY). Polanski fans will love this, more mainstream fans might think the pace is a little too slow. I think it's great. Watch Polanski slide into madness, similar to Catherine Deneuve's slide in REPULSION, though he starts on more firm ground than did she. Polanski is superb as Trelkovsky, nobody else could have played the role. Watch this with the English subtitles (no matter what audio track you choose), as you'll need them at points. I watched this on video without subtitles, struggled through some quiet dialogue and occasionally Polanski's accent, and then watched the DVD with subtitles. It made a world of difference. One of my favorite neglected films, I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Wishing you good mental health
Review: I rarely get confused after finishing a movie or when trying to consider it in a small conversation with other viewers. This one really confused me.
The film is about solitude of a human being in a tough world, beautifully describing how easy you may plunge in mayhem, without drawing the compassion of any person. Hence, the final act that you would commit might eventually -and falsely- draw the loathing of others, as a last and unique gesture of compassion.
There is no real scenario in the film; it is made of sequenced sketches picturing the life of very ordinary person. There is a suicide of a beautiful girl, to reach her deformed body and pathetic end on the bed of the hospital. There is another beautiful girl, who chooses to keep running, like burning time will give you a lighter pain. There is a friend, with strong attitude and confidence, but his non-human approach is not an idol. Finally, there is the principal character pushed by this great emptiness to... anything available.
Yet, you are anxious to reach the extent where the blow of all the frustration is coming: being the end of the mayhem (Polanski choose a violent death in this case). And albeit everything was presented in a tragic way, you still have a comic feeling about silliness, a silliness that unfortunately may end by a death.
It was possible to avoid that death, by finding a suitable and ordinary lover, a nice neighbor or an understanding friend that can give you time; but the movie was picturing the extremist, the status where the human soul couldn't make it.
This movie is almost identical with Taxi Driver; however, the reaction of the frustrated human took a different, more optimistic -yet more American- phase there.
It is one of the rare movies that strongly motivate you, get you scared of what could happen or confidence that you are "doing well". Do not miss it.
Rating:
Summary: Creepy and Real
Review: I recieved this DVD for my birthday last year, and had it sitting on the shelf for a quite a while. Finally one night I put it in after getting tired of watching predictable movies and got to see one of Polanski's finest attempts at making an original mystery come to life. All I knew is that it was going to be a "psychological thriller" and that he had just made CHINATOWN a year before. I was amazed to see what he had accomplished with this story. Polanski stars in it as a new tenant who moves into an apartment building with some of the weirdest and most intriguing characters I've seen in cinema. Great acting from all of them; it makes me convinced that these people exist somewhere, if not right next to me. Polanski's talent at slowly bringing in audiences to a story is certainly impressive. Once the audience is in, the film twists completely and it becomes a roller coaster racing all over the place. We are desperately trying to hold on as he takes us on a journey on how he is seeing these people through his mind. With Isabelle Adjanti acting out a strange role other than her "sad and beautiful" typical characters, I found myself appreciating her acting more than ever. The imagery in this film is some of the best I've seen, and the music makes it a work of art. There were times where I would play a scene over and over again because of the mix of music and visuals. When the film is over, it made me want to see it again because as usual, Polanski leaves the audience with letting US decide what really happened. The key to watching this film is letting yourself fall into what he showing you---not trying to predict what will happen...because you won't believe the final outcome.
Rating:
Summary: Snore-Inducing Fare
Review: I was excited to see this film as I have enjoyed some of Polanski's other works and had heard such great things about what some call the "scariest movie of all time." Unfortunately, my personal experience of "The Tenant" has me adding to the dissenting opinion of this forum. The Tenant is painfully slow, boring, pointless, and devoid of any alleged scares. Viewers who find the behavior of the main character's cantankerous neighbors "shocking" and "able to drive someone mad" should move out of the Candyland boardgame and into any modern urban setting where they will find far worse on a daily basis. Of course Polanski's character goes crazy anyway, for no reason other than to placate those who have been watching for 60 minutes and are still waiting for the film to truly begin. Conveniently, most all of his many friends and coworkers fail to intervene or even notice his failing mental health. The first real scare of the movie comes as Polanski applies makeup and ends up looking like a drag queen attempt gone horribly wrong. Unfortunately, this comes way too late, and those still awake at the end are likely to find the conclusion unexpected, yet ultimately unoriginal and unsatisfying. For Polanski purists only.
Rating:
Summary: Snore-Inducing Fare
Review: I was excited to see this film as I have enjoyed some of Polanski's other works and had heard such great things about what some call the "scariest movie of all time." Unfortunately, my personal experience of "The Tenant" has me adding to the dissenting opinion of this forum. The Tenant is painfully slow, boring, pointless, and devoid of any alleged scares. Viewers who find the behavior of the main character's cantankerous neighbors "shocking" and "able to drive someone mad" should move out of the Candyland boardgame and into any modern urban setting where they will find far worse on a daily basis. Of course Polanski's character goes crazy anyway, for no reason other than to placate those who have been watching for 60 minutes and are still waiting for the film to truly begin. Conveniently, most all of his many friends and coworkers fail to intervene or even notice his failing mental health. The first real scare of the movie comes as Polanski applies makeup and ends up looking like a drag queen attempt gone horribly wrong. Unfortunately, this comes way too late, and those still awake at the end are likely to find the conclusion unexpected, yet ultimately unoriginal and unsatisfying. For Polanski purists only.
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