The Tenant / Le Locataire / Roman Polanski / 1976

The Tenant (French: Le Locataire) is a 1976 French psychological horror thriller film directed by Roman Polanski from a screenplay he co-wrote with Gérard Brach, based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Roland Topor. The film stars Polanski, Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas, Jo Van Fleet, Bernard Fresson, Lila Kedrova, Claude Dauphin and Shelley Winters. It is the final installment in Polanski’s “Apartment Trilogy“, following Repulsion (1965) and Rosemary’s Baby (1968). Critical reception The Tenant was poorly received on its release, with Roger Ebert declaring it “not merely bad – it’s an embarrassment“. Gene Siskel likewise called it a “psychological thriller without the thrills“ and criticized the characters for lacking motivation. Since then the film has become a cult favorite. The film holds an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 37 reviews and an average score of 7.8/10. Cast: Roman Polanski, Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas, Jo Van Fleet, Bernard Fresson, Lila Kedrova, Claude Dauphin, Claude Piéplu, Georges Badar, Romain Bouteille, Jacques Monod, Patrice Alexsandre, Jean-Pierre Bagot, Josiane Balasko, Michel Blanc, Florence Blot, Louba Guertchikoff, Jacques Chevalier, Jacky Cohen, David Gabison, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Alain Frérot, Raoul Guylad, Eva Ionesco, Gérard Jugnot, Héléna Manson, Maïté Nahyr, André Penvern, Gérard Pereira, Dominique Poulange, Arlette Reinerg, Jacques Rosny, Serge Spira, Vanessa Vaylord, François Viaur, Shelley Winters, Albert Delpy, Bruce Lee, Alain Sarde, Philippe Sarde. Directed: Roman Polanski. Produced: Andrew Braunsberg. Based: The Tenant by Roland Topor. Screenplay: Gérard Brach, Roman Polanski. Edited: Françoise Bonnot. Cinematography: Sven Nykvist. Music: Philippe Sarde. Release: 26 May 1976 / United States. Production: Marianne Productions. Distributed: Paramount Pictures / Through Cinema International Corporation. Running Time: 02:05:28.