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The Landlord

Play trailer Poster for The Landlord PG Released May 20, 1970 1h 53m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
93% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
As his 30th birthday nears, the aristocratic Elger Winthrop Enders (Beau Bridges) finally decides to leave his parents' home, and he purchases an apartment complex in the slums of New York. The coldhearted Elger plans to boot out the current residents and refashion the crumbling dwelling into a luxurious bachelor pad. But after the spoiled young man befriends locals Francine (Diana Sands) and Margie (Pearl Bailey), he abandons his plans and instead focuses on charming his lovely neighbors.

Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker Hal Ashby's dbut film as a director is one of his best. Apr 7, 2016 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader Liberal guilt, with a few good laughs, a lot of frantic activity, and the occasional backfire. May 7, 2013 Full Review TIME Magazine A glossy, flat, fake Hollywood attempt at black social comedy. May 7, 2013 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com ...gets into weeds of financial segregation and class-based racism.. a clear-eyed, satirical movie that really hits the spot, not just for Hal Ashby fans; it’s a tight, well-told expose of how racism works, with a genuine, if halting romance at its centre Rated: 4/5 Aug 3, 2024 Full Review Kathy Fennessy Seattle Film Blog Though Harold and Maude would secure his reputation the following year--once it caught on, that is--Ashby's first film proves he was a natural. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 18, 2022 Full Review Jas Keimig The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Anchored by Gunn's sharp, irreverent script, The Landlord does well because it focuses on the ridiculousness of wealthy white people. Dec 8, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alec B Still provocative but it's the film's deep humanity and the empathy for the characters that really endures. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/28/24 Full Review Shioka O I first watched this in 2022, it was unexpectedly good. This is categorised as a comedy, but definitely more than that. Glueing script, and cinematography is too good. (I found this was by Gordon Willis) Recommend for someone looking for 70s feel. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/23/22 Full Review dave s Despite being a bit stylistically dated, Hal Ashby's first directorial effort about race relations in America is as timely today as it was fifty years ago. Elger Enders is a 29-year-old aristocrat who decides to move out of his parents' palatial mansion, buy a rundown tenement building in New York, evict the tenants, and convert it into one massive and swinging bachelor pad. The social commentary offered up in The Landlord foreshadowed what was to come from Ashby over the remainder of the 70s decade – an unequaled string of great satires that tore at the fabric of American society. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member It almost had me...but that evil "Dr" character ruined it for me in the last few minutes. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Firmly rooted in the fashions, sounds, language, and styles of the moment in which it was produced, The Landlord breaks free from these nostalgic anchors by authentically handling the timeless themes of race, sexuality, and class with a humor and intelligence rarely seen in motion pictures. Individual scenes dripping with the same Woodstock-era aesthetic that relegate lesser films to period curios are infused with uncommon charm and depth by cinematographer Gordon Willis, screenwriter Bill Gunn, and director Hal Ashby. An essential piece of early 70s filmmaking. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review steve d Its story does little with it's admittedly worthy goals. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Landlord

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Cast & Crew

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Hal Ashby

Director

Beau Bridges

Elgar Winthrop Julius Enders

Pearl Bailey

Marge

Diana Sands

Francine Marie Johnson

Louis Gossett Jr.

Copee Johnson

Lee Grant

Joyce Enders

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The Landlord

The Landlord (1970) The Landlord (1970) The Landlord (1970) The Landlord (1970) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis As his 30th birthday nears, the aristocratic Elger Winthrop Enders (Beau Bridges) finally decides to leave his parents' home, and he purchases an apartment complex in the slums of New York. The coldhearted Elger plans to boot out the current residents and refashion the crumbling dwelling into a luxurious bachelor pad. But after the spoiled young man befriends locals Francine (Diana Sands) and Margie (Pearl Bailey), he abandons his plans and instead focuses on charming his lovely neighbors.
Director
Hal Ashby
Producer
Norman Jewison
Screenwriter
William Gunn
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Cartier Productions, Mirisch Corporation
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 20, 1970, Original
Release Date (DVD)
May 3, 2010
Runtime
1h 53m