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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Le locataire")

 

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/direct-chair/polanski.htm
USA / France 1976

 

Director Roman Polanski casts himself in the lead of the psychological thriller The Tenant. Trelkovsky (Polanski) rents an apartment in a spooky old residential building, where his neighbors -- mostly old recluses -- eye him with suspicious contempt. Upon discovering that the apartment's previous tenant, a beautiful young woman, jumped from the window in a suicide attempt, Trelkovsky begins obsessing over the dead woman. Growing increasingly paranoid, Trelkovsky convinces himself that his neighbors plan to kill him. He even comes to the conclusion that Stella (Isabel Adjani), the woman he has fallen in love with, is in on the "plot." Ultimately, Polanski assumes the identity of the suicide victim -- and inherits her self-destructive urges. Some critics found the movie tedious and overdone; others compared it to Polanski's early breakthrough, Repulsion. The film was based on Le Locataire Chimerique, a novel by Roland Topor.

***

An apartment with an unhappy past sets the stage for filmmaker Roman Polanski's riveting psychological suspense thriller, The Tenant. Polanski stars as Trelkovsky, a quiet, timid file clerk increasingly overshadowed with dread and fear after he moves into his new apartment. Adding to his paranoia are the building's other occupants, who do nothing to alleviate his growing obsession with the untimely, tragic fate of the apartment's previous tenant. Is Trelkovsky's dread truly justified – or is it simply the result of his seemingly disintegrating mental state? A brilliant international cast – Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas, Jo Van Fleet, Bernard Fresson and Shelley Winters – and Polanski's own penchant for delivering unprecedented suspense (Repulsion, Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown) make The Tenant a haunting, riveting film classic!.

Posters

Theatrical Release: May 24th, 1976 (Cannes Film Festival)

Reviews                                                                                                       More Reviews                                                                                       DVD Reviews

 

Comparison:

Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

 

  

 

  

Bonus Captures:

Distribution Paramount Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime 2:05:16          2:05:30.523  
Video 1.78:1.00 Letterboxed WideScreen / anamorphic
Average Bitrate: 8.37 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 38,770,372,149 bytes

Feature: 31,375,171,584 bytes

Video Bitrate: 27.99 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1571 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1571 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio French 1568 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1568 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Subtitles English, None English, None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: Paramount Home Video

Aspect Ratio:
1.78: 1 Widescreen anamorphic

Edition Details:

• Trailer (1:01)

DVD Release Date: July 1, 2003
Keep Case
Chapters: 18

 

Release Information:
Studio:
Shout! Factory

 

1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 38,770,372,149 bytes

Feature: 31,375,171,584 bytes

Video Bitrate: 27.99 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historians Troy Howarth And Nathaniel Thompson
• NEW Apartment To Let – An Interview With Co-Writer/Director And Star Roman Polanski (27:03)
• NEW The Invisible Performer – An Interview With Assistant Cameraman François Catonné (15:25 - In French With English Subtitles)
• NEW Keeping Continuity – An Interview With Script Supervisor Sylvette Baudrot (5:03 - In French With English Subtitles)
• NEW A Visit To The Locations Of The Tenant with David Gregory (11:03)
• NEW The Tenant: An Audio Essay By Samm Deighan (20:20)
• Audio Interview With Writer Roland Topor By Journalist Frédéric Levy (1980) (6:08 - In French With English Subtitles)
• Audio Interview With Screenwriter Gérard Brach By Journalist Frédéric Levy (1986) (4:32 - In French With English Subtitles)
• Theatrical Trailer (1:12)


Blu-ray Release Date:
July 28th, 2020
Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters 12

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Shout! Factory Blu-ray (July 2020): Shout! Factory have transferred Roman Polanski's The Tenant to Blu-ray. It seems a solid bump over Paramount's 2003 DVD. It is probably the same source but the higher resolution brings up more detail, colors are richer and more authentic (flesh tones warmer), there is depth and a solid superiority in the contrast. It isn't the most dynamic improvement but is still very evident and - especially with a film of this nature - adds immeasurably to the viewing experience. 

NOTE: We have added 68 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Shout! Factory use DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel tracks (24-bit) in both English and French language options. It is another advancement in the film's audio and effects with an extremely effective score by Philippe Sarde (Max and the Junkman, Tess, La Grande Bouffe, Quest For Fire) distinctly adding another layer to the presentation via the lossless. Sarde's pieces include Cour D'Immeuble, Apparitions, Solitude, Trelkovsky, L'Appel Du Verre, En Souvenir De Madame Choule, Métempsychose, Conspiration and Le Locataire (theme). This is as big an improvement to the viewing as the HD video transfer. Shout! Factory offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Shout! Factory Blu-ray has a new audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson sharing details from the Looma crane for the opening shot (also used in Antonioni's The Passenger), to discussing The Tenant being the quickest film Polanski ever shot (8 months.) They share details of Sven Nykvist's cinematography, spotting composer Philippe Sarde in a scene, how this adaptation is pretty faithful to the book, that, for The Tenant, Polanski shot his own trailer and significantly more referencing many of the director's other films and sharing interesting stories. It's obvious both love the film - as does this reviewer - and their passion for it comes through in another excellent commentary from the pair. There is a new 1/2 hour interview with Polanski entitled Apartment To Let, plus a 1/4 hour interview with assistant cameraman François Catonné called 'The Invisible Performer'. Keeping Continuity is a short interview with script supervisor Sylvette Baudrot (the latter two in French with English subtitles. ) A Visit To The Locations Of The Tenant spends time with David Gregory exploring Parisian streets etc. used in The Tenant for over 10-minutes. I really enjoyed the 20-minute audio essay by Samm Deighan where she talks about themes of the film involving what it means to be human. It was very insightful. We get French (with English subtitles) audio interviews with both writer Roland Topor by journalist Frédéric Levy from 1980, and a second with screenwriter Gérard Brach also by Levy from 1986. Lastly, is a theatrical trailer. 

Roman Polanski's The Tenant has an unusual hold on many films fans. Something about the marriage of narrative, images and sound (Sarde score) makes it unusually fulfilling and embraceable. It's flawless on that front. It was one of my most wanted films to reach Blu-ray. Shout! Factory have stacked the package with a new commentary, audio essay and many interviews. For myself, this is one of the most desirable discs of the year. Very strongly recommended!

Gary Tooze

 


Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC

 

Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray


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1) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC  TOP

2) Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC  TOP

2) Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC  TOP

2) Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC  TOP

2) Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC  TOP

2) Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC  TOP

2) Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


 

More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE

 

 

 
Box Cover

 

  

 

  

Bonus Captures:

Distribution Paramount Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray


 


 

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