The 2024 4K UHD of The Tenant is compared to the Blu-ray HERE

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