Directed by Hal Ashby
112 minutes
In English

As I often mention in my introductions, the early 70s was a time when major studios were in crisis, and were willing to try anything that might click. A new audience, a younger generation, had arisen, and they weren't biting the Hollywood bait anymore. So the studios started giving money to young filmmakers, and allowed them free rein to do almost whatever they wanted. This freedom only lasted about six years or so, but it led to some of the best films ever made - movies that were more free and confrontational than anything that would be allowed ever again in America, including today.

The Landlord was the wonderful debut film of Hal Ashby (Harold and Maude, Being There) and it shows how desperate the studios were. Hal cared, and not in a phony liberal way. He was really anti-war, and in the case of this film, he was against racism and gentrification. He didn't want this to be some white-boy project, so the first thing he did was hire a visionary black filmmaker to do the screenplay - Bill Gunn (Ganja and Hess). The story is about some rich kid who buys a building in a black ghetto, and he plans to throw everyone out and renovate the place. As he starts hanging out in the building, trying to figure out ways to evict everyone, he begins to become engaged in the black community. He also learns some poignant lessons - he finds out they are not 'renters' but real human beings. Although this is a comedy, it builds to a crescendo that's devastating.

The camerawork is by the legendary Gordon Willis (Klute, The Godfather) and it stars Beau Bridges and Lee Grant. Although this was Hal Ashby's first film, it already has the off-beat, razor-sharp sense of humor his films are known for. The music score is by Al Kooper and features the Staples Singers. All of the issues raised in this beautiful and daring movie are still crucial in a city like Amsterdam today, and the vision and commitment of the film makes it eternal. A real gem that was quickly buried by the studios after it was made, and therefore remains almost unknown today. One review described it as a movie made "before gentrification was cool." I can't underscore how important this movie is.