Review of The Landlord (1970) by Michael N — 22 Sep 2007

[font=Century Gothic]In "The Landlord," 29-year old Elgar Enders(Beau Bridges), wanting to do something with his life, buys a tenament in Park Slope, Brooklyn. His intent is to evict all of the tenants, tear out all of the floors and hang a chandelier. When he first arrives in his Volkswagen convertible, he is chased away.(Concurrently finishing third in the New York City Marathon that year.) Upon his return, he is greeted by one of the tenants, Marge(Pearl Bailey), wielding a shotgun...[/font].

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[font=Century Gothic]Directed by Hal Ashby, "The Landlord" is an audaciously funny and provocative movie that throws a Molotov Cocktail into the debate about race relations, especially in the North.(Even while repeating the truism that it is harder to hate people that you are familiar with.) It is much more effective than the more polite offerings such as "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"(which is referenced here), especially in its portrayal of a burgeoning black consciousness. But what it is specifically concerned with is gentrification which leads to the destruction of communities through substantial raises in rents forcing families to move out.[/font].