Post a response to the film The Tenant. Think about how
the architecture plays a role in the film. Consider the
symbols, sets, props, camera, lighting, how the shots are
framed, how the space frames the characters, how are the
characters developed?, what happens with the wardrobe,
the sound is used in interesting ways... To get you started,
think about the placement of the mirror in the apartment,
how is it used to tell the story?
cheryl wilgren clyne
characters developed?, what happens with the wardrobe,
the sound is used in interesting ways... To get you started,
think about the placement of the mirror in the apartment,
how is it used to tell the story?
cheryl wilgren clyne
this was a good movie! i really enjoyed a lot of the camera movements, like the opening scene where the camera moves throughout the building. one of my favorite parts was the night where he goes to the bathroom and finds the hieroglyphics and goes back to his apartment, but the hallway becomes very dreamy and the angles go crazy and it feels like the walls and floor are weepy. and the part right after when he's walking towards the window and he keeps getting smaller, or the room keeps getting bigger. i want to know how they did that with the technology they had in the 70s! i can tell a lot of that stuff keeps getting ripped off in horror movies. my favorite lighting was the scene where he breaks that lamp and it falls on the floor, but it's still on, and he sits on a chair behind it with the lamp as the only lighting. that was inventive and felt really tense and eery. i love the different loony people who live in the apartment building, and how people come to his door day and night. it makes him seem really paranoid, but it makes you wonder because it can't be all him. i must say that it was really gross to me that he didn't clean the dead lady's stuff out of the apartment and just added his things to the shelves as thought there was nothing wrong with that. i found it strange how many mirrors he had around the room, and i think it might have something to do with his identity and the changes he's going through, or how he views himself. overall, i really enjoyed it, and i really need to see rosemary's baby! it's on my netflix queue.
ReplyDeleteThe part where he was moving the wardrobe was interesting because the mirror on the front reflected where the camera would be at. It showed the space we did not see.
ReplyDeleteHe left a lot of Simone's properties where they were as if she she never left. It's kind of like how when egyptians put a lot of their valuables in their grave to have in the after life.
They definitely played with dim lighting and shadows. It was interesting how the people in the loo were visibly illuminated while the main character was in the dark. But he was the one being watched or stared at.
A mirror is used to judge one self. It's a reflection on life and what is going on. The main character must feel the need compose himself to get on good terms with the neighbors.
There are a lot of window framing and doorframe framing with the different characters. The camera also moves when the characters move. It stays at their level most of the time.
There are mysterious sounds that are made in the apartment. All the knocking and creaking. The shaking from the pipe in the sink. It's like there is a presence.
this movie was a gem! i will admit the beginning was slow, but at least it kept building to keep my attention. the second half definitely got more interesting as the main character got crazier and crazier.
ReplyDeletei have to agree with julia on the lighting in the scene were he goes nuts and the lamp falls on the floor, illuminating him as he sits in the chair.
i found the part where he is in bed and reaching over to the side-table to grab something (i think a glass of water?) really cool because the side-table looks so real but it turns out it is a painting or something flat - it was so inventive and different!
the mirror placement in the apartment definitely upped the creepy factor in the space. whenever you could see the mirror, you could see more of the room and i felt like i was waiting for a person to walk in or something strange to happen behind him. like jaime said, it made it seem like there was another presence in the room.
i really want to know what polanski's take was on the main character's craziness, but at the same time i enjoy hearing all of the potential theories and just leaving the true meaning a mystery wrapped in an enigma.
It's weird to me that it's been days now and I still haven't fully digested this movie. I may have to watch it a second time to fulfill my questions and opinions.
ReplyDeleteWhat I have determined is that the camera angles always work within the scene. I love the fact that the camera tilts down or up the stairs creating importance or significance on the subject. Also the scene when he's walking through the hallway and the camera angle is completely distorted, almost making the viewer feel dizzy or that the subject isn't established solidly on the ground. This element adds to the psyche and how confused the main character must be.
The last scene, where he lay in the hospital in a body cast, is one of the more significant. I like how Polanski decided to keep it the same as the scene in the beginning, so it seems like he actually is living as Simone.
At the beginning the movie starts a little bit to low and it took me a long time to get into the story. But after the middle this really wired story starts and it gets more and more interesting for me. Something what I never expected.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed all the different camera movements and the lightening. Especially the scene when he brings the trash down in the courtyard stayed in my mind. The camera position on the floor makes the whole situation interesting and make me feel bad for the guy.
Another thing what I liked are the hospital scenes - they seems to be so real and transport the bad and tragically atmosphere over there.
The beginning of the movie was a bit slow and left me little to grab onto. Halfway through I was pleasantly surprised when the film began to pick up and major twists and turns began to happen. I loved the use of space in this movie, the apartment almost becomes a character of its own. Using obscure camera angles and close up shots of the space and characters Polansky forces the viewer to enter Trelkovskys deteriorating mind. The apartment remains lit in a very eerie way the makes you uncomfortable. I also really enjoyed the performances particularly from Polansky himself. I felt that with a character such as this there is a risk for it to come off as cheesy or hokey, but his portrayal was very believable.
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