From my film blog.
The Landlord (1970) is a film that was way ahead of its time in terms of subject. It addressed race, class, and gentrification. Elgar Enders decides to finally grow up and leave his precious WASP cocoon for an old tenement in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Park Slope in 1970 is not what it is now - we see that it is quite a slum and a far cry from the upper middle class neighborhood it’s transformed into. Elgar’s intention is to be the landlord, fix up the place, and then evict everyone to make the house his own. After getting to know the tenants, he starts to change and decides to fix the place up for them. There is a bit of a love triangle though - he falls in love with Lanie, the mulatto dancer but impregnates Francine, the married woman he has a one night stand with.
The cinematography of the film is amazing, and the juxtaposition of the white-washed Enders family to the vivid reality of the Park Slope scenes really show contrast of the two worlds. Also, the closeups and the way some of the scenes are shot is just full of impact.
I saw this film a while ago, and decided to watch it again. While now, gentrification is so commonplace, back then, it was a new concept. After so-called “white flight” in the 50s, there was a huge “urban renewal” movement in the 70s and 80s by artists and young professionals that displaced the working class people who moved in after the whites abandoned the city. Unfortunately, because of all this whitewashing, neighborhoods are becoming more suburban (especially in Manhattan and many parts of Brooklyn) and real estate developers buying properties only to tear them down for condos. As a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, I have seen neighborhoods change so drastically over the years. I can say that not all of Brooklyn has become a playground for the upper echelon, there are still many parts that are “old school,” and Queens is NYC’s true melting pot, where neighborhoods have lots of different flavors and overall feel.
The Landlord (1970) - pt 1- “Everybody wants own home” (by tranmere789)
