The Landlord

In 1970s Brooklyn, gentrification is already beginning to take hold in the predominantly black neighbourhood of Park Slope. Spoiled trust fund kid Elgar Enders (Beau Bridges) buys an apartment block in the area with the intention of evicting the tenants and building himself a bachelor pad. But upon moving in and unexpectedly befriending the inhabitants, he decides to let them stay and become their landlord. Rebelling against his rich, racist family, he embarks on affairs with two black women, causing uproar in the country clubs and the ghetto tenements of Park Slope alike. This outrageous satire marks the debut of Hal Ashby as director, with a wicked script from Bill Gunn and stunning photography from Gordon Willis. The Landlord is a scabrous and unflinching look at race relations far ahead of its time, and a unique and important work in the annals of American screen comedy. (Radiance Films)