| The Tenant | |
| Director: | José Antonio Nieves Conde |
| Starring: | Fernando Fernán Gómez Manuel Alexandre |
| Music: | Miguel Asins Arbó |
| Cinematography: | Francisco Sempere |
| Editing: | Margarita de Ochoa |
| Distributor: | Delta film |
| Runtime: | 90 minutes |
| Country: | Spain |
| Language: | Spanish |
The Tenant (Spanish: El inquilino) is a 1957 Spanish drama film directed by José Antonio Nieves Conde and starring Fernando Fernán-Gómez about how difficult it was to find an affordable flat in Madrid.[1] At the time it was banned by Spanish censors, and when it was re-released two years later, the film was edited, the dialogue was sanitized for political purposes, and the ending was changed to a happier one. It also failed at the box office.
In the 90's, an un-cut and uncensored print was discovered and restored by Filmoteca Española (Spanish Cinemateque). The film is now considered a classic.
The film takes a critical look at the issue of affordable housing in Madrid in the 1950s. It follows a family and their four children who are evicted from their flat. They try against the clock to find a new place to live while the one they are renting is torn down around them to make way for more expensive apartments. This social drama takes a daring approach during Francisco Franco's dictatorship to demonstrate the consequences of the rampant speculation in real estate that was taking place, and its effects on the lower and middles classes.