The Apartment
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Movie Reviews of The Apartment
Movie Review: ...and then one day I saw a footprint in the sand and there you were.
Summary: 5 Stars
I would first like to make the comment that this is no comedy. For those that consider this film a valuable part of Hollywood cinema due to the comedic aspects need to get their eyes examined along with their minds. I do not think that I laughed at all during this film, but I would like to mention that I do not think that is a bad thing. Not laughing at this film means that it hit you at a different level. I witnessed a beautiful film with some highly intelligent actors painting a dark and disturbing picture of a sexual world circa 1960. I suppose I was thinking that this was going to be a "screwball" comedy, which completely threw me off balance when the events of this film occurred. Never have I witnessed such a bold attack on the sexual revolution of the 60s and its effect on the business world. It was a slap in the face to see the way that Billy Wilder represented corporate America and honestly, it felt really good. To see this lonely man turned away from his apartment at all hours of the night because his boss needed a place to take their mistresses was sad, not funny, yet in The Apartment it worked beautifully.
To begin, this film revolved around the actors. If you would not have had such strong actors like Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray honestly conquering their roles than this film would not have succeeded as it did. It won Oscars for a reason, and even watched by today's standard of Hollywood I think that everyone involved should be very proud. Their work was the best Hollywood had to offer. Lemmon successfully portrayed this hurt every-man that you could easily find yourself engulfed within. MacLaine, beautiful in her young age, was an emotional powerhouse. Her eyes could have told the story without any words. You could feel her emotions through her eyes, and it was outstanding. I must say that my favorite actor in this entire film was Fred MacMurray. His portrayal of the typical "boss" who seems to use his powers to control instead of help, was perfect. In fact, even if you watch the film today, you may still be able to see your boss in MacMurray's portrayal. For once, it was a solid cast. It had a structured story that was heightened by sublime actors that knew exactly what they needed to do. I would have to say that this is one of the greatest pairings in cinema history, these three together could have taken Hollywood by storm, and it is evident in The Apartment.
As I stated before, the characters are exceptional, but coupled with their performances is a rich story that seems developed well before its time. I was not expecting to see such a sexual driven film released from the 60s. Films of this nature typically hint towards sex, but never quite spell it out, but in The Apartment it is in your face throughout the course of the film. From the opening sequence until the end, sex seems to be the biggest underlying theme of this film. In the world of C.C. Baxter, all he seems to know is sex, business, and the occasional conversation with the elevator girl. You can't help but wonder if that wasn't what was going through the minds of our fathers as they headed to the corporate world on a daily basis. It was such a slap to the face of the day to day America. To think that in this nation portrayed with family values and moral uprising that The Apartment would emerge as the breakout film of 1960. It shocked me. I think the reason that it did so was because of the strong writing, the powerful story, and the emergence of such innocent "characters" (as mentioned above). There were moments during this film that I honestly wanted to walk into the television, tell everyone to stop, and explain what was happening because I didn't want anyone to get hurt in the end. Isn't that a sign of a long-lasting powerful film? To me it is.
Overall, I must say that The Apartment left my jaw on the floor. While my wife will disagree with me, I thought that it was a brilliant moment in cinematic history. Jack Lemmon could not have been handed a greater roll, nor could he have pulled it off with such beauty and pizzazz. The story will shock and amaze you for nearly two hours. We are taken into a world in which we feel comfortable in, we feel as if we have been there before, and we can only thank the imaginative mind of Billy Wilder for that. He takes those moments in our lives that we wholeheartedly want to forget and places them in the window for all to see. His mockery of corporations, of the small man working his way to the top, and the disasters that follow are nothing short of classic. I have never witnessed a film quite like this and I hope I never do again. The Apartment was a once in a lifetime enjoyment, and I cannot wait to revisit it soon to see what I may have missed!
Grade: ***** out of *****
Movie Review: Sly & Tender, the Billy Wilder Way
Summary: 5 Stars
If Billy Wilder had only directed Double Indemnity, Some Like It Hot, and The Apartment, he would be entitled to a high seat in the Hollywood Hall of Legends. Although very different in character and atmosphere, all three films bear Wilder's unmistakable stamp and showcase his mastery of his art. As with Some Like It Hot, Wilder's co-writer here was I.A.L. Diamond.
It's hard to believe today that The Apartment was viewed as alarmingly racy becuase of its casual treatment of marital infidelity and an undeniable form of, well, executive procurement - today these issues, by themselves, wouldn't raise a yawn. It's a tribute to the Wilder way of presenting the foibles of humanity that you watch with a grin. Jack Lemmon plays ambitious clerk and lonely bachelor C.C. Baxter - a small cog in the big wheel of the American Insurance Company - he works on the 19th floor but wants badly to work his way up to the 27th (the "Executive Floor"). He's found a quick stepping-stone: the key to his apartment on West 67th St., a walk-up in one of those ancient brownstones just off Central Park West that probably looks exactly the same today as it did in 1960. His married superiors on the 27th floor, a group of aging mid-level executives bored with their jobs, wives, and homes in the suburbs, amuse themselves by picking up girls and taking them to Baxter's little flat after work. Baxter has quite a job keeping their schedules tidy and carving out time for himself in his own home.
News of this convenient love-nest has reached the Big Cheese on the 27th floor, Jeff Sheldrake, a serial philanderer who has cut a large swath through the company's young, single employees. Sheldrake's current amusement is pretty elevator girl Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine) who has fallen hopelessly in love with Sheldrake even though she knows that he will never leave his wife, two children, and nice home in White Plains for her. As it happens, the attractive Kubelik has caught the eye of most of the men at the company, including Baxter, although his interest in her is more than merely physical. When Sheldrake demands the key to Baxter's apartment, in return for promoting Baxter up to his own office on the 27th floor, Baxter has no idea that it is Fran that Sheldrake will be entertaining.
Until, that is, Baxter comes home on Christmas Eve to find Fran passed out in his bedroom, having taken the sleeping pills she found in Baxter's medicine cabinet after her evening with Sheldrake, during which Sheldrake made his intentions (or rather, the lack thereof) toward her clear.
From then on, Baxter's ambition struggles with his better nature and his developing love for Fran, as Fran's obsession with Sheldrake begins to crumble under her growing contempt for him and her dawning realization that life just might hold something better for her, after all. Along the way, the viewer is treated to views of corporate life in the early 1960s,
peopled by a host of entertaining supporting characters, by turns hilariously and viciously played by stars such as Ray Walston, David White, Jack Kruschen, and David Lewis. Edie Adams makes the most of a small but sharply etched portrayal of Miss Olsen, Sheldrake's secretary and one of his past flings, who gets the shaft but manages to send it back to its owner in fine style before she flounces out the door in her faux-leopard hat and pointy glasses.
Jack Lemmon is wonderful as the schnook who turns out to have more backbone than his contemptuous superiors supposed; Shirely MacLaine is enchanting as Fran; and Fred MacMurray makes a smooth, cold-hearted cad - his best scene is the one in which he makes it clear to Baxter that if Baxter wants to move up at American Insurance, he has to hand over that key. MacMurray wasn't happy with the public response he got for playing Sheldrake - by 1960, Double Indemnity was well in MacMurray's past and his screen persona had moved into kinder, gentler material like "My Three Sons". After The Apartment, MacMurray forsook negative roles for the rest of his acting life.
The Apartment, released in 1960, offers bittersweet charm, plenty of the Wilder brand of cynicism, a witty script, a flawless cast, and a sophisticated, nostalgic score by Adolph Deutsch whose primary theme went on to be a hit for the Ferrante & Teicher orchestra. The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. The Apartment is a classic by a master, and a mark of its quality is that while the styles of dress and the look of corporate America may have have changed, the film's observations about human relationships have not dated at all.
Movie Review: Jack Lemmon's best work.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
When the subject of the greatest director in American history comes up, the usual suspects come out of their holes with the usual assertions. When you look at thousand-best-movie lists and narrow them down to movies made in America, the same two names pop up over and over again: Alfred Hitchcock and Woody Allen. While Hitch, obviously, was British, most of his films were made in America, and so I hope I can be forgiven for calling him American when it comes to his movies. As with Hitch, then, obviously, with the German director Billy Wilder. Wilder, despite having made some of the best-loved films in American history, always seems to get overlooked when this debate comes up. I have no idea why; pretty much everything that the man did is a classic. I have yet to see the Wilder film that isn't brilliant, and The Apartment is no exception.
C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is a hack at an insurance agency, a bachelor who works long hours simply because he has nothing better to do. One evening, he allows a work colleague to use his apartment for a tryst with a woman who is not his wife. Word gets out, and soon Baxter's apartment is the place of choice for colleagues in the same situation. Things get a bit complicated when his boss (Fred MacMurray) finds out about the arrangement and starts using the apartment as well. Meanwhile, Baxter has struck up a friendship with attractive elevator girl Fran (Shirley MacLaine), and he hopes to take it farther. Then he finds out that his boss' girlfriend is none other than Fran. How many more ways can his job be in jeopardy?
It's a nasty topic, and in 1960 it was positively scandalous. Wilder offsets the outrage of the thing by turning the material into a comedy, and a very funny one it is. When, of course, it's not playing your heartstrings. Baxter, as the film begins, is a truly pathetic individual, and Wilder and his longtime collaborator, screenwriter IAL Diamond, initially play this for all the comedic value they can. But as Baxter runs into conflict after conflict, basically forcing him to grow a spine, his character's pathos is played more and more seriously. After all, such a tenuous situation is bound to induce some serious incidents. When they occur, they never feel forced, and more impressively they never feel out of place. Everything here grows organically out of what's come before. Nothing is too convenient or too precious; it all hangs together perfectly.
And then there is the acting. Wilder was a genius at taking the A-list actors of his day and managing to coax them into giving performances that were just that little bit better than they'd ever managed to come up with before. MacLaine was still, relatively, the new kid on the block, and no one really knew what to expect from her, especially when put up against such heavyweights as Lemmon and MacMurray (both of whom had teamed successfully with Wilder in the past, Lemmon the year before in Some Like it Hot and MacMurray, of course, in Double Indemnity). To say she held her own would be quite the understatement; she was nominated for Best Actress, losing to Elizabeth Taylor. (The movie did take home five Oscars, including Best Picture of 1960; it was nominated for ten.) As well, aside from the three leads was a wealth of talent in the supporting roles, including Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, and Edie Adams, among others, all of whom turn in performances as impressive as one would expect in a Billy Wilder movie.
As with every Billy Wilder movie I've seen (save The Lost Weekend), I simply can't say enough good things about this movie. Want a romantic comedy with real bite? Skip whatever's playing at your local cinemaplex and rent The Apartment instead. It is a superlative example of the genre, arguably the best romantic comedy ever made in America. **** ½
Movie Review: Superb Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this DVD for research purposes. I will be performing in "Promises, Promises" the musical based on "The Apartment". I am so glad I bought this DVD, as this is a great film. That's not just my opinion. "The Apartment" was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, and won 5, including Best Picture and Best Director in 1960.
This film will speak to you on many levels. On one level, it is an indictment of corporate politics and a condemnation of philandering executives. On another level, it is an examination of extramarital affairs, and the sometimes dire consequences. On another level, it is a love story where a damsel in distress literally meets her white knight. Then again, it is about people who fall into the abyss, only to find redemption and the happiness they deserve. It is about knowing what is right, and finally finding the courage to do what is right.
The cinematography is great, as is the lighting. The setup is perfect. We are shown the enormity of a life insurance company, with its 31,000 employees in the Manhattan headquarters. The shots of the teeming, faceless humanity are fantastic. The long shots of the endless office are fabulous, and will make you appreciate black and white. Out of this morass, we are asked to get to know 3 people; C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon), Fran Kubelik (Shirley Maclaine) and J.D. Sheldrake (Fred Macmurray). They are embroiled in a love triangle that will change all of their lives.
The late, great, Jack Lemmon is a wonderful C.C. (Chuck) Baxter. Lemmon was a dapper 35 years of age when this film was made. He wants to get ahead, and he does so by selling himself out. He loans his apartment to senior executives for their extramarital assignations. They in turn promise to move him up the corporate ladder. There is humor in this, as Baxter trys to juggle "appointments" with 4 different execs. But, as in the rest of this film, there is a pathos to it.
Chuck has quite a thing for cute elevator operator Fran, played by a 26 year old Shirley Maclaine. She returns his innocent flirtations, but for some reason keeps her distance. Maclaine is all sweetness and vulnerability. So, why won't she go out with Chuck?
As it turns out, Fran has a boyfriend. That boyfriend is the Director of Personnel, J.D. Sheldrake. Sheldrake is quite married, and has slept with many women in the office, including his Secretary Peggy Olsen. Macmurray plays a wonderful cad. He is not sleazy or oily. He is able to continue stringing Fran along until one fateful Christmas Eve.
I won't continue discussing the plot, as you need to experience it as it unfolds. While "what happens next" is not a huge leap of the imagination, the skill of the actors and the sensitive direction make for fascinating viewing. There are some great scenes in this film. The pivotal Christmas Eve scene with Sheldrake and Fran will get you at a visceral level. Macmurray and Maclaine shine here; her with vulnerability and his meeting her vulnerability with incredible insensitivity. Brilliant. Lemmon shines in the "discovery" scene when he figures out that Fran is involved with Sheldrake. Sheldrake had borrowed the apartment for a rendezvous with Fran, and Fran left her compact behind. The compact had a broken mirror. Chuck, not knowing who it belonged to, returned it to Sheldrake. Later, at a Christmas Eve party, Fran loans her mirror to Chuck, who recognizes it. Lemmon communicated so many emotions with his face, his voice, and his body. He was such an actor.
This movie is listed among the Top 100 movies of all time, and it deserves a place on your shelf.
Highly recommended.
Movie Review: Maybe even better than Wilder's SOME LIKE IT HOT
Summary: 5 Stars
After enjoying the screwball hijinks of Billy Wilder's classic SOME LIKE IT HOT, I went into his Oscar-winning THE APARTMENT expecting something similar. I was delighted when I realized that this movie turned out to be perhaps an even better film than SOME LIKE IT HOT. If that 1959 film was a slice of comic heaven, THE APARTMENT aims for something a little deeper. At times, it feels less like a comedy, more like a poignant drama, and Wilder and co-screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond are able to shift moods with consummate ease.
It helps that the performances are all highly effective, and sometimes, in the case of those of Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, kinda touching. This was the first role for MacLaine that really showed off her range, since her character, elevator door-woman Fran Kubelik, runs the gamut of emotions from cheeriness to self-pity. MacLaine pulls them all off handsomely, and I liked watching her throughout. As for Lemmon---well, I must say that some of his physical and speech mannerisms distracted me on occasion (esp. during one scene in which he tries to deal with his bosses by phone over scheduling conflicts regarding his apartment---his physical gestures seeming a little too overdone for my taste), but at least he gets the gist of C.C. Baxter spot-on, and we truly feel for this lonely man whose eagerness to please (and move up in the business ladder) gets him into emotional (and some physical) trouble. I don't think I've ever seen him carry a movie all by himself the way he does here, and this must surely rank as one of his best performances. (I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the performance of Jack Kruschen as Baxter's next-door neighbor Dr. Dreyfuss, who is an uncanny delight whenever he appears onscreen.)
I found the premise itself delightfully imaginative. A man who rents his apartment to bosses so they can cheat on their wives with secretaries: I'd have to rack my brain to think of another movie that used such an original idea for a movie. Of course, a good premise doesn't necessarily add up to anything if the execution isn't there, and in the case of THE APARTMENT, the execution is near-flawless. Wilder and Diamond uses the premise to slyly and savagely satirize corrupt office politics---because of his willingness to give up his apartment for his bosses, Baxter shoots right up the corporate ladder in a matter of days (instead of months or years), and it is only towards the end that he realizes how sour his rise really is. As for the central relationship between Baxter and Kubelik, Wilder manages to mine more touching drama than laugh-out-loud comedy out of it---and the drama always manages to be involving and wonderfully perceptive about human nature. And the dialogue is, of course, wonderfully witty and revealing---though once again the film's final line of dialogue is the script's highpoint.
All of these elements make THE APARTMENT a truly great film. Its Academy Award for Best Picture was richly deserved in 1960, and its status as one of the great American films (No. 93 on the AFI's "100 Years...100 Movies" list) is a testament to its lasting power as both funny, satirical comedy and touching, uncompromising human drama.