The Apartment | | Cast : | Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray | | Director : | Billy Wilder | | Studio : | MGM/UA Video | | Format : | Black & White, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | January 01, 1960 | | DVD Released Date : | December 18, 2001 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | NR (Not Rated) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 07, 2005 | | Summary | "That's just the way it crumbles . . . cookie-wise." | Content
 | "The Apartment" is a dirty fairy tale as only Billy Wilder can tell them, a bouncing comedy that handles a frankly sordid theme with intelligence and compassion. Its message is that a young man who lets his bosses use his apartment to carry out extramarital affairs is operating in the best American tradition of individual initiative and enterprise. The dialogue is frank; the picture has atmosphere; and it creates a feeling about people.
Bud Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is just another night-school diploma in the personnel files of a big insurance company in New York until the fateful day when it dawn on him that if his own virtues aren't enough to get ahead; other people's vices might help. He lends his apartment to a department head who is having an affair with a telephone operator. Soon he is slipping his key to four philandering executives. His superiors write glowing reports on his work, and the reports soon come to the attention of the big boss (Fred MacMurray). "Baxter, as far as I'm concerned, you're executive material," he says . . . because he wants the key too. Before long, Baxter is an assistant to the boss. Suddenly he discovers that he has outsmarted himself--the girl that his boss takes to his apartment (Shirley MacLaine) is the girl of his dreams.
In "Some Like it Hot", Wilder achieved humanity through parody; in "The Apartment" he achieves it through a moral balance. There are no villains in "The Apartment". The closest one comes to a villain is Sheldrake (MacMurray), a name that must have personal significance for Wilder since there is a Sheldrake in "Sunset Boulevard", "Ace in the Hole", and "Kiss Me, Stupid". In the film he is the familiar suburban adulterer: the respectable husband and father who is never on time for dinner because he is with his secretary, or, when he tires of her, with elevator operator Fran (MacLaine). Inevitably, Sheldrake will pay for his adultery; if anything "The Apartment" is a moral fairy tale because Sheldrake pays doubly. Thus Sheldrake's ex-secretary/mistress informs Mrs. Sheldrake of her husband's infidelity with Fran and she throws him out of the house. However, now that he is available, Fran is not.
While it may be hard to imagine now, "The Apartment" actually shocked some moviegoers upon its initial release. The problem wasn't the central premise--an ambitious office worker performs dubious favors in exchange for career advancement--but the actual treatment of it. In the hands of writer-director Billy Wilder and his collaborator, scenarist I.A.L. Diamond, "The Apartment" became a razor-sharp farce that equated corporate success with immorality. Actually, filmmakers in communist Russia viewed it as an indictment against capitalism. The central character, "Bud" Baxter, is actually little more than a pimp for upper management while the girl of his dreams, elevator operator Fran Kubelik, is a demoralized working girl whose solution to a failed love affair is to commit suicide. These are not the most wholesome characters in the world and we're talking about the hero and heroine of the film! However, as played by Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, Bud and Fran not only win the audience's sympathy but also charm them in the process. The most astonishing thing about "The Apartment" is how Billy Wilder manages to keep the tone light and playful while exposing the worst aspects of Manhattan corporate life, from the drunken office parties to the casual adultery committed by married employees. Despite these controversial elements, the film racked up ten Oscar nominations and won five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay of 1960. [filmfactsman] |
| Rating | | | Date | August 05, 2005 | | Summary | Too marvelous for words | Content
| "The Apartment" is the model of the kind of movie they don't make anymore, not even Cameron Crowe, who took his inspiration for the excellent "Jerry Maguire" from this movie. Brimming with incredible (and incredibly real) dialogue, unobtrusive but picture-perfect direction, and outstanding performances, "The Apartment" defined the sophisticated-urban-romantic-comedy genre that later gave birth to such classic creations as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Sex and the City". There were funny stories about living in the big city before but they were never so well told, never so packed with humanity, and never so out-and-out FUNNY. Billy Wilder may be known for his acid-tongued humor about people stabbing each other in the back, but what makes "The Apartment" great is not its vitriol but the humanity of its two main characters, both of whom Wilder clearly cared about very much. I've never seen the ending as a cop-out, as many critics who relish Wilder's notoriously black humor have called it. This is a love story, folks; if you want a story that ends badly with two people who can't stand each other, look at real life. That's why we started writing stories in the first place, because life never goes where it would if we were in charge.
On a personal note, I'd just like to add that this movie actually saved my life. Many years ago a woman I loved left me one week before Christmas, taking all the furniture with her, leaving me only a chair, the TV and VCR, and a bare Christmas tree. Rather than kill myself like I wanted to, I watched "The Apartment" over and over, and seeing the similarly lonely C.C. Baxter gradually work things out gave me hope until I could do it for myself. I recommend this movie not just because it's a great movie, put together by artists at the top of their game, but because there is a spark of Life in it that survives, 45 years later, untouched and unfaded. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 24, 2005 | | Summary | guing twists | Content
| Directed by Billy Wilder, who is the director of "Sabrina" (1954)? You may even finish the film before realizing that you were engrossed in watching anticipating and maybe a little kibitzing.
I think it is a great story and well executed. There are a lot of details and clues as to what is to happen and who the mystery person is in Fran Kubelik's life. I am mot saying. One may think this is a timeless film, but at least the technology is dated; look at the steno pool equipment.
Jack Kruschen plays Doctor Dreyfuss who thinks that Jack Lemmon as C. C. (Bud) Baxter is wild and at it again. He administers first aid to Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine.)
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| Rating | | | Date | July 12, 2005 | | Summary | Wilder at the top of his game. I LOVE this movie! Buy this NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | Content
| Billy Wilder's the Apartment is a dark comedy about sex and ethics in the business world. In this Oscar-winning offbeat tale we find out that stepping up isn't so much fun when it's someone you care about that you're stepping on.
In the apartment, the late Jack Lemmon plays C.C.Baxter, a guy trying to move up at his job. His trick is that he lets his managers use his Manhattan apartment to entertain their mistresses. He's the man to go to; a lot of executives want to use his place to. Even though Baxter would like to get some sleep, things are going smoothly so smoothly that he decided to make a copy of the key to his apartment so J.D. Sheldrake the director of HR can have exclusive use of his apartment. On the same day, C.C. tries to make a move on Fran Kublelick, an elevator operator. The same woman J.D Sheldrake the Director of Human Resources. is cheating with. C.C. enjoys his big promotion on the day of the Christmas party. However, on the night of the party he finds out how hollow his victory is when Fran tries to take her life because Sheldrake dumped her in his apartment. Realizing what he did to someone he cared about, C.C. Baxter really has to think about his arrangement over the course of a long weekend. I won't give away any more, the movie is too good to spoil. You have to see it for yourself.
The late Billy Wilder knows how to write a story, even though the movie is almost 45 years old, the comments he makes about business and ethics are still relevant to 2005. Anyone coming out of college and going into the workworld needs to see this movie at least twice.
The late Jack Lemmon is great here as C.C the employee struggling with his ethics and identity in the working world. He's one of the all time great actors; Every time I watch one of his movies I see a character telling a story and not him. It's a pleasure to watch him act. Shirley Maclaine gives one of her best performances here as Fran Kubelick. I really felt sorry for the character of Fran Kubelick because Maclaine made her so real. The late Fred McMurray and Ray Walston (the dad on My Three Sons and My Favorite Martian for you people who remember that far back) are amazing in this movie playing the exact polar opposites of the nice characters they play on TV. These two especially McMurray are so unethical you can feel the smarminess coming off them.
The Apartment is an all around great movie and a Shawn James Five Star essential Video. You must buy this movie up and Wilder's equally hilarious Some Like it Hot. While you're at it pick up Office space and Clockwatchers. Compare and Contrast those two films to the Apartment. You'll find some interesting similarities in those three different workplace films.
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| Rating | | | Date | June 05, 2005 | | Summary | CORPORATE AMERICAN REVEALED | Content
| Billy Wilder and IAL Daimond have always been known for their cynical touch but The Apartment shows that they had an eye for telling it like it is.
While it was released in 1960, it still applies to corporate America today. It's not how good you are but the games you play that get you advanced.
Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine became stars from this film. Jack plays Bud Baxter, an average guy who aspires to more including the hot elevator operator, Miss Kublik (Maclaine).
When Baxter loans his apartment to help out a co worker, company executives quickly jump on the band wagon to host their trysts. Finally, he makes a deal with the devil (the lecherous head of personnel).
Fred MacMurray played Sheldrake (before he became squeaky clean in a series of Disney films and My Three Sons). Sheldrake offers Baxter a promotion, for exclusive use of his apartment. What Baxter doesn't know, is that Sheldrake is seeing Fran Kublik.
All changes on New Years Eve when Sheldrake dumps Fran and she decided to end it all.
Great character actor Jack Kruschen plays the doctor neighbor who thinks all the partying going on in Baxter's apartment is being done by Baxter.
Anyone who works in big business, will still see the similiarity today.
For trivia fans, this is the first Best Picture winner to be converted to a Tony winning Best Musical (Promises, Promises).
And yes Lemmon, Maclaine and Kruchen all received Oscar nominations. |
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