Review of The Apartment (1960) by Tom B — 08 Apr 2010
Lots of funny comedy from Jack Lemmon that gives way to his trademark pathos in a very sweet and affecting performance, beautifully matched to a young and always fetching Shirley MacLaine. Striking is Fred MacMurray's vehement self-protection.
A study in contrasts: then the powerful were the men with the jobs and the families, today, as in Up In The Air, the powerful women are doing what the men did, and with the same degree of self-protection.
In both films the loneliness of the one left up in the air underscores the humor. In both films the refracting mirror portrays individuals at threat from the job situation, either in or outside the circle.
Back then it was called the rat race, today we call it being employed. In either case, the ones above are dallying with the ones below and both lose something by it. We started out laughing and ended up quite smitten by the incisive insistence on exposing emotional truths that other films have in the past veered away from or over-dramatized.
Loved the rich noir-ish look working against the comedy and reminded of an earlier Wilder film with MacMurray called Double Indemnity. MacMurray was a bit hound-doggy in that one as well, but not oblique in the same ways, and somewhat sympathetic.
A surprisingly thoughtful pre-feminism era film that lands squarely on the side of women, by following the imbalance of power, and the misuse of privilege at the expense of another's feelings and expectations.
More pertinent than ever as it makes a strong case, inadvertently, that power, not gender, determines social misuse. Remarkable also to see how many jobs must have become obsolete with the rise of personal computers.
This review of The Apartment (1960) was written by Tom B on 08 Apr 2010.
The Apartment has generally received very positive reviews.
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