Review of The Apartment (1960) by Will A — 01 Mar 2009

There may be nothing to say about Jack Lemmon's awesomeness that has not been said, but wow can he carry a movie. The original (and better) Tom Hanks: sincere guy, best intentions but down on his luck and always between a rock and a hard place.

The Apartment serves as a shining example of this particular talent of Lemmon's, as Mr. Baxter (his character) is getting ahead in his company not on his work merits (though he seems to be a solid employee), but rather by lending his apartment to his bosses so they have a place to discretely cheat on their wives.

The turning point in this film is one of the best: it went from romantic comedy to practically film noir - which might explain why Wilder shot it in black and white - at the exact moment where Mr. Baxter turns off the record when faced with a crisis in his apartment (I won't spoil it by telling you what that was). The note director Billy Wilder is making about diegetic versus extra-diegetic music is one thing (and quite forward looking for the time), but to see the movie's tone turn 180 degrees on a dime is stunning, and it was something I can't say I remember ever seeing done so well in a movie.

I can't remember seeing Shirley MacLaine in a movie before this one, though I'm sure that I have. And I haven't done enough research to prove that Scorsese loves this film, but something about the tone suggested to me that he learned a lot from Wilder. Maybe I'll update this review down the road if I find that information, it was just a feeling I got.

The Oscar winner for Best Picture of 1960 - no pedestrian year for movies - and with good reason, the Apartment is one of the best films you will ever watch, and if you haven't yet, do so. It is truly outstanding.