‘When you’re in love with a married man, you shouldn’t wear mascara...’
There is a strong argument that Billy Wilder is the greatest director of all time. His many successes are too many to list here, but when anyone who can boast Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, Witness for the Prosecution and The Lost Weekend as part of their filmography has to be in the conversation. The Apartment, one of Wilder’s many collaborations with legendary actor Jack Lemmon, is yet another Wilder masterpiece…
Lifelong bachelor C.C. Baxter (Lemmon) finds himself revered as the most popular man in the office when word gets around that he has an apartment available to hire for any man wanting to spend some time with a lady friend who isn’t his wife. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), Baxter’s unscrupulous boss, is one of his ‘customers’, but things become complicated when Baxter falls for elevator operator Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine).
Controversial upon release due to its depiction of adultery, The Apartment takes a set up that could easily have been farcical and instead imbues it with a pervading sense of longing and melancholy. Lemmon’s easy charm lends itself well to the role of a fixer, and MacMurray utterly convinces as a smooth talking ladies man with a dark heart. MacLaine is also excellent, especially in the film’s first half where she is allowed to be sassy and funny rather than morose and hysterical. Most striking is how well developed this world feels. Being dropped into Baxter’s life for a couple of hours really is an utterly joyous experience.
The Apartment, a clear influence on everything from the work of the Coen Brothers to Mad Men, like much of Wilder’s work, has aged beautifully. It also works as an alternative Christmas film for anyone looking for something out of left field – an utter joy from start to finish.
