Starring
Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack
Kruschen, David Lewis, Hope Holiday, Edie Adams. Directed by Billy
Wilder. Directed by Billy Wilder (1960, 125 min).
Though
I often claim to be well-versed in classic films and their history, I
must ruefully confess I'd never seen The Apartment until now
(I know, shame on me).
It
was simply one of those classics that slipped through the
cracks. I picked a good time to remedy that problem, though, because
this Blu-Ray edition from Arrow films is damn near perfect. Had I been able to review it during December (when it was released),
The Apartment would have had the #1 spot on my 2017 'best-of'
list.
Since
The Apartment is an unqualified classic, it seems pointless to
provide the usual plot summary. Instead, I'll offer my biggest
takeaway from seeing it for the first time: Fred MacMurray is a
magnificent scumbag.
 |
| Jack addresses his Droogies. |
We
all know this is one of Billy Wilder's best films (if not his very
best) and Jack Lemmon is as congenially likable as ever - despite his
character's questionable attempts to earn a promotion. As for
Shirley MacLaine...well, she's cute, though I've never been all that
enamored with her and this film didn't change my mind.
But
MacMurray? Granted, I've not seen everything the man's ever done, but
for the most part, I've always associated him with 'nice guys'. Sure,
he was a two-faced weasel in The Caine Mutiny, though not
necessarily a villain. But as Baxter's lecherous boss Jeff Sheldrake,
MacMurray channels his inner asshole to give us a character who's not
simply an awful human being...he's completely indifferent to the pain
he causes others. Sheldrake is such a smooth talker that, for the
most part, he has those he's duped into believing the utter sincerity of
his empty words. It's really a remarkable performance that, quite frankly,
I didn't think someone like Fred MacMurray had in him.
Not
bad for a guy mostly remembered as an absent-minded professor.
 |
| The Absent-Minded Douchebag. |
Elsewhere,
The Apartment has lost none of its serio-comic charm since it won an Oscar for Best Picture 58 years ago. It's been released on Blu-Ray before, but this
Arrow edition is definitely worth the upgrade. It features a beautifully restored picture and is loaded with a
slew of bonus features, most of which are either brand new or
at-least new to Blu-Ray. They'll give the viewer a renewed appreciation for what's often considered Billy Wilder's crowning achievement. A must-own for any movie fan, perhaps especially those like me, who are arriving late to the party.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
NEW
- FEATURETTE: "THE KEY TO THE APARTMENT" (Film critic
Philip Kemp discusses his appreciation of the film).
NEW
- SELECTED SCENE COMMENTARY (by film critic Philip Kemp).
NEW
- "THE FLAWED COUPLE" (Video essay by writer David Cairns
of the Lemmon/Wilder collaborations).
NEW
- "A LETTER TO CASTRO" (In this interview, Hope Holiday
discusses her brief-but-memorable role in The Apartment).
NEW
- RESTORATION SHOWREEL.
AUDIO
COMMENTARY (by film historian Bruce Block).
"AN
INFORMAL CONVERSATION WITH BILLY WILDER" - A very old interview
produced by the Writers' Guild.
VINTAGE
FEATURETTES: "Inside The Apartment"; "Magic Time: The
Art of Jack Lemmon" (an interview with Jack's son, Chris).
THEATRICAL
TRAILER
KITTY CONSENSUS:
MEE-OW! LIKE BEING TURNED LOOSE IN A BIRD SANCTUARY
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