365 High-Def Days of Oscar: Day 7
Year: 1960
Oscar Wins:
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Original Screenplay
Best Editing
Best Art Direction (Black & White)
Oscar Nominations:
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Sound
Best Cinematography (Black & White)
THE PLOT THUS FAR
A man tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
C.C. Baxter is an ambitious employee in an insurance company. He tries to work himself to a promotion by allowing his philandering bosses to use his apartment as a perfect hideaway. As an exchange for the use of his apartment, his bosses put him in the top ten of the efficiency reports. After getting a promotion and successfully asking the elevator girl Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine) on a date, everything was going well for Baxter. Until he finds out that Miss Kubelik is the mistress of his big boss J.D. Sheldrake.
Miss Kubelik and Sheldrake had a summer affair and Sheldrake wants Kubelik back admitting that he still loves her. Showing vulnerability, she agrees to get back together and ends up using Baxter’s apartment twice a week. Naturally there will be problems. Sheldrake could not break up his marriage, and Kubelik does not like how the relationship is going but couldn’t help being in love with him. Kubelik summed it up when she said `when you’re in love with a married man, you shouldn’t wear mascara.’
The sharp, witty dialogue as well as Jack Lemmon’s hilarious mimic would hint at a romantic comedy. Yet, one cannot overlook the tragic elements which let us dive into thoughtfulness, but never too deeply. Then again the film works on a satiric level, operating as cynical social commentary on corporate culture in the sixties. The remarkable thing about this film is that these three qualities merge perfectly into each other without ever losing the balance. The Apartment is a most entertaining picture, sometimes rushing from one hilarity to the next, and then suddenly slowing down to leave room for contemplation. Sometimes uplifting, sometimes depressing, sometimes both at the same time. Billy Wilder mixed these contrary moods, and most amazingly, it worked out just fine.
The Blu-Ray comes with the featurettes and commentary ported over from the Collector’s Edition DVD. The 1080p transfer showcases a rather high bitrate that leads to a near reference quality image. The DTS-HD master audio track never quite triggered right with my receiver. At times, it seemed like a mono mix but most of the time it was read as 5.1 surround. I’m not sure what to chalk that up to, but it makes for a worthy purchase.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!
