REVIEW: THE APARTMENT

DIRECTED BY?: Billy Wilder (The Seven Year Itch, Some Like it Hot, Sabrina)

WHO'S IN IT?: Jack Lemmon (Legend of Bagger Vance), Shirley Maclaine (Rumour Has It...), Fred MacMurray (Son of Flubber), Jack Kruschen (The Million Dollar Duck)

WHAT'S IT ABOUT IN TWO SENTENCES?:

A kind man C C Baxter loans out his apartment to co-workers so that they can carry out extra marital affairs. Things get complicated however when one of these affairs involves the girl that C C has a romantic interest in.

ANYTHING OSCAR WORTHY?:

Well just ask the academy. In 1961 The Apartment was nominated for Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Sound. It also won for Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Writing, Best Editing, Best Director and Best Picture.
The film really does deserve every award and nomination it received. Standouts in my mind are Shirley Maclaine's performance (which is so complex, likable and tragic all at the same time), the editing (makes you long for the days when the average shot length in a movie was 0.5 seconds), the cinematography (which uses depth of field to stunning effect, and especially the writing which seems sharp and fresh even today (which says a lot seeming the film is 50 years old).

ANYTHING RAZZIE WORTHY?:

Nothing at all

HOW MANY STARS THEN?:
I can not believe it has taken me this long to see this classic. A must see for all.

5 stars out of 5