Billy Wilder’s The Apartment, a United Artists production from 1960, is a film that continues to strike a chord with audiences. It’s not just a product of its time; it’s a sharp, witty, and surprisingly poignant look at corporate culture and human connection. The movie centers around C.C. “Bud” Baxter, played with a perfect blend of meekness and hidden longing by Jack Lemmon. Bud is a low-level office drone at an insurance firm, who gains favor with his superiors by letting them use his Upper West Side apartment for their extramarital flings.
Shirley MacLaine is Fran Kubelik, the elevator operator whom Bud secretly adores. Fran is also having an affair with Bud’s boss, Jeff Sheldrake, brought to life with a callous charm by Fred MacMurray. The supporting cast is equally terrific, including Ray Walston as the scheming, womanizing personnel director and Edie Adams as Sheldrake’s neglected wife. Their presence really enriches the world of the film.
Wilder’s direction is masterful. He uses the vast, impersonal office setting to great effect, creating a visual metaphor for the isolation and alienation that many of the characters experience. The script, co-written by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond, is full of snappy dialogue and moments of genuine emotion. The movie handles the difficult subject matter of infidelity and exploitation with a remarkable blend of humor and pathos. It is a movie with moments of great sadness, but it never veers into melodrama.
The Apartment works because it’s not just a comedy, or a romance, or a drama, it manages to be all of these things at once. It is a portrait of loneliness and the search for happiness in a world that often feels cold and uncaring. It’s a film that feels as relevant today as it did over sixty years ago, and that’s what makes it a true classic.
The Apartment is a United Artists production.
Release Date: 1960
Director: Billy Wilder
Cast: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Edie Adams