The Apartment [PG]

C.C Baxter knows the way to succeed in business…it’s through the door of his apartment. Providing the perfect hideaway for philandering bosses, the ambitious Baxter is rewarded with undeserved promotions. But when Baxter lends the key to the top dog, Mr Sheldrake, he not only advances in his career, but his love life as well for Sheldrake’s mistress is the beautiful Fran Kubelik: elevator girl and angel of Baxter’s dreams. Now Baxter has to make the most important executive decision of his career: lose the girl or lose his job. 

I have only recently gotten into black and white movies of the “classic” genre and my mum has been at me for a while to sit down and watch The Apartment. I’m glad I finally heeded her advice. I loved it. It had a wonderful story, beautiful performances, and a big handful of characters that you just want to hit. 

C.C “Bud” Baxter knows the way to succeed in business… through the door of his apartment. Working as an insignificant accountant on the 19^th floor, Bud gains popularity among the men in power by lending them the key to his apartment so that they can bring their mistresses and fling inconspicuously. By providing this service, Bud is rewarded with a series of undeserved promotions, some that would take a hard-working employee years to achieve. But Bud gets more than he bargained for when he lends the key to the Big Boss, Mr Sheldrake. He not only advances in his career, but in his love life too because Mr Sheldrake’s mistress is the lovely Fran Kubelik: elevator girl and angel of Bud’s dreams. Now Bud must make the most important executive decision of his career: lose the girl or lose his job. 

A perfect film from start to finish, The Apartment was filled with beautiful performances, a moving story, the right levels of drama and comedy, and filmed in black and white, which just makes everything all the more elegant. 

Jack Lemmon stars as Baxter and he was brilliant. Delivering a very moving performance, he was loyal, moral, kind-hearted, and incredibly charming. I think any girl would fall in love with him after watching this movie. 

Shirley MacLaine played Fran and she was simply beautiful. Her performance was a real knockout. Deeply stirring, tear jerking, elegant, and quick-witted. I have to say that her timing was absolutely impeccable. 

I have to say at this point that The Apartment was a classic example of a movie that is moved forward by its actors. The story may be the backbone, but it’s the performances that keep that story moving forwards, getting from situation A to situation B with all the drama in between. 

Filled with drama, suspense, romance, comedy, dirty old men, and heaps of betrayal, and winner of five Oscars including Best Picture, The Apartment was a wonderful film, a true delight from start to finish and well deserving of a place in any film tragic’s collection.