I first saw The Apartment when I was 17 years old. I instantly liked it, but it would never have occurred to me to label it "my favourite film". It isn't cinematic ally dazzling. It doesn't feature any of my favourite actors. It doesn't push the boundaries of what's acceptable in film. Yet over the next thirteen years, I kept getting drawn back to it- because I could see the parallels that it had with my own life. This is a story about priorities and the bittersweet nature of relationships that I found to be haunting. Not bad for a comedy.
The best way to see this movie is a letterboxed DVD. It captures the intimacy of the characters better than the cinema experience and the loneliness of the spaces surrounding them better than a pan and scan version.
Jack Lemmon was a theatrically trained actor who gave his all and took quite a few critical hits for it (and praise too; he won several acting prizes). The Apartment contains most of his finest work as Wilder keeps him under firm control. Lemmon finds the right tone and understands the material perfectly. In interviews, he remarked of the ending: "Billy threw a rose into a garbage pail". C.C. Baxter is an engaging character, although he can be a little overbearing at times. Lemmon is at his best in the quieter moments- that perfect stone face he projects as he says "I said I had no family. I didn't say I had an empty apartment". At times, he doesn't seem to be in control of his own body- witness him dancing around like somebody else is pulling the strings.
Shirley MacLaine is wonderful as Fran. She stays totally focused on the person she's talking to and delivers her dialogue sharply. You get a real sense of loss when Fran attempts suicide, because you don't pity her. MacLaine is totally unsentimental here- it's more an attempt to get somebody's attention than self-annihilation.
Fred MacMurray's best two film roles were for Wilder (this and Double Indemnity (1944)) and the director uses him for maximum effect. Probably the most sordid scene in the film is family Christmas scene as Sheldrake's son opens his presents and has just discovered the word "profligate"- it's very subversive watching the all-American dad being a philanderer and a liar. MacMurray embodies everyday, uncaring, ordinary meanness here. You can see the charm and power that makes him attractive to women like Fran. You can also see the transparent snake-oil salesmanship that alienates him from people who know better and don't have to be nice to him.
What I love about Billy Wilder's films (and this one in particular) is the fact that you don't have to make any allowances for him. More than any other director of his era, Wilder deals with the basic elements of humanity and these never date. Although The Apartment is a film very much of its time in its setting (Sheldrake getting his shoe shined by a black man) and references (a secretary complains that she can't rendezvous with her boss because The Untouchables is on TV that night), it seems more modern than ever. I can't think of another film that depicts life choices as realistically and as entertainingly as this one does. I've related to this film in so many ways. I've often been too eager to please and unsure whether people like me or what I do for them. I've had a crush on a co-worker who didn't return my affections. I'm often helping out damaged women. I think the movie captures the bittersweet nature of life perfectly.
I revisit The Apartment once a year. Watching it is like revisiting an old friend who sets you straight. This isn't a film for everyone (despite winning a Best Picture Oscar)- it often leaves a sour aftertaste to people who may find some elements objectionable. Yet it fits in with my jaundiced but romantically hopeful view of life and that's why it's my favourite movie.
0 comentarii:
Trimiteți un comentariu