Member review

The Apartment is a romantic, comedic satire about office life in the 1960s, following the lower-down insurance worker C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) as he lends out his apartment to his bosses for their seedy affairs with their mistresses. The cinematography in the film emphasises the conformity of the office, the symmetrical desks seemingly stretching on to infinity, with Baxter being just another cog in the machine until his sordid arrangement with his superiors begins. The characters of C.C. Baxter and Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine) are easy to empathise and identify with - especially when you compare Baxter to the other men in the office - making the ending even more rewarding. The premise of affairs and unattainable love is twisted in this, unlike it's inspiration of Brief Encounter, it's not focused on a married protagonist, but the mistresses' acquaintance, hoping for more. Thanks to the witty, darkly comedic writing by Wilder (also seen in his other films like Some Like It Hot or Double Indemnity), the film never becomes entirely sombre and keeps an air of lightness to it that keeps it's momentum going and doesn't let it drag. Despite this, it shows it's age (64 years) with the repeated objectification of women - even the love interest is mainly referred to in relation to the men around her - she doesn't have much personality of her own and her suicide attempt only seems to be about her affair, which is unrealistic and a shallow depiction of mental illness. However, the portrayal of the sleazy businessmen doesn't paint them in a good picture and it shows the cruelty of these men towards the women, sympathising with the mistresses in a time when they were criticised and shamed by society, slightly softening the blow of the constant sexism.