Released in 1960, only a year after his smash hit “Some Like It Hot”, “The Apartment” is another oddball romantic comedy from the famous director Billy Wilder. Again it was a big hit at the box office, and it received ten Academy awards nominations, winning five of them, including the best picture.
“The Apartment” focuses on Calvin Clifford “Bud” Baxter (Jack Lemon), a low ranking office worker in an insurance company. Desperate to climb the corporate ladder he lets some of the higher executives use his apartment for their various “extracurricular” activities. Things get complicated when Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), a young lady he fancies, turns out to be having an affair with one of his bosses. When Fran tries to overdose on his sleeping pills Baxter is the one to take care of her, but sooner or later he will have to decide whether he wants to pursue a career at the insurance company or is true love more important to him. Of course, in the mean time, a lot of worried brothers and jealous wives come in to further complicate the events, usually with hilarious results.
Even though “The Apartment” received critical praise and plenty of awards, it was also condemned by a large part of the viewing audience that was outraged by its blatant depiction of subjects such as infidelity and adultery, proving to be ahead of its time in this respect.
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