The Apartment
Encyclopedia
The Apartment is a 1960 American comedy-drama
film produced and directed by Billy Wilder
, and starring Jack Lemmon
, Shirley MacLaine
, and Fred MacMurray
. It was Wilder's follow-up to the enormously popular Some Like It Hot
and, like its predecessor, was a commercial and critical hit, grossing $25 million at the box office. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards
, and won five, including Best Picture
.
It was later adapted as a Broadway musical, Promises, Promises
, with a book by Neil Simon
, music by Burt Bacharach
and lyrics by Hal David
.
) is a lonely office drone for an insurance company in New York City
. In order to climb the corporate ladder, Baxter allows four company managers to use his Upper West Side apartment for their various extramarital liaisons. Unhappy with the situation, but unwilling to challenge the managers, Baxter juggles their conflicting demands, while hoping to catch the eye of fetching elevator operator Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine
). Meanwhile Baxter's neighbors assume he is a "good time Charlie" who brings home a different drunken woman every night. Baxter accepts their criticism rather than reveal the truth.
The four managers write glowing reports about Baxter—so glowing that personnel director Mr. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray
) suspects something illicit behind the praise, and summons Baxter to his office in order to confront him. Sheldrake lets Baxter's promotion go unchallenged on the condition that he be allowed to use the apartment as well, starting that night. Sheldrake gives Baxter two tickets to the Broadway musical The Music Man
to ensure his absence. Delighted about his promotion, Baxter asks Miss Kubelik to meet him at the theatre. She agrees; however (unbeknownst to Baxter), she is in reality Sheldrake's mistress. Though she intends to break off the affair that night, she is instead charmed by Sheldrake to Baxter's apartment. Baxter is disappointed at being stood up, but is willing to forgive Miss Kubelik.
At a Christmas Eve office party, Baxter inadvertently discovers the relationship between Sheldrake and Miss Kubelik, though he conceals this realization. For her part, Miss Kubelik learns from Sheldrake's secretary (Edie Adams
) that she is merely the latest female employee to be his mistress, the secretary herself having filled that role several years earlier. At the apartment, Miss Kubelik confronts Sheldrake with this information, and while he maintains that he genuinely loves her, he leaves to return to his family. Meanwhile, a depressed Baxter picks up a woman in a local bar and, upon returning to the apartment, is shocked to find Miss Kubelik in his bed, fully clothed and overdosed on Baxter's sleeping pills.
Baxter sends his bar pickup home and enlists the help of his neighbour, Dr. Dreyfus, in reviving Miss Kubelik without notifying the authorities. The doctor makes various assumptions about Miss Kubelik and Baxter, which Baxter concedes without revealing Sheldrake's involvement. Baxter later telephones Sheldrake at his home on Christmas morning and informs him of the situation; while Sheldrake professes gratitude for Baxter's quiet handling of the matter, he avoids any further involvement. Miss Kubelik recuperates in Baxter's apartment under his care for two days, during which he tries to entertain and distract her from any further suicidal thoughts, talking her into playing numerous hands of gin rummy
, though she is largely uninterested.
Baxter and Miss Kubelik's absence from work is noted and commented on, with Baxter's former "customers" assuming that Baxter and Miss Kubelik were having an affair. Miss Kubelik's taxi-driver brother-in-law comes looking for her and two of the customers cheerfully direct him to Baxter's apartment, partly out of spite, since he has been denying them access since his arrangement with Sheldrake. The brother-in-law also assumes the worst of Baxter and punches him twice after confronting the pair in Baxter's apartment.
Sheldrake, angered at his secretary for sharing the truth with Miss Kubelik, fires her. She retaliates by telling his wife about his infidelities, leading to the breakup of the marriage. Sheldrake moves into a room at his athletic club and continues to string Miss Kubelik along while he enjoys his newfound bachelorhood. Baxter finally takes a stand to become a man of integrity when Sheldrake demands the apartment for another liaison with Miss Kubelik on New Year's Eve
, which results in Baxter quitting the firm. When Miss Kubelik hears of this from Sheldrake, she realizes that Baxter is the man who truly loves her and runs to his apartment. Baxter, in the midst of packing to move out, is bewildered by her appearance and her insistence on resuming their earlier game of gin rummy. When he declares his love for her, her reply is the now-famous final line of the film: "Shut up and deal".
, Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond wished to make another film with Jack Lemmon. Wilder had originally planned to cast Paul Douglas
as Jeff Sheldrake; however, after he died unexpectedly, Fred MacMurray was cast.
The initial concept for the film came from Brief Encounter
by Noel Coward
, in which Celia Johnson has an affair with Trevor Howard in his friend's apartment. However, due to the Hays Production Code, Wilder was unable to make a film about adultery in the 1940s. Wilder and Diamond also based the film partially on a Hollywood scandal in which high-powered agent Jennings Lang
was shot by producer Walter Wanger
for having an affair with Wanger's wife, actress Joan Bennett
. During the affair, Lang used a low-level employee's apartment. Another element of the plot was based on the experience of one of Diamond's friends who returned home after breaking up with his girlfriend to find that she had committed suicide in his bed.
Although Wilder generally required his actors to adhere exactly to the script, he allowed Jack Lemmon to improvise in two scenes: in one scene he squirted a bottle of nose drops across the room and in another he sang while making a meal of spaghetti. In another scene where Lemmon was supposed to mime being punched, he failed to move correctly and was accidentally knocked down. Wilder chose to use the shot of the genuine punch in the film. He also caught a cold when one scene on a park bench was filmed in sub-zero weather.
Art director Alexandre Trauner
used forced perspective to create the set of a large insurance company office. The set appeared to be a long room full of desks and workers; however, successively smaller people and desks were placed to the back of the room ending up with dwarfs. He designed the set of Baxter's apartment to appear smaller and shabbier than the spacious apartments that usually appeared in films of the day. He used items from thrift stores and even some of Wilder's own furniture for the set.
The "Theme from the Apartment" was written by Charles Williams
and was originally titled "Jealous Lover", which was first heard in the 1949 film The Romantic Age
.
film critic Bosley Crowther
enjoyed the film, calling it, "A gleeful, tender, and even sentimental film." Chicago Sun-Times
film critic Roger Ebert
and ReelViews film critic James Berardinelli
both praised the film, giving it four stars out of four, with Ebert adding it to his "Great Movies" list. The film has a 91% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes
, based on 43 reviews.
However, there was some criticism. Due to its themes of infidelity and adultery, the film was controversial for its time. It initially received some negative reviews for its content. Film critic Hollis Alpert
of the Saturday Review called it "a dirty fairy tale". According to Fred MacMurray, after the film's release he was accosted by a strange woman in the street who berated him for making a "dirty filthy movie" and hit him with her purse.
Although Jack Lemmon did not win, at the 2000 Awards, Kevin Spacey
dedicated his Oscar for American Beauty
to Lemmon's performance. According to the behind-the-scenes feature on the American Beauty DVD, the film's director, Sam Mendes
, had watched The Apartment (among other classic American films) as inspiration in preparation for shooting his film.
and a Golden Globe each for their performances. The film appears at #93 on the influential American Film Institute
list of Top 100 Films
, as well as at #20 on their list of
100 Laughs
and at #62 on their 100 Passions
list. In 2007, the film rose on the AFI's Top 100 list to #80. In 1994, The Apartment was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress
and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry
. In 2002, a poll of film directors done by Sight and Sound magazine listed it as the 14th greatest film of all time (tied with La Dolce Vita
). In 2006, Premiere voted this film as one of "The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time".
The Apartment was the last film shot entirely in black-and-white
to win the Academy Award for Best Picture (1993's Schindler's List
contained some color sequences).
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film produced and directed by Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age...
, and starring Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
, Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career...
, and Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
. It was Wilder's follow-up to the enormously popular Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot is an American comedy film, made in 1958 and released in 1959, which was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and George Raft. The supporting cast includes Joe E. Brown, Pat O'Brien and Nehemiah Persoff. The film is a remake by Wilder and I....
and, like its predecessor, was a commercial and critical hit, grossing $25 million at the box office. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, and won five, including Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
.
It was later adapted as a Broadway musical, Promises, Promises
Promises, Promises
Promises, Promises is a musical based on the 1960 film The Apartment. The music is by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David, and book by Neil Simon. Musical numbers for the original Broadway production were choreographed by Michael Bennett; Robert Moore directed and David Merrick produced...
, with a book by Neil Simon
Neil Simon
Neil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
, music by Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
and lyrics by Hal David
Hal David
Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
.
Plot
C. C. Baxter (Jack LemmonJack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
) is a lonely office drone for an insurance company in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In order to climb the corporate ladder, Baxter allows four company managers to use his Upper West Side apartment for their various extramarital liaisons. Unhappy with the situation, but unwilling to challenge the managers, Baxter juggles their conflicting demands, while hoping to catch the eye of fetching elevator operator Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career...
). Meanwhile Baxter's neighbors assume he is a "good time Charlie" who brings home a different drunken woman every night. Baxter accepts their criticism rather than reveal the truth.
The four managers write glowing reports about Baxter—so glowing that personnel director Mr. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
) suspects something illicit behind the praise, and summons Baxter to his office in order to confront him. Sheldrake lets Baxter's promotion go unchallenged on the condition that he be allowed to use the apartment as well, starting that night. Sheldrake gives Baxter two tickets to the Broadway musical The Music Man
The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
to ensure his absence. Delighted about his promotion, Baxter asks Miss Kubelik to meet him at the theatre. She agrees; however (unbeknownst to Baxter), she is in reality Sheldrake's mistress. Though she intends to break off the affair that night, she is instead charmed by Sheldrake to Baxter's apartment. Baxter is disappointed at being stood up, but is willing to forgive Miss Kubelik.
Edie Adams
Edie Adams was an American singer, Broadway, television and film actress and comedienne. Adams, a Tony Award winner, "both embodied and winked at the stereotypes of fetching chanteuse and sexpot blonde." She was well-known for her impersonations of female stars on stage and television, most...
) that she is merely the latest female employee to be his mistress, the secretary herself having filled that role several years earlier. At the apartment, Miss Kubelik confronts Sheldrake with this information, and while he maintains that he genuinely loves her, he leaves to return to his family. Meanwhile, a depressed Baxter picks up a woman in a local bar and, upon returning to the apartment, is shocked to find Miss Kubelik in his bed, fully clothed and overdosed on Baxter's sleeping pills.
Baxter sends his bar pickup home and enlists the help of his neighbour, Dr. Dreyfus, in reviving Miss Kubelik without notifying the authorities. The doctor makes various assumptions about Miss Kubelik and Baxter, which Baxter concedes without revealing Sheldrake's involvement. Baxter later telephones Sheldrake at his home on Christmas morning and informs him of the situation; while Sheldrake professes gratitude for Baxter's quiet handling of the matter, he avoids any further involvement. Miss Kubelik recuperates in Baxter's apartment under his care for two days, during which he tries to entertain and distract her from any further suicidal thoughts, talking her into playing numerous hands of gin rummy
Gin rummy
Gin rummy, or simply gin, is a two-player card game created in 1909 by Elwood T. Baker and his son C. Graham Baker. According to John Scarne, Gin evolved from 18th-century Whiskey Poker and was created with the intention of being faster than standard rummy, but less spontaneous than knock...
, though she is largely uninterested.
Baxter and Miss Kubelik's absence from work is noted and commented on, with Baxter's former "customers" assuming that Baxter and Miss Kubelik were having an affair. Miss Kubelik's taxi-driver brother-in-law comes looking for her and two of the customers cheerfully direct him to Baxter's apartment, partly out of spite, since he has been denying them access since his arrangement with Sheldrake. The brother-in-law also assumes the worst of Baxter and punches him twice after confronting the pair in Baxter's apartment.
Sheldrake, angered at his secretary for sharing the truth with Miss Kubelik, fires her. She retaliates by telling his wife about his infidelities, leading to the breakup of the marriage. Sheldrake moves into a room at his athletic club and continues to string Miss Kubelik along while he enjoys his newfound bachelorhood. Baxter finally takes a stand to become a man of integrity when Sheldrake demands the apartment for another liaison with Miss Kubelik on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
, which results in Baxter quitting the firm. When Miss Kubelik hears of this from Sheldrake, she realizes that Baxter is the man who truly loves her and runs to his apartment. Baxter, in the midst of packing to move out, is bewildered by her appearance and her insistence on resuming their earlier game of gin rummy. When he declares his love for her, her reply is the now-famous final line of the film: "Shut up and deal".
Cast
- Jack LemmonJack LemmonJohn Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
as C.C. "Bud" Baxter - Shirley MacLaineShirley MacLaineShirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career...
as Fran Kubelik - Fred MacMurrayFred MacMurrayFrederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
as Jeff D. Sheldrake - Ray WalstonRay WalstonRay Walston was an American stage, television and film actor best known as the title character on the 1960s situation comedy My Favorite Martian. In addition, he is also remembered for his roles as Luther Billis in South Pacific , Mr. Applegate in Damn Yankees , J.J...
as Joe Dobisch - Jack KruschenJack KruschenJack Kruschen was a Canadian-born character actor who worked primarily in American film, television and radio.-Radio:...
as Dr. Dreyfuss - David Lewis as Al Kirkeby
- Hope HolidayHope HolidayHope Holiday was born in New York, NY. Has extensive Broadway Musical Comedy background; has acted in 1960s, 70s and 80s film and TV. Perhaps her best film role was that of "Mrs. Margie MacDougall," Jack Lemmon's partner in self-pity on Christmas Eve night, in the Billy Wilder film "The Apartment"...
as Mrs. Margie MacDougall - Joan ShawleeJoan ShawleeJoan Shawlee , also credited as Joan Fulton, was an American film and television actress.Her most notable roles were small roles in Jack Lemmon and Billy Wilder films. Her most famous role was as Sweet Sue in the 1959 comedy classic, Some Like It Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack...
as Sylvia - Naomi StevensNaomi StevensNaomi Stevens was a prolific character actress of film and television from the 1950s through the 1980s. She has appeared in almost 100 roles over the years, usually depicting someone's ethnic mother, or neighbor...
as Mrs. Mildred Dreyfuss - Johnny Seven as Karl Matuschka
- Joyce JamesonJoyce JamesonJoyce Jameson was an American actress best remembered for her blonde bimbo roles during the Marilyn Monroe period...
as the blonde in the bar - Willard WatermanWillard WatermanWillard Lewis Waterman was a character actor in films, TV and on radio, remembered best for succeeding Harold Peary as the title character of The Great Gildersleeve at the height of that show's popularity.Peary was unable to convince sponsor and show owner Kraft Cheese to allow him an ownership...
as Mr. Vanderhoff - David WhiteDavid White (actor)David White was an American stage, film and television actor best known for playing Darrin's boss Larry Tate in the 1964-72 sitcom Bewitched.-Early life:...
as Mr. Eichelberger - Edie AdamsEdie AdamsEdie Adams was an American singer, Broadway, television and film actress and comedienne. Adams, a Tony Award winner, "both embodied and winked at the stereotypes of fetching chanteuse and sexpot blonde." She was well-known for her impersonations of female stars on stage and television, most...
as Miss Olsen
Production
Immediately following the success of Some Like It HotSome Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot is an American comedy film, made in 1958 and released in 1959, which was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and George Raft. The supporting cast includes Joe E. Brown, Pat O'Brien and Nehemiah Persoff. The film is a remake by Wilder and I....
, Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond wished to make another film with Jack Lemmon. Wilder had originally planned to cast Paul Douglas
Paul Douglas (actor)
Paul Douglas was an American actor, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as Paul Douglas Fleischer.-Career:...
as Jeff Sheldrake; however, after he died unexpectedly, Fred MacMurray was cast.
The initial concept for the film came from Brief Encounter
Brief Encounter
Brief Encounter is a 1945 British film directed by David Lean about the conventions of British suburban life, centring on a housewife for whom real love brings unexpectedly violent emotions. The film stars Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway and Joyce Carey...
by Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
, in which Celia Johnson has an affair with Trevor Howard in his friend's apartment. However, due to the Hays Production Code, Wilder was unable to make a film about adultery in the 1940s. Wilder and Diamond also based the film partially on a Hollywood scandal in which high-powered agent Jennings Lang
Jennings Lang
Jennings Lang was an American film producer, as well as a screenwriter and actor.- Biography :...
was shot by producer Walter Wanger
Walter Wanger
Walter Wanger was an American film producer. An intellectual and a socially conscious movie executive who produced provocative message movies and glittering romantic melodramas, Wanger's career began at Paramount Pictures in the 1920s and led him to work at virtually every major studio as either a...
for having an affair with Wanger's wife, actress Joan Bennett
Joan Bennett
Joan Geraldine Bennett was an American stage, film and television actress. Besides acting on the stage, Bennett appeared in more than 70 motion pictures from the era of silent movies well into the sound era...
. During the affair, Lang used a low-level employee's apartment. Another element of the plot was based on the experience of one of Diamond's friends who returned home after breaking up with his girlfriend to find that she had committed suicide in his bed.
Although Wilder generally required his actors to adhere exactly to the script, he allowed Jack Lemmon to improvise in two scenes: in one scene he squirted a bottle of nose drops across the room and in another he sang while making a meal of spaghetti. In another scene where Lemmon was supposed to mime being punched, he failed to move correctly and was accidentally knocked down. Wilder chose to use the shot of the genuine punch in the film. He also caught a cold when one scene on a park bench was filmed in sub-zero weather.
Art director Alexandre Trauner
Alexandre Trauner
Alexandre Trauner was a set designer.After studying painting at l'École des beaux-arts de Budapest, he emigrated to Paris in 1929, where he became the assistant of set designer Lazare Meerson, working on such films as À nous la liberté in 1932 and La Kermesse héroïque in 1935)...
used forced perspective to create the set of a large insurance company office. The set appeared to be a long room full of desks and workers; however, successively smaller people and desks were placed to the back of the room ending up with dwarfs. He designed the set of Baxter's apartment to appear smaller and shabbier than the spacious apartments that usually appeared in films of the day. He used items from thrift stores and even some of Wilder's own furniture for the set.
The "Theme from the Apartment" was written by Charles Williams
Charles Williams (composer)
Charles Williams was a British composer and conductor, contributing music to over 50 films...
and was originally titled "Jealous Lover", which was first heard in the 1949 film The Romantic Age
The Romantic Age
The Romantic Age is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Edmond T. Gréville. The screenplay by Peggy Barwell and Edward Dryhurst is based on the French novel Lycee des jeunes filles by Serge Véber....
.
Reception
At the time of release, the film was a critical and commercial success, making $25 million at the box office and receiving a range of positive reviews. The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
film critic Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
enjoyed the film, calling it, "A gleeful, tender, and even sentimental film." Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
and ReelViews film critic James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
both praised the film, giving it four stars out of four, with Ebert adding it to his "Great Movies" list. The film has a 91% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, based on 43 reviews.
However, there was some criticism. Due to its themes of infidelity and adultery, the film was controversial for its time. It initially received some negative reviews for its content. Film critic Hollis Alpert
Hollis Alpert
Hollis Alpert was an American film critic and author. Alpert was best known as the cofounder of the National Society of Film Critics, which he started in his New York City apartment.-Early life:...
of the Saturday Review called it "a dirty fairy tale". According to Fred MacMurray, after the film's release he was accosted by a strange woman in the street who berated him for making a "dirty filthy movie" and hit him with her purse.
33rd Academy Awards (Oscars) – 1961
The Apartment received 10 Academy Award nominations and won 5 Academy Awards.| Award | Result | Nominee |
|---|---|---|
| Best Motion Picture Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only... |
Billy Wilder Billy Wilder Billy Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age... |
|
| Best Director | Billy Wilder Billy Wilder Billy Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age... |
|
| Best Actor Academy Award for Best Actor Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... |
Jack Lemmon Jack Lemmon John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June... |
|
| Best Actress Academy Award for Best Actress Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... |
Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career... |
|
| Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. Before 1940, there was an Academy Award for Best Story for writing. For 1940, it and the award in this article were separated into two awards. Beginning with the... |
I. A. L. Diamond I. A. L. Diamond I.A.L. Diamond was a comedy writer in Hollywood from the 1940s through the 1980s.-Early life:He was born Iţec Domnici in Ungheni, Iaşi County, Bessarabia, Romania, present day Moldova, was referred to as "Iz" in Hollywood, and was known to quip that his initials stood for "Interscholastic Algebra... and Billy Wilder Billy Wilder Billy Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age... |
|
| Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... |
Jack Kruschen Jack Kruschen Jack Kruschen was a Canadian-born character actor who worked primarily in American film, television and radio.-Radio:... |
|
| Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Black and White) Academy Award for Best Art Direction The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999... |
Edward G. Boyle Edward G. Boyle The career of set decorator Edward G. Boyle kicked off in the early 30s, when he started working on the first of over 100 films... and Alexandre Trauner Alexandre Trauner Alexandre Trauner was a set designer.After studying painting at l'École des beaux-arts de Budapest, he emigrated to Paris in 1929, where he became the assistant of set designer Lazare Meerson, working on such films as À nous la liberté in 1932 and La Kermesse héroïque in 1935)... |
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| Best Cinematography (Black and White) Academy Award for Best Cinematography The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:... |
Joseph LaShelle Joseph LaShelle Joseph LaShelle, A.S.C. was a Los Angeles born film cinematographer.He won an Academy Award for Laura , and was nominated eight additional times.-Career:... |
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| Best Film Editing | Daniel Mandell Daniel Mandell Daniel Mandell was an American film editor with more than 70 film credits. His career spanned films from The Turmoil in 1924 to The Fortune Cookie in 1966... |
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| Best Sound | Gordon E. Sawyer | |
Although Jack Lemmon did not win, at the 2000 Awards, Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey, CBE is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television...
dedicated his Oscar for American Beauty
American Beauty (film)
American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged magazine writer who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend, Angela...
to Lemmon's performance. According to the behind-the-scenes feature on the American Beauty DVD, the film's director, Sam Mendes
Sam Mendes
Samuel Alexander "Sam" Mendes, CBE is an English stage and film director. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning work on his debut film American Beauty and his dark re-inventions of the stage musicals Cabaret , Oliver! , Company and Gypsy . He's currently working on the 23rd James Bond...
, had watched The Apartment (among other classic American films) as inspiration in preparation for shooting his film.
Other awards and honors
The Apartment also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film from any Source and Lemmon and MacLaine both won a BAFTABritish Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
and a Golden Globe each for their performances. The film appears at #93 on the influential American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
list of Top 100 Films
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies
The first of the AFI 100 Years… series of cinematic milestones, AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies is a list of the 100 best American movies, as determined by the American Film Institute from a poll of more than 1,500 artists and leaders in the film industry who chose from a list of 400 nominated movies...
, as well as at #20 on their list of
100 Laughs
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs
Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Laughs is a list of the top 100 funniest movies in American cinema. A wide variety of comedies were nominated for the distinction that included slapstick comedy, screwball comedy, romantic comedy, satire, black comedy, musical comedy, comedy of...
and at #62 on their 100 Passions
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions
Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Passions is a list of the top 100 greatest love stories in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute on June 11, 2002, in a CBS television special hosted by American film and TV actress Candice Bergen.-The...
list. In 2007, the film rose on the AFI's Top 100 list to #80. In 1994, The Apartment was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
. In 2002, a poll of film directors done by Sight and Sound magazine listed it as the 14th greatest film of all time (tied with La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita is a 1960 comedy-drama film written and directed by the critically acclaimed director Federico Fellini. The film is a story of a passive journalist's week in Rome, and his search for both happiness and love that will never come...
). In 2006, Premiere voted this film as one of "The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time".
The Apartment was the last film shot entirely in black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
to win the Academy Award for Best Picture (1993's Schindler's List
Schindler's List
Schindler's List is a 1993 American film about Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg, and based on the novel Schindler's Ark...
contained some color sequences).