The Apartment (1960)
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An insurance clerk's willingness to let his superiors use his apartment for their affairs leads to a complicated web of romance and professional risk.
The story
In New York City, a lonely insurance clerk named Baxter seeks to climb the corporate ladder by allowing his superiors to use his Upper West Side apartment for their extramarital affairs. This arrangement earns him favorable reviews from his superiors, but it also complicates his life when he becomes involved with an elevator operator in his building. When his superior, Jeff Sheldrake, becomes suspicious of Baxter's popularity, he demands use of the apartment for himself. The situation becomes increasingly complicated as the boundaries between professional ambition and personal feelings begin to blur, forcing Baxter to navigate the consequences of his choices in a high-stakes corporate environment.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Baxter, a lonely office worker at Consolidated Insurance Company, allows four managers to use his apartment for their affairs in exchange for favorable performance reviews. When the head of personnel, Jeff Sheldrake, discovers the arrangement, he demands use of the apartment for his own affair with Fran Kubelik, an elevator operator. Baxter is initially unaware of Fran's connection to Sheldrake. After a series of complications involving a medical emergency and a misunderstanding at a party, Baxter takes the blame for Fran's actions to protect her. Following a series of events where Sheldrake is eventually ousted from his position, Baxter decides to quit the firm and move out. On New Year's Eve, after Sheldrake abandons her, Fran rushes to Baxter's apartment. The film ends with the two of them together, sharing a moment of romance.
- First release year
- 1960
- Runtime (minutes)
- 125
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Billy Wilder
- Writers
- Billy Wilder · writer; I. A. L. Diamond · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jack Lemmon · Calvin Clifford or "C.C.", "Buddy Boy", Baxter; Shirley MacLaine · Fran Kubelik; Fred MacMurray · Jeff Sheldrake; Ray Walston; Edie Adams
- Genres
- romantic comedy; comedy-drama
- Themes
- corporate ambition; infidelity; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- tender; cynical; romantic
- Premise and plot tags
- workplace; romance; comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- Based on the film 'Brief Encounter' and a real-life Hollywood scandal.
- Reception
- The film received widespread critical acclaim and was a commercial success, though it faced some controversy due to its themes of infidelity.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 93% · scale: percentage · review count: 103; Metacritic · score: 94 · scale: 100 · review count: 21
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Picture · won; Academy Award · Best Director · won; Academy Award · Best Screenplay · won
- Production trivia
- The film's title theme was originally titled 'Jealous Lover'.; The production design used forced perspective to create a large office set.; The film was based partially on a real Hollywood scandal involving an affair.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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