Rating: 
Summary: A CINEMATIC TREASURE GETS LOWLY TREATMENT ON DVD
Review: "The Apartment" is one of those little jabs of pleasure in your cinema-going experience. Directed by the legendary Billy Wilder, its the tale of an overworked office jockey who wants to get up to the executive suite. So he starts renting out his apartment to executives who are having affairs with their secretaries. Jack Lemmon, Shirley MaClaine and Fred MacMurray all give outstanding performances that make this Oscar-winning film a truly profound movie viewing experience.
MGM DVD has done one of the worst jobs ever on this transfer. The 2:35:1 anamorphic picture exhibits an overly harsh, digital characteristic that is wholly unflattering. There are excessive amounts of shimmering, edge enhancement and aliasing throughout. The gray scale is well represented but shadow delineation and contrast levels during the night scenes are poor to nonexistant. When they're not shaking uncontrollably across your screen, fine details are softly focused and poorly rendered. The soundtrack is mono and strident. There are no extras. We don't even get an insert that tells us where the chapter stops on this disc are. What a shame!
Rating: 
Summary: Apartment, Makes You Feel at Home
Review: Whenever you hear the name of the late, great Jack Lemon, it is invariably followed by "Some Like it Hot", being named his best film. I must disagree, because I feel the film, "The Apartment", is his masterpiece. In fact all three principles in the making of this film (Billy Wilder, Shirley Maclaine, and Lemon himself) are at the top of their game.This is the story of a mild mannered, white collar, office worker, who is trying to get ahead at a large IBM like corporation, by loaning out the key to his apartment to various married, corporate executives, for an array of infidilties.Along the way he falls in love and must decide,what is more important,love or getting ahead at the office? This is a very touching film that mixes it's humor with pathos. It is also a bit of a time capsule, which shows us what the 1950s, button down, corporate life must have been like, before the days of feminism and casual Fridays. Also, special mention should be made of the wonderful supporting characters played by Fred MacMurray and Ray Walston. MacMurray is a wonderful villan as the big boss and Walston is a hoot with his "buddy boy" lingo.This film is a wonderful way to spend an evening.
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Summary: Bud's success is an open door policy...
Review: 'Bud' Baxter (Jack Lemon) works for an insurance company in New York and throughout his career he has seen the slow process of few people advancing within the company. However, Bud has found the quick way for professional success and progress as he lends out his apartment to his superiors. The apartment functions as a love nest for his bosses as they can continue their secret love affairs unhindered . Regularly Bud has to return late at night as his superiors are leaving his apartment after a rendezvous with a mistress. This is wearing out Bud both emotionally and physically as he must clean up the mess and deal with the neighbors gossip. When the head of the company wants to borrow his key to his apartment he does not only advance his career, he also discovers the woman of his life. But it comes with a price as he must chose between his career and love.
Billy Wilder is canny as he crafts this story about Bud and the escapades around his apartment. There are two factors that Wilder uses that make the film readily available for a large audience. First Wilder tells a story which people can relate to and second he makes it a comedy, which makes people laugh. These two simple steps are fundamental for a successful film. In addition, Wilder displays his remarkable storytelling skills as he creates this comedy with serious undertones similar to some of William Shakespeare's comedies and this offers depth and makes this film also a good one. In the end, Wilder leaves the audience with a first class story that offers a brilliant cinematic experience as it leaves the audience with a message.
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Summary: ATTENTION: a Home Theatre/HDTV/16:9/480p DVD Review!!
Review: Now that the Home Theatre environment is becoming more common it is time to sort the GOOD from the BAD DVD's. This is only from a videophile who enjoys the total viewing and listening Home Theatre experience. The movies themselves are the main ingredient but unfortunately Film Studios don't always give us what we think we are getting. (Quality vs quantity) Another words they are already re-releasing DVD movies with enhancements and extras for wide screen TV's etc. So we need to buy right the first time and not repeat buying on the same movie.
My first (#1) Home Theatre DVD Review "The Apartment" is an AFI (American Film Institute) top 100 movie of the last 100 years. It won "5" Oscars including "Best Picture of 1960", and Best Director, Billy Wilder (in 1959 he directed, "Some Like It Hot" - voted by AFI as the #1 Comedy in the last 100 years) So you can see this was and is a GREAT Comedy (filmed in Black and White). Jack Lemmon, Shirely MacClaine and Fred MacMurray lead the emsemble cast.
Simply put its a boy meets girl, falls in love she is distracted by another man and "The Apartment" brings them together. A great story, great characters and the greatest comedic director.
Now this DVD is Digitally ReMasterd (Picture and Sound). It is enhanced for widescreen 16:9 (Aspect Ratio) TV's & HDTV's. The movie's 235:1 means you still get a LETTERBOX presentation but it is enhanced for maximum viewing enjoyment. The Picture clarity is perfect (480p - 480 horz lines with Progressive Scan (a line doubler feature. NOTE: regular DVD players are 480i). The only extra is a Trailer. "The Apartment" is a must both for its entertainment value and viewing quality. It is the best!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Definitely worth the rent!!
Review: They just don't make movies like this any more. It's perfect in every way from the acting of the late great Jack Lemmon, to the writing/direction of Billy Wilder. Everything adds up to an immensely enjoyable movie, worthy of multiple viewings.
Lemmon stars as C.C. Baxter, a worker drone employed by the nation's largest insurance corporation. In hopes of climbing the corporate ladder, C.C. lends his cozy little apartment to his bosses for entertaining their mistresses. Baxter's life as a bachelor seems empty, until doors begin to open up for him at work, and he begins pursuing lovely elevator operator Fran (Shirley MacLaine), who just happens to be the ex-mistress of his boss (Fred MacMurray) who would like to rekindle the romance with her himself. Baxter must decide what is more important: success or the woman he has fallen in love with.
The movie features some hilarious situations, including Baxter's nosy neighbors, who think he's a real playboy judging by all the racket coming from his apartment every night. Again, the acting is splendid all around, from Lemmon to the beautiful MacLaine. You'll be hard pressed to find a movie as charming as this one. In beautiful black and white.
Rating:
Summary: No Rain
Review: I'm not going to rain on anybody's parade. This is a terrific movie, and lots of other reviewers have already ticked off all of the things that make it terrific. It's smart and sophisticated, with plenty of witty dialogue. Although some of the details are dated, such as the interminable rows of pencil pushers at desks with adding machines, the underlying office politics are just as real and just as nasty today as ever. The acting is great. Not only are Lemmon and MacLaine wonderful together, the rest of the cast is also excellent.The only thing I have to add is that, despite clever lines, funny scenes and an acceptably happy ending, THE APARTMENT is as much a drama as it is a comedy. The seamy undercurrent of office politics and the way people ruthlessly use each in their personal relationships gives this little tale a grim, almost vicious, feel at times. Much of what you see in THE APARTMENT is not the least bit funny. Not to be repetitive, but this is an outstanding movie. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's not really a family movie, though. True to the period in which it was made, there's no overt sexual content, but there are definitely adult themes and kids probably wouldn't fully "get" what's going on, anyway. Be that as it may, THE APARTMENT would be a great addition to almost any classic movie collection.
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Summary: The (Apartment) Keys to Success
Review: The American Army that returned from Europe after WWII went to college in the late 40's and began building America in its own gray flannel suited image in the 1950's. Jack Lemmon is a small cog in the machine of the aforementioned America. Jack crunches numbers for a massive New York insurance company. Lemmon has a leg up on his fellow bean counters however. He happens to live in a bachelor pad that he loans out to his superiors for their one night stands and inner-office affairs. These panneled office Don Juans conspire to kick 'Buddy Boy' upstairs in order to keep a lid on their love nest, little did they dream just how far up he would go. Things get complicated when the newly successful Lemon develops a romantic interest of his own in Shirley MacLaine, the cute and bright elevator operator who seemingly is desired by all but had by none. The comedic moments are brilliant and the dramatic moments stunning, and there is a perfect blend of both. This late 50's early 60's time capsul ("What do you think of Castro") is a classic in American film making.
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Summary: An absolute Gem from Lemmon and Wilder
Review: Mr. Lemmon figured prominently in a good dozen of the best films ever made, and he is at the absolute top of his game in "The Apartment" as C.C. Baxter - an up and coming business man who makes his way through the corporate ranks faster than usual by making his apartment available to higher executives to carry on affairs without paying for hotel rooms. This is probably a borderline premise for a romantic comedy today, and it must have seemed absolutely scandalous 44 years ago, but the truth is that it is very contemporary in tone today while also being funny, thoughtful and poignant. It's too bad there's noone as clever as Billy Wilder making Romantic Comedies today. Shirley Maclaine has never been better, and anyone who grew up watching Fred MacMurray in "My Three Sons" or any of those Disney films will be surprised to see him playing an absolute scumbag in this movie. The dialogue is witty and sharp and the acting is crisper than a fresh celery stick. This is a good time.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of Goodies In One Apartment
Review: "The Apartment" is a great drama release from 1960 starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. It rightfully won five Oscars, including Best Picture. Its plot of a man who lends people his apartment for affairs while getting nothing in return is brilliant. Meanwhile, the love theme always keeps audiences interested. Such combination of complex stories, plus others, placed into one movie keeps the theme ahead of its time. The writers know the perfect scenes to add more drama. Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine have the perfect chemistry between each other as actors. Both performed their roles wonderfully. Their expressions alone keeps the dramatic theme intact. "The Apartment" is great for those looking for a great, unique drama. This movie experience will answer why it's become a classic.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic!
Review: I first saw The Apartment on TCM and I thought it was fantastic. It is a dramatic movie with some witty dialogue and is about a man named C.C. Baxter played by Jack Lemmon being taken advantage of by his superiors who use his apartment for their extra marital affairs with promises of rising up the corporate ladder and when they put in a good word for him with the boss he gets promoted and when the boss played by Fred MacMurray finds out about the arrangement with the apartment he makes Baxter give him a key so he can use the apartment for his trysts with his mistress Fran Kuberlik who also happens to be the sweet elevator operator at work that Baxter has a crush on. Of course it can be said that Baxter was also taking advantage of the situation with his apartment to get ahead at work. I don't want to give away too much information about this movie and spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it so I will just give that brief description and say that Jack Lemmon was great as Baxter and Shirley MacLaine was wonderful as Miss Kuberlik and Fred MacMurray was good as the boss and his character was so different than the loveable Dad he played in My Three Sons. In this movie his character is so cold and calulating but he did a great job of it and I highly recommend this movie on DVD which I think was done very well, yeah maybe some scenes show it's age a little with the white flickering spots but it's pretty mild and kind of adds to the charm of watching a black and white movie. This movie at the time it was made could have been filmed in color but was intentionally filmed in black and white and I think it really fits the mood of the film. I very highly recommend The Apartment!
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