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.
Rating: 
Summary: The takers and the took
Review: The question that comes to mind after seeing this is... why is it such a good movie? The plot is fairly predictable and a bit stiff. The setting has, in some ways, badly dated -- it's been a long time since people who knew each other more than five minutes still said "Mr." and "Miss." The office tribulations of white alpha-male wanna-bes don't get much sympathy these days. The secondary roles (nosy secretary, brassy switchboard operator, Oy Vey Jewish doctor, rough cabbie) are exaggerated "Character" parts with a capital C. The office sequences look as though they were lifted from New Yorker cartoons: the Christmas Party, the New Office (complete with handlettered door), etc. And how Baxter disposes of his hat definitely wouldn't cut it today.But this is a sneaky movie, that turns from light comedy to surprisingly hefty drama and back again with ease. Its saving grace is the interaction between the leads, as written and especially as performed by Lemmon and MacLaine. I was never a big fan of either, but both have real range here, and it isn't the funny moments that you'll come away with. Lemmon in particular shows malleability by taking a dweeb and slowly revealing his depth of character. The loneliness of living in NYC is conveyed perfectly (some things don't change). (One little wince for New Yorkers is that "cozy" brownstone bachelor pad "in the West 60s." You can bet C.C. Baxter isn't living in it now, and I wonder if he would have had it then.) The other star of the movie is Wilder's cinematography, which wrings every bit of composition possible with a wide screen and black and white film, and uses it directly to the purpose of the story. Forget color -- when you have as sure a hand behind the camera as in this movie, the results are absolutely captivating. I'm not sure why there are complaints about the DVD transfer -- it's crisp, with a full tonal range and good detail on a demanding LCD screen. There are no extras, but you won't miss them with a movie this good. Neither a hyper-realistic drama nor a knee-slapping comedy, but satisfying because of its humanity. Even if you see it coming, you'll be surprised how the ending can grab you.
Rating:
Summary: Wilder's Best
Review: The Apartment is my favourite Billy Wilder film. It is a perfect marriage of drama and comedy. The story at times is quite dark and shows the sordid side of office life. The main themes of the film are infidelity and despair, but Wilder is able to inject humour into these themes so that the film becomes paradoxically warm and full of emotion. Shirley MacLaine was never better than in her role as Fran Kubelik the 'elevator girl' trapped in a hopeless affair. Jack Lemmon likewise gives one of his best performances as 'Bud' Baxter trying to get ahead in the office, but a man with principles also and finally a man willing to stand up and be counted. Fred MacMurray did all his best work with Wilder and is wonderfully slimy as J.D. Sheldrake the treacherous boss after only one thing. The film is helped immeasurably by a superb score by Adolph Deutsch, particularly the main theme which I find quite heartbreaking. The MGM DVD is good. It is presented in anamorphic widescreen which shows off the original Panavision print very well. I found the quality of this print to be fine. The images are clear and sharp and the print hardly shows its age at all. The sound quality on this DVD is also good with very little background noise. The dialogue is always audible and the music sounds great. Of course the film neither looks nor sounds like a film released this year, but as a presentation of a film made more than forty years ago this DVD is more than acceptable. The only extra on this DVD is a theatrical trailer which unfortunately is not presented in its correct aspect ratio. The trailer is of interest mainly because it fails to mention the main theme of the movie, i.e. infidelity.
Rating:
Summary: The best of everyone involved
Review: Here's one of the all-time great films that features Shirley MacLaine when she only had one life (and wasn't apparently planning to have any more than that), and Jack Lemmon when he was still interested in turning in a honest performance and not in collecting awards, and the remarkable Billy Wilder, pulling the whole thing together at the peak of his form. Even Fred MacMurray (whose performances were usually on a par with blancmange) plays a fine, believable villain. The Apartment also has one of my all-time favorite scenes: Jack Lemmon straining spaghetti with a tennis racket. Not to be missed!
Rating:
Summary: Great movie
Review: The Apartment is a 5 star movie that has just recently beentransfered to dvd. Howerver the dvd [is bad]. I still suggest getting it just because the high quality of the movie. If you have never seen it get it and if you are a fan of the movie like I am get it there's no question about that. I'm sure that in 2-3 years they will put out a better version to make more money off of us, and I will buy that too, But we will worrie about that when it happens.
Rating:
Summary: billy wilder proves his namesake
Review: an excellent performance by billy wilder, jack lemmon, and shirley maclaine. definitely worth watching for everyone. potent humour and drama all at the same time. the only complaint is about 20-30 minutes of overlength, which is typical of most good movies of the time (i know, a sweeping generalization -- but i find it to be true for most good movies of the 40s, 50s, and early 60s). worth owning
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie, Terrible DVD
Review: The Apartment is one of my favorite Billy Wilder films and is required viewing for anyone interested in movies. I just wish I could be as enthusiastic about this DVD release. The DVD seems to have been taken from a less-than-perfect copy of the film, with lots of dirt and scratches (artifacts) and so much edge enhancement that the pictures literally jumps and skitters on the screen. The onderful early scene in the office are ruined by the amount of shimmer and shake on the screen. Maybe someday the movie will be given a delux treatment and cleaned up. We can only hope.
Rating:
Summary: The Apartment and Crowe's Almost Famous
Review: The Apartment is one of Cameron Crowe's favorite films, as he has said in writing, and it is obvious to anyone who has seen both The Apartment and Almost Famous. The comparisons are many but the key comparison is in the central role of the woman with a big loving heart being used by powerful men, being treated poorly and discarded. The attempted suicides are parrellel in both the way they play out and their positions in the dramatic structure of both films. I don't want to list all the details but wanted to point this out to anyone who might enjoy looking at the influences and the development of a great work in relation to another great work. All best.
Rating:
Summary: When is Wilder better than this?
Review: Billy once said that when he's sad and meloncholic he writes the comedies, and when he's joyous and exuberant he writes the dramas. So what state was he in when he and Diamond wrote this masterpiece; not necessarily a comedy and not necessarily a drama - just like life, which is truly Wilder's greatest gift as a filmmaker. Perhaps at the top of his game when he made this, Wilder handles every scene with the deft perfection that only a handful of directors could do. I saw this film back in '98 when Curtis Hanson (of L.A. Confidental and Wonder Boys) screened a glorious print at UCLA, and Wilder's command of the widescreen image for a "contained" film is beyond brilliant. It's almost a shame to see this film on a TV (widescreen or not). The snappy writing and honest performances from Lemmon and McClaine easily belong as part of the hi-lites of their careers. Seeing Fred McMurray play the role of the scandalous cad is another masterstroke (remember Wilder first worked with McMurray in Double Indemnity), and the supporting work by Ray Walston rounds out a perfect-pitch picture the likes we'll never again. Astoundingly based on true life events of Hollywood during the 50s.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT
Review: This movie is simply outstanding. It is certainly one of Billy Wilder's best(he has so many BESTS). Jack Lemmon has never been better and I cannot wait for the DVD, which will allow it to be seen widescreen (which most movies DESERVE to be seen). Please watch this movie - it is very funny and touching at the same time. Hot diggity dog this movie is good.
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