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Billy Wilder is the GOAT and The Apartment (1960) proves it
June 22 is Billy Wilder’s birthday and once again, I am going to gush about him, because, frankly I wouldn’t be here without him. Shout-out to watching classic movies as a teenager and subsequently thinking screenwriting was a good option instead of going outside and playing with the other kids, yo!
I mean, the man is the greatest of all time. There is no-one above him. Sunset Boulevard (1950), Some Like It Hot (1959), Double Indemnity (1944), Stalag 17 (1953), The Lost Weekend (1945)… it’s insane that all of those films were made by the person!
And then there’s The Apartment (1960). And at the risk of not doing my favorite film of all time justice, I will tentatively share my thoughts on a particular scene from it that I think sums up Wilder’s genius.
Here’s the deal: C. C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is an insurance clerk in New York City who tries to climb up the corporate ladder by allowing his bosses to use his apartment for their liasions. Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine) is the elevator girl who is, of course, having an affair with the boss, Jeff Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray). Now, I want to point out that every single scene in this film is a masterclass in storytelling and screenwriting and, again, I couldn’t possibly to it justice and besides, other people have done it way better than me. But…
