The Apartment Billy Wilder, 1960

Billy Wilder Over 50 films an 6 academy awards Born June 22, 1906 Samuel Wilder, grew up Austro-Hungarian Empire Father, Max died in 1926 and his mother Eugenia who spent a great deal of time in America told him stories and began his fascination with the US Nick Named Billie for Buffalo Bill

Beginning of Career Started out as a journalist Received his first break as a filmmaker in Germany in 1929: MENSCHEN AM SONTAG (People on Sunday) Rise of the Nazis forced him to move to France, and ultimately to the United States

He worked on and off until 1938, when he began a long and fruitful collaboration with Charles Brackett. Their partnership, which lasted twelve years, produced a succession of box office hits including HOLD BACK THE DAWN (1941), DOUBLE INDEMNITY, THE LOST WEEKEND, and SUNSET BOULEVARD. DOUBLE INDEMNITY --PBS (American Masters)

DOUBLE INDEMNITY, co-written with Raymond Chandler was a tense and thrilling film noir, while SUNSET BOULEVARD investigated the bizarre and tragic life of a once famous silent movie star. Both proved Wilder’s ability to create successful and artistic cinema. --PBS (American Masters)

The 1950s saw Wilder produce several films alone including STALAG 17 (1953) and THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH, before teaming up with the writer/producer I.A.L. Diamond in The two would collaborate for over twenty years, producing such major hits as WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1954), SOME LIKE IT HOT and THE APARTMENT --PBS (American Masters)

Themes clerk gets ahead by hiring his apartment to philandering superiors in exchange for promotion Jack Lemmon’s CC Baxter is a symbol of Joe Public’s complicity in corporate ethics

“the great American con game” plots revolve around some sort of swindle moral weaklings trapped in situations in which they must lie to live sex and money are inextricably linked sex/greed conflict as a comment on human frailty

hated television (look for it in The Apartment) Baxter as little white dot? Secondary Themes

Approach innocent fascinated by the world’s corruption? Material is almost always serious, but always ironic “What I hate more than not being taken seriously is being taken too seriously many of his films have happy endings (while not necessarily his most famous films)

Cinematography How does the film show Baxter as the “little guy?” How are Baxter and Miss Kubelik framed vs Kubelik and Sheldrake?

Exposition Pay close attention to the first few scene of the film and think about (take notes on) all of the different ways exposition is communicated Exposition (from wikipedia) is a technique by which background information about the characters, events, or setting is conveyed in a novel, play, movie or other work of fiction. This information can be presented through dialogue, description, flashbacks, or even directly through narrative.

Close attention to detail in Exposition Key to executive office Office Details Television Sleeping Pills

The movie is about two people who become emancipated, so it is important to see what they are emancipated from Baxter is non-judgmental, bending over backwards for everyone to climb the corporate ladder Miss Kublik is in love with a married man and is trapped in an unhealthy situation (haircut)

How does the mise en scene help the development and understanding of the main character? What are the differences between the main office, the executive office and the apartment? What do they say about the environments? Mise en Scene

Cinematography Use of 40mm Lens (even wide shots) Shots weren’t meant to draw attention to themselves

Jack Lemmon Perfect “every-man” An unlikable character overall, so Lemmon is key to make him seem like a descent guy considered a genius, because he can do physical comedy (very complex) and act at the same time