The Apartment

The Apartment (1960)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Empire 500 (2008): #12
Empire 301 (2014): #104
Director: Billy Wilder
Screenwriters; Billy Wilder, I.A.L Diamond

It is rare to find perfection in a film, but The Apartment is as close to perfect as you will ever find. From the opening monologue to the final line, scarcely a shot feels wasted or unnecessary which in a 2 hour film is quite a feat. The screenplay is so masterfully constructed with so many perfectly designed setups and payoffs that it is little wonder that this film is still regarded as one of the finest comedies ever. To call it a comedy though would be simplifying it. It is a number of things, a romance, a drama and a tragedy with subject matter that would not be touched in mainstream cinema today. We follow C.C.Baxter (Jack Lemmon), one of 31,259 employees of an insurance company and looking to move as far up the ladder as he can in the corporate world. To do this however, he must give the use of his apartment to several of his bosses for their affairs. The concept is very solid and makes for an entertaining opening, as Baxter is woken up late at night and forced to wait outside for his boss. Soon however, a lift girl Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine) catches his attention but their relationship is scuppered, as Baxter's boss is having an affair with her.

At the heart of it all, Jack Lemmon puts in an incredible performance, bursting with a manic energy that never lets up throughout the film to create a hugely sympathetic character, whether straining spaghetti through a tennis racket or shuffling and dealing cards. It is a magnificently physical performance. He is also supported by a great cast, with MacLaine and especially Fred MacMurray as Baxter's boss.

This film however, is more than just a comedy, and deals with subject matter such as depression, solitude and a harsh criticism of the American workplace culture. Set very tellingly around Christmas, the time of the year where everybody is happy and with friends and family, only serves to increase Baxter's sense of isolation from the real world, which is also shown in a number of subtle ways. While the ending seems in modern light a bit predictable, as it has been copied many times since, it doesn't really cheapen the journey. This really is a fantastic film.

5/5 Stars 

Before Sunset

Before Sunset (2004)
Empire 500 (2008): #110
Empire 301 (2014): Not Included
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Director: Richard Linklater
Screenwriters: Richard Linklater & Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy

This is a rare and beautiful thing. A sequel that feels better than the original and entirely necessary, not a tacky, moneymaking add-on but something different and unique. The distance of 9 years between the films clearly helped, as did the obvious passion of the three main creative leads, Linklater, Hawke and Delpy, for the project. The film starts with a playful and funny reminder of the original film through the eyes of Jesse, who has published a book about it. Nine years later, the setting (Paris instead of Vienna), the format (lots and lots of conversation)  and the type of encounter remain similar, but Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) have moved on. Jesse is seemingly locked in an unhappy marriage, while Céline has been hurt numerous times in her love life, to the extent that she has given up trying. Nine years later, the characters feel wiser and more grown up than on their last outing, and the stakes and urgency feel much higher as both have made serious commitments.

My problem with the original film was despite the conversations and the characters, there felt like a lack of narrative, stakes or urgency. This film feels different and rectifies that, as it firstly is far more condensed, playing out in real time The conversations are also just a bit more personal and real, due I guess to the fact that Hawke and Delpy wrote the script themselves with Linklater. There is more tension and conflict between the two characters this time, while the central 'will they, won't they?' dilemma feels more pressing and interesting. We also know these characters already so the film has the liberty of being able to instantly go into the meat of things. For all these reasons, this film takes a dramatic step above Before Sunrise.

As the film races towards the end, another sequel feels inevitable and needed. I still haven't seen Before Midnight, but I will sometime soon, and I am looking forward to completing the Before trilogy a lot more now that I have seen this gem.

5/5 Stars