THE APARTMENT (1960)

There is No Such Thing as a Bad Coincidence...

On the seventh Lynchian day of Christmas, we present Billy Wilder's somber romantic drama The Apartment (1960). The film takes place mostly between Christmas and New Year's Eve, and is frequently listed as one of David Lynch's favorite films. The Apartment also has the distinction of being the last of Lynch's seven film selections to screen at his Parisian nightclub Club Silencio its opening week, which you can learn more about here. Interestingly, Lynch bookended his week-long festivities with two Billy Wilder films, having screened Sunset Blvd. (1950) the opening night.

Jack Lemmon plays a man whose career aspirations lead him to lend out his apartment regularly to his co-workers and bosses, so they can carry on affairs outside their homes. One particularly grateful employer—played by later Disney staple Fred MacMurray—promotes Lemmon to an enviable position in the company. But when MacMurray dumps his mistress—played by Shirley MacLaine in her prime—she attempts suicide in Lemmon's apartment. Lemmon saves her life and eventually falls in love with her, leading him to choose between love and money after MacMurray renews his interest in her. Billy Wilder is an expert at injecting humor into his dramas, which helps make The Apartment a contemplative yet enjoyable film. In the video below, Lynch mentions The Apartment as a shining example of a film that effectively created a "place and mood" cinematically.

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