Matthew Lambert/ Winonan

Continuing with the month of Billy Wilder, I am happy to move forward to Wilder’s Oscar winning comedy, “The Apartment.”

The film follows C.C. Baxter, a midlevel man at an insurance company whose only ambition climbing the corporate latter to make a lot of money. Baxter allows some of his colleagues, mainly the people who are higher up in the company, to use his apartment for romantic rendezvous. As a result, other tenants in his apartment building label Baxter as a playboy while Baxter is forced to leave the apartment. Baxter has to sit outside and gets the flu. Jeff Sheldrake is a hot shot in upper management and asks Baxter if he can borrow his apartment certain nights of the week and promises Baxter that he will get a promotion for allowing him to use the apartment. Sheldrake doesn’t tell Baxter who the woman is though, but it is revealed Sheldrake is having an affair with Fran Kubelik, the elevator attendant.

Baxter has a crush on Kubelik, and when Baxter finds out Kubelik and Sheldrake are seeing each other, Baxter ignores Kubelik completely. After a falling out between Kubelik and Sheldrake, Kubelik decides to kill herself by consuming a bottle of sleeping pills, but her suicide attempt is thwarted when Baxter comes home and saves her. Baxter frantically calls Sheldrake trying to get his help, but Sheldrake isn’t interested and asks Baxter to look after her. Baxter tries his best to keep her happy and make sure she doesn’t attempt to kill herself again, but consequently falls in love with her.

This film has an amazing cast that features a young, dorky Jack Lemmon as Baxter, a down-on-her-luck beauty in Shirley MacLaine as Kubelik and Fred McMurray as Sherldrake. McMurray is from another famous Wilder movie, “Double Indemnity.” Along with the cast, the music and cinematography makes this film special. The music is a mix of a delightful romantic comedy tune with moments of suspense. The cinematography is a complex style of unique camera angles and shots while being filmed in a various amount of places.

This film is very unique because it’s the only Wilder film to win best picture at the Oscars. Wilder also won Best Director and Best Screenplay. Altogether, “The Apartment” won five Oscars out of the 10 it was nominated for.

All in all, if you are ever looking for an outstanding mix of comedy, drama, and romance, then look no further. “The Apartment” has it all. It will make you laugh, question the morals of men in the 1960’s and jump for joy. If nothing else watch this movie for Lemmon, who gives his best performance ever in this film.