Movie : The Apartment
Year : 1960
Starring : Jack Lemmon, Shirley Maclaine
Director : Billy Wilder
The Apartment is a creation of Billy Wilder’s funny heart
touching love story starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine. C.C. Baxter
alias Bud Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is working in a high rise New York Official
building starts to like a charming girl (Fran – Shirely Maclaine) employed to
run one of the elevators of that building. Jack is not married and lives alone
in an apartment which is used by four seniors of Bud for their extra marital
affairs. Although Bud was an ordinary employee, he was regularly promoted and
appreciated in service for his off the job services to his bosses. It was fun
to see that, during office hours, he was busy in scheduling and rescheduling to
use his apartment by his bosses.
On one day he was given two musical show tickets by one of his
bosses (Sheldrake) to pass time during night when his boss could enjoy with a
girl in Bud’s apartment. Bud offered Fran to accompany him to the show, she
accepted and said that she would join him by show time. However, Bud did not
know that it was Fran who was a date of his boss in his own apartment. Bud
waited outside the show but Fran did not turn up. Also, it was funny to see that, sometimes Bud
could not use his own apartment due to sudden visit of his bosses with their
dates for sex while neighbours of Bud
were under an impression that Bud brings different girls every night. Sheldrake
promised Fran that he would divorce his wife and marry Fran.
Some weeks later, on Christmas eve, secretary of Sheldrake
informed Fran that Sheldrake had seduced many other ladies and is a womaniser.
Sheldrake again dates Fran in Bud’s apartment where Fran pressurised Sheldrake
to confirm that if he would marry her or not. Sheldrake could not assure Fran about
his intention to marry and returned to his family to celebrate Christmas. Fran
got disturbed and sad and took extra sleeping pills. In the meantime, Bud met with
a lady in a bar who came with Bud in his apartment where they saw Fran unconscious.
With the help of a doctor neighbour, he could bring revive consciousness of
Fran. For two days he took care of Fran and also told her (unwillingly) to
think about Sheldrake.
He assured Sheldrake that he is taking care of Fran in his
apartment and will keep it as secret. Sheldrake came to know that his secretary
revealed his secret before Fran about his extra marital affairs and fired her
from the job but the secretary informed Sheldrake’s secret to his wife. After
knowing her husband’s infidelity, Sheldrake’s wife left him due to which
Sheldrake had to take shelter in a club house. Now he found himself in bachelorhood
and thought that he could now convince Fran about their marriage. In the meantime,
one of the bosses, as usual, came to the apartment as per agreed schedule but
was refused by Bud to allow him to pass time there. Bu the boss saw Fran in the
apartment and called her a Jackpot.As Fran did not reach her home, her brother
in law came to her office in search of her where he was informed that she is
with Bud in his apartment. Fran went to her home. Sheldrake promoted Bud and allotted
a separate cabin next to him and gave a position in the company. But Bud
refused to provide his apartment to his bosses in future and after a brief
argument he left his Job and came back. Fran, convinced by the probable divorce
of Sheldrake, met him in a New Year party where she was informed that Bud left
his job as he did not want to give his apartment for the affair of Sheldrake.
Fran felt that it is Bud Baxter who actually loves her and left Sheldrake in
the party to rush to the apartment of Bud.
Bud was ready to leave New York but got delighted to see Fran
back to his apartment. The couple was shown to spend nice time in the apartment
in the end.
