The Apartment - Definition and Overview

The Apartment is a 1960 romantic comedy based on the premise that corporate advancement can be enhanced by loaning your convenient apartment to fellow workers with a more intimate interpretation of the term 'social climbing'. The consequences can be tragic or hilarious, and this movie clearly chooses the latter direction. The three top characters, played by Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray (acting against his wholesome image) show great skill in pulling this off.

The movie earned five Academy Awards:

• Best Picture - Billy Wilder, producer
• Academy Award for Best Art Direction (Black-and-White) - Edward G. Boyle, and Alexandre Trauner
• Director - Billy Wilder
• Film Editing - Daniel Mandell
• Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen - I.A.L. Diamond and Billy Wilder

It received an additional five nominations:

• Best Actor in a Leading Role - Jack Lemmon
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Jack Kruschen
• Best Actress in a Leading Role - Shirley MacLaine
• Cinematography, Black-and-White - Joseph LaShelle
• Academy Award for Sound - Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD)

The film has also been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.