The Oscar Project #33: The Apartment (1960)

by Chris Marshall:

I don’t know what the deep and profound significance of this is, but the first year of each decade produces some pretty great movies. So far, years ending in 0 have brought us All Quiet on the Western Front, Rebecca, All About Eve, and now The Apartment. That’s a pretty fine list there.

There is just so much to like about The Apartment, not least of which is the fact that it’s directed by Billy Wilder. I’ve seen four of his films now (this, Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, and Sunset Blvd.), and I’ve loved them all. That is a pretty disparate group of genres to attain mastery in. When Michael Hazanavicius won Best Director this year for The Artist, he said, “I want to thank Billy Wilder, I want to thank Billy Wilder, and I want to thank Billy Wilder.” It’s easy to understand why.

There is such depth in his filmography that it almost defies belief. In addition to the aforementioned films, he also directed Some Like It Hot, Ace in the Hole, Stalag-17, Witness for the Prosecution (and so on). I stop there lest this entire article turn into a list of movies, but Wilder’s filmography merits a mention. He’s made more great movies than most directors make decent ones.

The Oscar Project #5: Grand Hotel (1932)

by Chris Marshall:

Grand Hotel is the gold standard for Rich People Problems movies. The entire story takes place within Berlin’s fanciest hotel, and two of the main male characters are a Baron and an Industry Magnate. But at least there’s a twist: the Baron’s Rich Person Problem is that he has no money. How he affords to spend so much time in Berlin’s fanciest hotel is never directly addressed, but I suppose it’s best not to ask too many questions.

If nothing else, Grand Hotel was the first star-studded Best Picture winner, featuring five recognizable names: Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Wallace Beery, and John and Lionel Barrymore. Crawford, Beery, and Lionel Barrymore all won Oscars for lead acting in their careers (Garbo was nominated four times but never won), and they all delivered solid performances here. Beery was particularly effective at portraying the sleazy, villainous Industry Magnate, but based on everything I know about him, that hardly required acting.