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.
