The Apartment
UW Cinematheque 821 University Ave., UW Vilas Hall, Room 4070, Madison, Wisconsin
press release: New Restorations
USA | 1960 | DCP | 125 min.
Director: Billy Wilder; Cast: Jack Lemmon, Shirley Maclaine, Fred MacMurray
Young corporate flunky C.C. Baxter (Lemmon, in perhaps his greatest role) quickly climbs the ladder of success when he begins lending his apartment key to his superiors, who are looking for a clandestine place for their afternoon trysts. The situation is complicated when Lemmon falls for Fran Kubelik (MacLaine), the girlfriend of the top executive. Co-writer and director Wilder skewers corporate America with this great satire and love story that won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. A recently created, brilliant-looking 4K digital restoration will be screened.
Screenings mostly take place at 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Avenue. Once-a-month Sunday afternoon screenings take place at the Chazen Museum of Art, 750 University Avenue. In accord with current UW Madison policies, masks are required for entry to our venues. All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public. Please visit our website for a complete listing of programs and descriptions from September 3 through December 18.
In addition to new copies of several restored movies showcased in our other series, Fall Cinematheque calendar is robust with one-off screenings of new digital preservations of several exciting titles from throughout international cinema history, including Luis Buñuel’s pitch-black satire The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz; Melvin Van Peebles’ produced-in-France debut feature The Story of a Three Day Pass; Jean-Louis Roy’s Swiss Cold War oddity, The Unknown Man of Shandigor; and two featurettes by one of Senegal’s leading cinematic voices, Djibril Diop Mambety.