Essential Classic Movies You Need to See

This fall, I met some Toronto film critics who’ve been really supportive of my blog and loved the opportunity to discuss about their favorite classic films with someone who loves Classic Hollywood. A lot of them were films I’d seen before, but there was one critic whose favorite I hadn’t seen. Even though it was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Jack Lemmon, it had somehow slipped through my radar! When I discovered it on Netflix, I watched it straight away and now it’s probably one of my favorites.

The Apartment (1960)

C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is a young and single office clerk who punches the clock at an insurance firm in Manhattan. He’s pretty unremarkable…except that the executives use his apartment on a rotating basis as a place to take their dates and girlfriends. In exchange for the key and keeping his mouth shut, he gets treated slightly better at the office. His little black book isn’t so little and its express purpose is to keep track of his bosses’ dates. He’s willing to go on like this until he meets a new secretary named Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), a down to earth charming girl who’s had some tough times in the past but is hoping her luck will change with this new job. She quickly becomes the next scheduled date in Baxter’s apartment - and it’s not with him.

Why You Should Watch:

This story may sound familiar. And it should! It was a play before it was a movie and became a Broadway musical, book adapted from Wilder’s screenplay by Neil Simon (playwright, not musician) with music written by Burt Bacharach, Promises Promises, six years later. Funny trivia tidbit: Jerry Orbach, who was not only the lead in Law and Order, but also voiced Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, played Baxter in the original Broadway cast!

As I mentioned back when I wrote about Some Like It Hot, this carried on the tradition of Wilder-Lemmon collaborations from the 1950s into the 1980s. I also mentioned that Jack Lemmon is known by people who grew up in the 1990s as one half of the Grumpy Old Men franchise. But here, he’s young, and isn’t hamming it up with his pal Tony Curtis. He finally gets to shine as a leading man. He makes Baxter so believable and pathetic, but still undeniably likeable.

You might remember her from Terms of Endearment, and Shirley MacLaine is also incredible in this movie. I can’t say I’ve seen a lot of her films, but I do remember seeing her in Around the World in 80 Days (1956) as the Indian princess Auoda (this is a real thing, people). She does such a stunning job in The Apartment playing a vulnerable young woman just trying to keep her head above water and giving in to her impulses, be they good or bad.

While watching, you might recognize Fred MacMurray as Mr. Sheldrake. He also played Walter Neff in Double Indemnity (1944), an archetypal film noir, also directed by Billy Wilder, and probably one of the best of the genre. Apparently MacMurray was also contracted to Disney during the filming of this movie, and was very hesitant about playing a “morally ambiguous” character, but Wilder managed to convince him.

The Apartment has a very high Oscar count - it was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won five: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction (in a Black and White Film), and Best Film Editing. Both Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively! Another interesting tidbit: this film was the very last black and white film to win Best Picture! (Who knows, maybe this year, that’ll change if The Artist does as well as I’m predicting…)

And of course, one of my favorite directors, Billy Wilder, hits it out of the park again. I’ve written on a bunch of his movies, including Sunset Blvd (1950), Some Like It Hot and Sabrina. Odds are, if he’s involved, you should see it.

Scenes to Look Forward To:

This movie takes an shocking turn partway through. So shocking, in fact, that when Wilder gave Shirely MacLaine her script, he didn’t give her the entire thing. She thought it was unfinished, but he just wanted her to be surprised. For that reason, I’m a bit reluctant to tell you about some of the best scenes. But I’ll do my best!

As with most Billy Wilder scripts, there are a ton of great one-liners. One of my favourites is when Ms. Kubelik reflects on her love life and gives the following advice: “When you’re in love with a married man, you shouldn’t wear mascara”

Every character, even the minor ones like the co-workers, secretaries, and neighbours are so integral to the story. There are no small parts and even if they aren’t major, they all serve incredible purposes. Think of the nosy neighbours who live next to Baxter. Think of the secretaries who’ve been shuffled around in the company.

I absolutely love everything about the scene where Baxter is straining his spaghetti with a tennis racquet. That, my friends, is the genius of Billy Wilder’s imagination.

Happy watching!!

When people find out I studied film and write a film blog, they always ask what my favorite movie is. I feel like almost everyone is surprised when I tell them that Psycho is in my top 3. I recently rewatched it on DVD, as well as a “Making of Psycho” featurette, so I will do my best to avoid spoilers (except for the stuff I’m sure you already know about!)

Psycho (1960)

Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is a single woman living in Pheonix. She’s having an hot affair with a man who just won’t marry her. She works as a secretary for a real estate company and is unsatisfied with her day to day life. In a moment of weakness, she decides to steal $40,000 from her boss and drive across Arizona to her boyfriend, but paranoia and exhaustion get the best of her and she needs to stop at a roadside motel. When checking in, she meets the strange motel owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), an attractive young man who lives with his invalid mother on the property. This turns out to be nearly the last thing she ever does. A detective, her boyfriend and her sister come out to the motel to find out exactly where she disappeared to and are shocked by what they discover.

Why You Should Watch:

This is yet another one of those films that, even if you haven’t seen it, it’s deeply embedded in our culture. If you hear high-pitched violins and feel anxious, this movie is to blame. The image of a shadow holding a knife, slashing the air with it, remains one of the most frightening images. 

Hitchcock made this film in black and white for less than a million dollars, using the crew from his television show ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’. And yet, it remains one of his most iconic films ever. 

All of the performances in this film are remarkable, especially Anthony Perkins who just might be the most charismatic crazy person to have ever graced the big screen. You can’t help but love his boyish charm and naivety. And he’s just so darn good to his mother! ;)

If you’re a fan of Hitchcock, this movie is so satisfying. You can practically see the cogs turning in his mind from tracking shot to tracking shot. It takes you on a journey that you have to succumb to, and maybe that’s why it’s so terrifying. 

If you’ve been unconvinced to watch it because you don’t like horror, or because you love gory horror and think you’ll be bored to death - consider this as a rollercoaster. You may be laughing once it’s finished, but you’ll have still gotten a thrill.

Scenes to Look Forward To:

The shower scene. If you’re heard of this movie, you know this scene. The storyboards for this scene, shot in quick-cuts (no pun intended) were drawn by Saul Bass, the same artist who did the title sequences for many of Hitchcock’s films, including North by Northwest, Vertigo, and of course Psycho. The use of shadows and showing body parts one at a time is very jarring and even though everyone already knows this scene is coming, I dare you to not be scared when you see it. I, for one, will fully admit I was afraid to shower after seeing the movie in its entirety.

I also love the scene with the swamp where Norman is trying to hide evidence to protect his dear mother. I guarantee you will never be so compelled to sympathize with a villain in a Hitchcock movie, and Hitchcock makes you feel so guilty for it! What a crafty guy.

The fruit cellar scene is a real shocker. I remember when I first saw this film, it was in my 100-level intro to film class and we all laughed aloud…but I was terrified. You win, Hitchcock. You got me, okay!?

As a treat, here’s a little extra trivia I’ve been dying to share since I watched the behind-the-scenes featurette…

• Did you know that the slashing sound of Marion getting stabbed is just foley of different melons getting stabbed? Hitchcock heard all the sounds in post-production and the lovely squish sound you hear over and over is made by Hitchcock’s favorite melon
• The first night they filmed the exterior of the Bates Motel looking up to the house on the hill, the AD (assistant director) had perfectly framed the shot. He’d even set up a rig for there to be fake rain. Hitchcock came on set, ready to film, and told him he’d forgotten one very important thing - it was a full moon that night and it would never be visible in a real rainstorm! Thinking on their feet, the AD asked the key grips to steadily hold a black sheet with fishing rods to cover the moon for the length of the shot. Talk about an arm work out.
• Ever wonder if Janet Leigh was really naked in the shower scene? Hitchcock had nude models come to set and asked the costume mistress to try multiple costume options to make her look as naked as possible (while still allowing her a little bit of modesty). Well, Leigh said that she covered her nipples with moleskin, a thin felt-like material that was adhesive on one side. Since she was wet and bent over a bathtub for a good chunk of that scene, they would peel back everyone once in a while, but since she was playing a corpse, she couldn’t adjust it. 
• She also wasn’t able to blink at all during the slow tracking shot out of the bathroom. She really does keep her eyes open for about a minute! That’s impressive!

Happy watching! Perfect for a rainy night, or if you’re a wimp, in the middle of the day.

I’m tempted to liveblog Sunset Blvd. Billy Wilder narration spoken by William Holden is delectable :)

I’m finishing up my final grad school application and in my Letter of Intent, basically my personal statement, I explain why I decided to pursue Cinema Studies, and why Classical Hollywood and the Studio Era specifically. 

This question is easy to answer but hard to articulate. I know what I felt, but I’m not sure how I can explain it to the admissions board in less than 500 words.

Back in the fall of my second year, back in September 2008, my first screening in my Film History class was Billy Wilder’s Sunset Blvd. It dawned on me that, while I was raised on musicals like Singin’ in the Rain and The Wizard of Oz, the first movie that made me think about how much there really was to Classic Hollywood was Sunset Blvd. It was the very first screening in my very first class once I had been granted admission into the program officially. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the shock, awe and elation I felt at the end of that screening.

I’d had this feeling before after seeing movies, but this time was different. It was an epiphany where I realized that I got this feeling from Classical Hollywood movies almost exclusively and I couldn’t wait to see more and learn more about them.

What movies have made you feel this way? Classics or no, I just feel like remembering these powerful connections to movies can be really therapeutic sometimes. I’d love to hear about them if you’re had any!

In the meantime, wish me luck with this final application - I can’t wait to get back to writing once I have the time again! Miss you Tumblr (and Twitter) fam :)