Following the success of their collaboration on 1959’s Some Like it Hot, director Billy Wilder (Ace in the Hole, Sunset Boulevard) reteamed with actor Jack Lemmon (JFK, Grumpy Old Men, Glengarry Glen Ross) for what many consider the pinnacle of their respective careers: Billy Wilder and Jack Lemmon would go onto make a total of 7 movies with each other and The Apartment was their second outing.  With a 64 day film shoot, the film was released in 1960 and now 65 years later, one of the best movies of the 60s is headed to 4K bluray, loaded with insights into the film itself.

C.C. Bud Baxter (played by Jack Lemmon) is a lowly office drone in New York’s Manhattan district with a lucrative sideline in renting out his apartment to adulterous company bosses and their mistresses. When Bud enters into a similar arrangement with the firm’s personnel director, J.D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray, The Caine Mutiny), his career prospects begin to look up. But when he discovers that Sheldrake’s mistress is Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine, Irma la Douce), the girl of his dreams, he finds himself forced to choose between his career and the woman he loves.

Winner of five Academy Awards at the 1961 ceremony (nominated for eleven), including Best Picture,Best Director,  The Apartment features a wealth of Hollywood’s finest talent on both sides of the camera at the top of their game. Its a gem of a film and one that every film fan should seen (and see more than once) I first saw The Apartment perhaps 10 years ago on a DVD release and fell in love with the film. Now I’ve been fortunate enough to see the film in a glorious 4K restoration on my 60 inch screen and it looks stunning!.  So if you want to see one of Hollywood’s most charming movies from one of Hollywood’s best directors, then check out The Apartment. If you have seen the film before, then its definitely worth revisiting especially with this new Arrow Video release. The film has been restored in 4K (2160p) and presented in Dolby Vision, fully HDR10 compatible. The result is beautiful. The picture feels natural and filmic, without the overly processed look that can plague some modern restorations.

The films audio has also been carefully handled, with the original lossless mono track preserved for purists, alongside an optional 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio remix for those who prefer a more immersive soundstage. . English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing are also included.

This release of this classic movie truly shines even more in its extras and I love special features on a film that I adore..There are nearly two hours of featurettes, video essays, and interviews, plus a full-length audio commentary that adds tons of insight into the film, its production and its legacy. Listening to film producer and historian Bruce Block was such a fun evening. Straight from the start we learn about the films original titles, and even how many days the film shot for- and that’s just within the first 2 minutes. You’ll be an expert on The Apartment by the end of this chat track. I am!

Then its onto the featurettes which start with The Key to the Apartment  a 10-minute appreciation by Philip Kemp, filmed in 2017, which gives analysis of the film’s themes and its enduring appeal. Next up we get a  Select Scene Commentary also by Philip Kemp, which focuses on two key scenes in the film that highlight Billy Wilder’s masterful storytelling.

For fans of video essay style featurettes we get The Flawed Couple a 20-minute video essay by filmmaker David Cairns, and in this David explores collaborations between Billy Wilder and Jack Lemmon.

A Letter to Castro  a 13-minute interview with actress Hope Holiday (Mrs Margie MacDougall in the film) who shares lively anecdotes and memories from the production and The Writer Speaks: Billy Wilder a 23-minute archival interview from the Writers Guild of America’s Oral Histories series, offering a rare chance to hear from the master himself. Mr Billy Wilder. 

Rounding out the collection are two excellent archival featurettes:

Inside the Apartment  a 30-minute making-of documentary from 2007 featuring Shirley MacLaine, Walter Mirisch, and others and Magic Time: The Art of Jack Lemmon  a 13-minute profile celebrating the charm and craft of one of Hollywood’s greatest actors.

And, of course, the original theatrical trailer is included for good measure.

Altogether, this release offers just shy of two hours of supplemental material, not counting the full-length commentary — an impressive package for a film from 1960. The restoration is pristine, the extras are substantial, and the presentation shows a clear respect for the film’s legacy and carries this gem of a film into the next generation of film collectors.

For both longtime fans and newcomers discovering The Apartment for the first time, this 4K edition is the definitive way to experience one of Billy Wilder’s finest works. It’s an essential addition to any serious film collector’s shelf — timeless cinema, beautifully preserved.