The Apartment (1996)

Max a young corporate hotshot leaves his successful new world behind to search for his elusive lost love Lisa. His mad quest begins after he accidentally overhears Lisa's melodic voice speaking in the phone booth next door. But before he knows it she is gone. Still he is so elated that he abandons his plans lies to his fiancee and after leaving his luggage with his pal Lucien sets off to find her. The hunt leads to a fabulous apartment where he saves a girl from a suicide thinking that she is Lisa. But this girl Alice is as drab and mousy as Max's Lisa is beautifully feline. Max becomes involved with Alice unaware that she also dates Lucien. Meanwhile the real Lisa attempts to break free from her obsessive rich lover who may have murdered his wife. For this reason she continues to avoid her apartment which she has generously loaned to Alice. When these characters collide the stage is set for a tragic denouement. System Requirements:Running Time: 116 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 031398197560 Manufacturer No: 19757 Product Description

Too Contrived

I have noticed the criticism of the quality of the Region 1 DVD. At times it does look like the cinematographer smeared a gel on the lens for a blurred effect. At other times it just looks blurred for no reason.

If that were the only reason I did not think much of this movie I would accept the mediocre quality and move on. But there are many other things that make this quite second-rate. One can start with the plot. It is not only convoluted but trite as well.

Yes, it is a story of obsessive love. Since you may not be able to tell the obsessives without a scorecard, and it does not give anything away, Max (Vincent Cassel) obsesses about Lisa (Monica Belluci), Alice (Romane Bohringer, a dead-ringer for Tracey Ullman) obsesses about Max. Daniel brings up the rear obsessing about Lisa. Lucien, Max's best friend, dates Alice but does not obsess. He is normal and, therefore, clueless throughout.

Max obsessively (of course) cancels an important business trip to Tokyo when he thinks he has heard Lisa's voice in a phone booth coming through a vent into a bathroom he is using at a hotel. He later thinks he sees her on the street, ala Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak. He believes that she left him without a word two years previously after they had been happily living together. Little does he know. Telling you what Alice does would give the "mystery" away. Let's just say it has been done much more artfully in other movies.

Bohringer and Cassel render poor performances as obsessive lovers. Neither is very convincing. What agony or ecstasy they show looks very much like they are trying to act; so unconvincing. Daniel, the third obsessive lover is not in the movie enough to show either emotion. It is probably just as well. Daniel's character is so poorly developed that one can find nothing but a bad temper to provide motivation for the final scene with Belluci's Lisa. Very weak. Belluci's talent is terribly underutilized in this movie. Her talent, as showcased in "Malena," is well hidden here.

The writer-director Gilles Mimouni is all too obvious in his attempt to imitate Alfred Hitchcock. If you want a Hitchcock imitator watch Brian De Palma movies. It seems that De Palma has spent his whole career trying to imitate Hitchcock and he does a much better job than Mimouni. Imitation may be the highest form of flattery but it is not the road to originality. The musical score is basic De Palma. It never changes its rhythm. It is relentlessly dark in mood regardless of the scene. It sounds like it was recorded in an echo chamber

If you want to see the torture and agony of obsessive love brilliantly acted, directed, and beautifully filmed, skip this movie and buy "Vertigo." It also has a gorgeous film score. If you have already seen "Vertigo," skip this movie anyway. Hitchcock never had to resort to people just barely missing each other as often as this movie does in order to create suspense. The myriad of "just missed" coincidences is a hackneyed made-for-TV convention not suitable for adult viewing.

I have no idea why this movie was ever titled "The Apartment." Almost nothing happens there until the final scene. It could just as easily have been called "The Cafe", "The Bar", or "Lucien's Shoe Store" for that matter. More action occurs in those locations than in the apartment.

Nothing in this movie seems real. That is not to give it credit as surreal. It is to say that it is not believable; even for one willing to temporarily suspend their sense of disbelief. The fact that Max would have any attraction for Alice after he finds out what she has done is a prime example of art not imitating life at all.

One humorous note about the subtitles and translation. The subtitles in English are indeed veddy, veddy English. I know what "bollocks" means, though I have no idea what the French equivalent might be. I am not that conversant in British slang to have any idea what "knackered" means. A "nutter" is pretty obvious since the movie is full of them. Though the translation is filled with British slang it is not detrimental to an understanding of the film, just amusing to a Yank.

Curiously, however, the movie also contains parenthetical noises, presumably for the hearing-impaired? That is fine, but most hearing-impaired people I know will understand that when someone is shown turning on the ignition to a car, that it starts without the need for subtitles that say "engine starts," or "car rumbles" in parentheses. Most people with a hearing problem will also easily recognize when a character ("knock's on door") when they see it. Buy this movie only at a "going-out-of business" sale. I mean cheap.


November 11, 2008

a very french film about love in all its forms

The previous reviewer (Lim) did a great job of summarizing without giving anything away. Apparently, I liked this movie a whole lot more. This movie was a classic french love story - no hollywood ending here. The soul of the movie is best explained by Alice, as she is confronted by Max of her duplicity - Haven't you ever felt such love that you were willing to do anything? Love is the real main character. We see idealized love (Max and Lisa), we see obsessive love (almost all of the characters at one point), we see pragmatic love (Max and Muriel & Lisa for Daniel), etc. There is no right or wrong in this tale. According to Nietzsche, anything done out of pure love is never evil. Hmmm.... All types of love are displayed and the ending is most fitting for each character. I believe that Alice's character was the most intriguing as she starts obsessive and grows into true love.

This is one of those rare movies that you can sit back and enjoy simply on a plot driven level or discuss all the different levels of love and what the ending meant. Either way, it's a great way to spend 1.5 hours!

Hollywood re-made this movie (Wicker Park), which was good but nothing like this very french tale. The U.S. version focused more on the obsessive angle and copied many of the same scenes with a Fatal Attraction twist. February 21, 2008

Spoiled by Subtitle Clutter

THE APARTMENT is a story whose complicated structure requires all of the viewer's concentration. If you are not competent in French, be prepared to have a hard time following the plot which consists of several flashbacks. The subtitles are of little value. Some of them are downright annoying; for example, "Sound of water pattering," and "car engine starts."

I plan to get the story and read it because I feel that somehow this film did not do it justice.

February 20, 2008

Better than the American copycat...probably

I'd already seen WICKER PARK which was practically a scene-for-scene remake of this film (except for the ending) -- so the mystery was gone. If you're not familiar with either film, be warned that these plots use flashbacks extensively, sometimes going over the same moment from different perspectives -- gradually revealing complex and interesting layers of the story. And, both movies cheat -- making the viewer think a person is somewhere, when in fact, they're somewhere else. For some, it'll be fun. For others, frustrating.

For a few reasons, I recommend seeing THE APARTMENT (L'APPARTEMENT) first. (1) It's the original. (2) It's easier to understand the man's obsession when the love object is Monica Bellucci rather than Diane Kruger. (3) It might be clearer to follow the time-hopping since Vincent Cassel uses radically different hairstyles to help with the distinction. (4) Vincent Cassel is more energetic and open as this nervous, love-obsessed young man while Josh Harnett is the exact opposite. (4) Gilles Mimouni's direction in the French version concentrates more on the drama and so the pacing seems faster then Paul McGuigan's picture postcard style.

The role of the mousey friend makes for some difficult comparisons. Romane Bohringer of the French film is truly plain-looking and she gives a very good performance. In the American version, the role is played by the lovely Australian actress Rose Byrne made to look mousey. But she's so appealing as the insecure and hurt girl that it almost turns story upside down.

Frankly, I prefer the film version with Rose Byrne. But, your preference may be decided by the ending of the the films -- which differ dramatically. December 29, 2007

"The Motion Of Demetrius' Heart" ~ Obsession And Misdirection Under The Guise Of Love

Note: French with English subtitles.

Synopsis: Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci play two star-crossed lovers whose attempts to reunite after an unintential two year separation are constantly thwarted by fate and the devious actions of a third party determined to keep them apart.

Critique: Released in '96, `The Apartment' receives the highest marks on every level. First of all, two of my favorite French stars head the cast; Vincent Cassel (Max) and Monica Bellucci (Lisa), which is further complimented by a magnificent performance by Romane Bohringer (Alice). The cinematography is superb, artistically capturing the urban, Parisian terrain which seems to ooze from the screen. The camera skillfully captures the spirit of this legendary city and the atmosphere of the landscape incorporating that romantic ambience into the separated lovers Max and Lisa. The soundtrack is melodic, melancholy and apprehensive, a perfect fit for the taut, expertly constructed plot unfolding layer by complex layer on the screen before the viewer. The storyline is unbelievable intricate, flashing back and forth between the past and present with each time shift unveiling some new secret, some previously unsuspected nuance to the story that seems to change everything you had known and understood up to that point.

`The Apartment' is first class entertainment from beginning to end and believe me when the end finally arrives you'll be taken totally by surprise just as I was. This is a classic that definitely can be watched again and again. Buy it and save yourself from repeat rental fees. July 15, 2007

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