Blog Assignment 3

I thought The Apartment by Billy Wilder was a pretty humorous read. I enjoyed the depth of character development and really found myself wanting Bud Baxter to get the better of his co-workers, and the girl. I've learned that Wilder actually directed this screenplay, which would explain why he went into such detail of certain settings and environments, especially in Bud's apartment and in the different offices. I am a little interested to see the movie so that I could see if he found locations and was able to incorporate most of his scenic descriptions into the film.

I didn't have any problems with the story. I thought the characters were very believable and while the story was pretty predictable, I think audiences enjoy it when they are able to predict what is going to happen so that they aren't disappointed in the end. I liked how he didn't leave open-ended scenes open, so that by the end of the screenplay we had a good sense of closure. One good example was with Fran's compact, the hand-held mirror. Baxter returns it to Sheldrake after the first incident in Bud's apartment, then later Fran lets Baxter use it, unknowingly revealing to him that she is the one sleeping around with Sheldrake.

Wilder put together a good screenplay with very well-written dialogue and overall I was moderately entertained. While I may not be into these kind of stories, I could see why many people would probably enjoy a film like this.


Discussion Questions:
1. Were there any scenes that were never resolved or seem like they really didn't need to be included in the screenplay?

2. McKee talks about how true character is revealed in the choices a human makes under pressure - the greater the pressure, the truer the choice to the character's essential nature. Do you think Baxter's true character was revealed before he chose to walk out on his job? If so, what clues lead you to that conclusion?