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

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

A masterpiece that was the basis for disaster...

L'Appartment is truly a French movie worth watching and one of those films that should never have been remade made into an "English" equivalent.

The acting from the principle characters are superb (Bohringer, Cassel, and Bellucci). I will agree with the others of the Hitchcock-esque, it's one of those movies where you should pay attention so as not to miss the most minute detail.

I'm not able to comment on the DVD quality since I've got a bootleg. :o)

As for it's American counterpart, Wicker Park, treat it like the plague and watch the original version because Harnett is no Cassel, by any stretch of imagination. June 24, 2007

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