The Apartment

Discuss releases from Arrow and the films on them.

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bad future
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2018 6:16 pm

Re: The Apartment

#201 Post by bad future » Sun Nov 18, 2018 3:42 am

As expected, an edition without the book looks to be arriving in time for the holidays. Barnes and Noble with the price, Amazon with a description -- and some discrepancy on the date.

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therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: The Apartment

#202 Post by therewillbeblus » Sun Dec 26, 2021 4:41 am

I don't know how many times I've seen this film, but I do know that every annual holiday viewing I fall deeper and deeper in love with it. Enough great pieces have been written about its many strengths and analysis of character, including on this board, though it wasn't until this viewing that I became soothed by its denouement in a manner that felt tangible and removed from the cinematic narrative trappings of genre, that are lifting our spirits simultaneously. Similar to my response to the recent Licorice Pizza, I'm drawn to films that remind me that the myopic complacency we find ourselves in at work, in our social lives, and individualistic routes of (in)action are obstacles that are fear-based and self-constructed, and most importantly, changeable. C.C. and Fran both realize this in the end, and liberate themselves from their mirages of hopeless inertia in existential compromises, towards something unknown, but they embrace that mystery with peripheral vision. That's why the confining declaration of love is one Fran refuses to take and return, even if it's a possibility or something she too might mean if stated. The charge to 'deal' the cards, to play the game- but together- is far more meaningful, especially since their smiles and engagement of collective energy in the final glances communicate far more than any restrictive words ever could. They're both up for the game, willing to choose this possibility, while not entering into a contract that would threaten to subscribe to more complacency and tie up the narrative in a dishonest bow. This is only the beginning. It's the perfect antidote to the more ambiguous yet cynically-leaning finale of Eyes Wide Shut, but they are also in many ways the same ending, only this freedom is uniformly fresh, youthful, hopeful, and elevating. Both are perfect holiday films- the Kubrick validating to the tainted worldview we've accrued through brokenness from the experiences that have paved the way into adulthood, and the Wilder inspiring, as a reminder of how we can still find that feeling that negates such cynicism and emancipates us into authentic self-actualization, orbiting another soul with indisputable intimacy. Happy new year indeed.

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