The Apartment 4K UHD - Jack Lemmon

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Billy Wilder
USA 1960

Unlock the door to The Apartment and welcome legendary director Billy Wilder (Some Like It Hot) and screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond (One, Two, Three) at their scathing, satirical best. C.C. “Bud” Baxter (Jack Lemmon, The Fortune Cookie) knows the way to success in business…it’s through the door of his apartment! By providing a perfect hideaway for philandering bosses, the ambitious young employee reaps a series of undeserved promotions. But when Bud lends the key to big boss J.D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray, Double Indemnity), he not only advances his career, but his own love life as well. For Sheldrake’s mistress is the lovely Fran Kubilek (Shirley MacLaine, Irma La Douce), elevator girl and angel of Bud’s dreams. Convinced that he is the only man for Fran, Bud must make the most important executive decision of his career: lose the girl…or his job. By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, The Apartment won five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Movie-wise, there has never been anything like it…love-wise, laugh-wise or otherwise-wise!

***

Bud Baxter is a minor clerk in a huge New York insurance company, until he discovers a quick way to climb the corporate ladder. He lends out his apartment to the executives as a place to take their mistresses. Although he often has to deal with the aftermath of their visits, one night he's left with a major problem to solve.

Posters

Theatrical Release: June 15th, 1960

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Review: Kino - Region FREE - 4K UHD

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Kino - Region FREE - 4K UHD
Runtime	2:05:15.799
Video	2.35:1 2160P 4K Ultra HD Disc Size: 93,624,706,978 bytes Feature: 93,331,902,528 bytes Video Bitrate: 84.99 Mbps Codec: HEVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate 4K Ultra HD:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1969 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1969 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) DTS-HD Master Audio English 4072 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 4072 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: DTS-HD Master Audio English 1558 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1558 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Subtitles	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino 2.35:1 2160P 4K Ultra HD Disc Size: 93,624,706,978 bytes Feature: 93,331,902,528 bytes Video Bitrate: 84.99 Mbps Codec: HEVC Video Edition Details: 4K Ultra HD disc • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Joseph McBride, Author of Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge • Audio Commentary by Film Historian Bruce Block Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Joseph McBride, Author of Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge • Audio Commentary by Film Historian Bruce Block • Inside The Apartment: Documentary (29:36) • Magic Time: The Art of Jack Lemmon (12:47) • Theatrical Trailer (2:21) 4K Ultra HD Release Date: March 15th, 2022 Black 4K Ultra HD Case inside 0-card slipcase Chapters 11

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray and 4K UHD captures were taken directly from the respective discs.

ADDITION: Kino 4K UHD (April 2022): Kino's have released Billy Wilder's "The Apartment" to 4K UHD. Like Kino's own The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 4K UHD this does not have HDR applied (no HDR10, HDR10+, or Dolby Vision.) The image is absolutely gorgeous with deep rich black levels advancing on all previous digital editions. Detail rises (five o'clock shadow, smoke etc.) seeing more than before on digital. The 2.35:1 framing seems to have shifted to the right a shade - showing more information - notably there but often all four edges - than most of the other digital transfers (see our comparisons HERE for the DVDs and Blu-rays.) This is a triple-layered 4K UHD disc with an atmospheric bitrate and there is wonderful fine grain throughout. The only complaint might be that black levels are too 'pitch' in some scenes - not escalating to moiring but they are very dense. Overall, though I find this 2160P image so impressive. It's an absolutely stunning black and white presentation. Grays are subtly balanced and there are hints of gloss and plenty of scenes with depth. I was shocked at the high level improvement over the previous BDs. Wow.

NOTE: 68 more more full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K UHD captures, in lossless PNG format, for Patrons are available HERE

We have reviewed the following 4K UHD packages to date: The Proposition (software uniformly simulated HDR), Nightmare Alley (2021) (software uniformly simulated HDR), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Godfather (software uniformly simulated HDR), Le Crecle Rouge (software uniformly simulated HDR), An American Werewolf in London (software uniformly simulated HDR), A Hard Day's Night (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Piano (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Great Escape (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Red Shoes (software uniformly simulated HDR), Citizen Kane (software uniformly simulated HDR), Unbreakable (software uniformly simulated HDR), Mulholland Dr. (software uniformly simulated HDR), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Hills Have Eyes (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Servant (software uniformly simulated HDR), Anatomy of a Murder (software uniformly simulated HDR), Taxi Driver (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Wolf Man (1941) (software uniformly simulated HDR), Frankenstein (1931) (software uniformly simulated HDR), Deep Red (software uniformly simulated HDR), Misery (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Silence of the Lambs (software uniformly simulated HDR), John Carpenter's "The Thing" (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Cat' o'Nine Tails (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (software uniformly simulated HDR), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (software uniformly simulated HDR), Perdita Durango (software uniformly simulated HDR), Django (software uniformly simulated HDR), Fanny Lye Deliver'd (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, (NO HDR applied to disc), Rollerball (software uniformly simulated HDR), Chernobyl (software uniformly simulated HDR), Daughters of Darkness (software uniformly simulated HDR), Vigilante (software uniformly simulated HDR), Tremors (software uniformly simulated HDR), Cinema Paradiso (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Bourne Legacy (software uniformly simulated HDR), Full Metal Jacket (software uniformly simulated HDR), Psycho (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Birds (software uniformly simulated HDR), Rear Window (software uniformly simulated HDR), Vertigo (software uniformly simulated HDR), Spartacus (software uniformly simulated HDR), Jaws (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Invisible Man, (software uniformly simulated HDR), Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lucio Fulci's 1979 Zombie (software uniformly simulated HDR),, 2004's Van Helsing (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Shallows (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Bridge on the River Kwai (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Deer Hunter (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Elephant Man (software uniformly simulated HDR), A Quiet Place (software uniformly simulated HDR), Easy Rider (software uniformly simulated HDR), Suspiria (software uniformly simulated HDR), Pan's Labyrinth (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Wizard of Oz, (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Shining, (software uniformly simulated HDR), Batman Returns (software uniformly simulated HDR), Don't Look Now (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Man Who Killed Killed and then The Bigfoot (software uniformly simulated HDR),, Bram Stoker's Dracula (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lucy (software uniformly simulated HDR), They Live (software uniformly simulated HDR), Shutter Island (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Matrix (software uniformly simulated HDR), Alien (software uniformly simulated HDR), Toy Story (software uniformly simulated HDR), A Few Good Men (software uniformly simulated HDR), 2001: A Space Odyssey (HDR caps udated), Schindler's List (simulated HDR), The Neon Demon (No HDR), Dawn of the Dead (No HDR), Saving Private Ryan (simulated HDR and 'raw' captures), Suspiria (No HDR), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (No HDR), The Big Lebowski, and I Am Legend (simulated and 'raw' HDR captures).

The 4K UHD disc's audio gives the English language options of a two-channel dual-mono DTS-HD Master and a similarly encoded 5.1 surround track choice. The surround bump is fairly unnecessary with only a party and crowded bar scenes showing any notable separations. The authentic mono is flat and tight with a wonderful score is by Adolph Deutsch (High Sierra, Ramrod, The Apartment, The Maltese Falcon, High Sierra, Across the Pacific) that supports the film very well via the lossless transfer. All 4K UHD discs are Region 'Free' and this offers optional English (SDH) subtitles - see sample below. There is an included Blu-ray, with the film in 1080P and more supplements. It is region 'A'-locked.

There are two commentaries on the 4K UHD disc - a new one by Joseph McBride (author of Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge.) He tells us about a conversation he had with the director who stated that "The Apartment" was the favorite of his own films with the correct balance of comedy and drama. McBride was the best person to do this commentary as he has a wealth of knowledge about Wilder and "The Apartment", supported by many fascinating details. He's one of the best. Kino include the older commentary by film historian Bruce Block who discusses a lot about Wilder and his demands for detail including a brief reading of the script and its meticulous mention of the actions of Lemmon's character.

There is a second disc Blu-ray - with the film, in 1080P and both commentaries. There is also the two previously seen featurettes - 'Inside The Apartment' with input from Jack's son Chris Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Walter Mirisch, Drew Casper and others. It has much to share in its 30 minutes. Finally we have 'Magic Time: The Art of Jack Lemmon' - a 12 minute spotlight on the actors craft and skills with input from colleagues. Lastly is a trailer.

Kino's 4K UHD release of Billy Wilder's "The Apartment" is a must-own. A brilliant masterpiece looking pristine in this new format. The film holds up incredibly well over time - and each viewing is a joy with delightfully human performances of both noble and flawed, self-serving, characters, the sexism trappings (and implied sex) of the 60's intractable corporate work environment. It cleaned up at the Academy Awards with Wilder being first person to win for producing, directing and writing the same film. I can't stress how good this definitive 4K UHD presentation is and the Joseph McBride commentary makes this package an essential for the digital library. Our highest recommendation!