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The Brilliance of the Broken Mirror

posted 15 years ago by ecarle
43 replies | jump to latest

SPOILERS

Part of the pleasure of "The Apartment" is to see solid old-fashioned narrative structure in action. Billy Wilder, who co-wrote his scripts with collaborators who helped him with his English(I.A.L. Diamond on "The Apartment"), had a flair for wit, but he also had, at his best, a real talent for creative plotting.

He even had the ability to use images to tell his stories in ways that might make Hitchcock take notice(and Hitchocck DID take notice. He enjoyed Billy Wilder films very much.)

Exhibit A in "The Apartment": the broken mirror.

By the time the big scene with the mirror arrives, Wilder has created characters, laid out the situation and built considerable suspense:

CC Baxter(Jack Lemmon) is lowly "ordinary accountant" in a Manhattan skyscaper insurance company. To advance upwards, he's letting his married managers use his apartment to, uh, schtupp their mistresses.

Baxter may be prostituting his apartment, but he's a nice, decent guy at heart, and he pines for an elevator operator, Fran Kubelik(Shirley MacLaine), who, we can tell, likes him a little bit more than she likes the piggish men all around Baxter. Baxter tries hard to get a date with Fran, and she grants him one: "The Music Man" on Broadway...but only after meeting an ex-flame for a drink.

But, we learn to our great pain, Fran's ex-flame is the Big Boss, JD Sheldrake(Fred MacMurray), and while having those drinks at a Chinese restaurant, Sheldrake convinces Fran to skip her date(Sheldrake doesn't know it is with Baxter) and join him at Baxter's apartment for some make-up sex. (CC Baxter, despite a terrible cold, is shown waiting in the freezing November night outside "The Music Man" theater waiting alone for Fran, who never comes.)

And: One(just one) of Sheldrake's former female conquests, Miss Olsen(Edie Adams) witnesses Sheldrake at the Chinese restaurant taking Fran away.

--- There are laughs in "The Apartment," but Wilder sets up all of the above so that it plays with emotion and pain and yearning. As an audience, we want CC to "land" Fran; his initial attempts to curry her favor, and her tentative wililngness to say "yes," warm our hearts because IN our hearts, we sense these are two nice people who should get together.

But alas, CC is pimping out his apartment and Fran is selling her sexual soul, both of them to a cold-hearted bastard(Sheldrake) who cares little about either of them.

---

The broken mirror -- a small woman's compact make-up hand mirror-- is planted: Baxter found it left behind in his apartment after Sheldrake's tryst with "some girl." Baxter gives it to Sheldrake when Sheldrake visits Baxter's office to confide his interest in using the apartment in the future. Sheldrake reveals to CC that "the girl" threw it out at him; we realize he doesn't particularly care for Fran at all. Wilder(like Hitchcock) makes sure we get a close-up OF the mirror, and how, with the break, it splits the face of the person holding it(here, Baxter) in two. That way, we'll remember the mirror later.

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The broken mirror pays off:

Its the office Christmas party, a crowded Baccachnal in the "Playboy Cartoon" traditions of 1960. Baxter coaxes Fran out of her elevator to join him for a drink in her office. She consents, having stood him up on that date, and we again -- hopefully, yearningly -- see the potential for this betrodden couple to get together(and, hopefully, to reject/escape their lurid "private traps.")

Just moments before Baxter and Fran enter his office for their drink, Miss Olsen appears to take Fran aside and reveal that she knows Fran is Sheldrake's new mistress, and as a FORMER Sheldrake mistress, she can advise Fran that many came before, and many will come after.

And so, Fran shifts to depressed and forlorn and chilly as she enters Baxter's office for that drink. But he manages to cheer her up with his rather silly bowler hat(an "executive's hat".) Fran helpfully offers Baxter a mirror to see himself in the hat:

The broken mirror.

And we see Baxter's face in that mirror, and we feel -- thanks to Jack Lemmon's wonderfully heartfelt acting -- the body blow to his heart as he realizes that (a) Fran's mirror is THE broken mirror; (b) Fran is Sheldrake's mistress, and (c) Fran and Sheldrake have had sex at Baxter's apartment, IN HIS BED.

None of this is said, and the shot with the mirror is a couple of seconds at most. But everything has been so carefully,lengthily, and beautifully set up in the previous scenes, that it unfolds with stunning power.

And now CC Baxter is as depressed and forlorn and chilly as Fran Kubelik. They are both two devastated people, and the Christmas party jollity all around them only intensifies the pain.

---

Hitchcock was "The Master of Suspense," but Wilder comes awfully close to being the same in "The Apartment." Because Hitchcock's key rule for creating suspense was: "give the audience information that the characters don't have."

In Hitchcock's case, that would be that a detective was going upstairs to meet a little old lady, and ONLY WE KNOW she's a psycho killer with a big knife.

...or, that Cary Grant is searching for the only man who can clear his name("George Kaplan"), and ONLY WE KNOW that man doesn't exist.

...or, that a born loser is being hunted by the police as being London's "Necktie Strangler," and ONLY WE KNOW that the REAL killer is the born loser's "best friend," who is framing him.

---

In "The Apartment," for the longest time:

Baxter loves Fran, but ONLY WE KNOW that Fran is Sheldrake's mistress.

Baxter loans out his apartment to married executives for trysts, but ONLY WE KNOW that Sheldrake and Fran have sex (and sad arguments for Fran about Sheldrake's treatment of her) there.

Sheldrake keeps trying to have Fran selfishly for himself(he probably doens't love her) but ONLY WE KNOW that Sheldrake's underling Baxter loves her too.

(The best suspense, for comedy purposes, has to be with Dr. Dreyfuss, Baxter's next door neighbor. Dreyfuss thinks that Baxter is some kind of womanizing ladies man-sex machine, but ONLY WE KNOW that all that sex Dr. Dreyfuss keeps hearing is the sex of many men, not one sexual superman.)

---

Billy Wilder keeps the suspense churning all through "The Apartment," as the people on screen don't have the information that ONLY WE KNOW.

But at key times, Wilder GIVES those people that information, and allows us to feel their sour emotions as...the truth hurts.

In the great, great "broken mirror scene," potential happiness(Fran will have a holiday drink with Baxter; maybe they can get together) is dashed, first by Miss Olsen telling Fran she is being sexually used, second by Baxter learning(though the broken mirror) that Fran is Sheldrake's mistress. But the suspense continues: Fran doesn't know that BAXTER knows about her and Sheldrake; Baxter doesn't know that Fran now knows she is just "the latest model" of Sheldrake mistress(if he did, he'd know he has a better shot at winning Fran for himself.)

No, Wilder has a few more painful, suspenseful(and, of course, ironically comical) twists in his tale, and "The Apartment" has a ways to go.

Still, that broken mirror scene is a beauty, a textbook lesson in writing plot, writing character, writing dialogue(says Fran of the broken mirror, "I keep it that way to remind me how I feel') and writing suspense...all with the VISUAL marker of the mirror itself, which is the essence of cinematic storyttelling.

[–] ElMaruecan82 9 years ago

I've taken some courses in screenwriting and read many books and I have to applaud that analysis of the broken-mirror moment. I couldn't have said it better myself. It's all the more frustrating to see them suffering that very night of Christmas while that heartless Sheldrake spends a nice time with his family.

I was also impressed by the brilliance of Wilder's script, the way everything fluidly leads to another. Miss Olsen tells Fran about her past wih Sheldrake because she's drunk and bitter because he broke her heart, so it has a reason to be. And as there's no cause without an effect, it upsets Fran, putting her in that depressed mood that would lead to the suicide attempt yet before, she tells Sheldrake about that, and then he fires Olsen, and then she gives that phone call to his wife ... so Sheldrake divorces, and now that he is free, ignoring the love that grew between Fran and Baxter, he tries to keep her to himself (like the selfish bastard he is), but what he didn't see coming is that both Fran and Baxter changed personality-wise.

Baxter refuses to give his key, that's his most (and only) badass moment, he stopped being the puppet because he knows that he might have climbed the professional ladder faster, but he didn't win the respect of anyone, let alone self-respect, and he saw how harmful it was to Fran. In other words, he's letting Sheldrake free to do whatever he wants, but he won't be part of any other malevolent scheme. He "wins the test" and becomes a mench. Later, it's Fran's turn to be tested (destiny-wise), Sheldrake tells her about what Baxter did, and then she realizes that it's possible to say 'no' to Sheldrake, that you can throw something at his face, and that Baxter's gesture means a lot, he cared for her, he didn't want to be an accessory to her destruction even if it cost him a situation he kept bragging on, he took everything for her, even her brother-in-law's punches, in that very moment where they knew they loved each other.

And then she disappears, that's her 'badass' moment, no words, no goodbye, just letting the guy alone and enjoy his new bachelor's life with a younger (and more naive) target. Sheldrake would probably get over it, and even get himself a 'date' in that New Year's Eve party, let's not worry about him.

Fran's brother-in-law was the last sparkle that ignited the flame between Baxter and Fran, so he had to be there. He was there because Baxter didn't let Fran call her family, to protect Sheldrake. He was there because Baxter's colleagues wanted to take their revenge on Buddy-boy who was 'snubbing' them. Yet, they had to know that Fran was there, so one of them had to come with a broad (as programmed in that day when Bexter had a cold) but think of every detail : why would Baxter open the door if it was one of his colleagues? Because he thought it was Mrs. Dreyfuss coming to take the plates. How would he know she'd come back? Because she didn't want him to take care of them. The script is also brilliant because nothing happens purposeless,

Darth Vader is scary and I  The Godfather

[–] Roonil_Wazlib_97 9 years ago

Nice post. However...

Later, it's Fran's turn to be tested (destiny-wise), Sheldrake tells her about what Baxter did, and then she realizes that it's possible to say 'no' to Sheldrake, that you can throw something at his face

I wanted this angle to be more pronounced but unfortunately it's quite a bit lessened by the fact that Fran thinks Sheldrake did love her after all and divorced for her. So she has much less reason to "say no" to him and "throw something at his face" at that point. I wish the movie didn't have Sheldrake divorced. Or that Fran knew the true reason for the divorce. Cause the way it is, it runs contrary to her decision to leave him.

Last watched: Being There (5/10), Milk (7/10)

[–] movieghoul 9 years ago

Sheldrake did not initiate a separation, Mrs S threw him out when the Edie Adams character ratted on him. Nothing happened to make him look more appealing to Fran.

[–] Roonil_Wazlib_97 9 years ago

It seems that you weren't paying attention at the part where Fran tells Baxter at the end that Sheldrake has divorced and she says "I never thought he'd do it", to which Baxter replies "I told you all along. You were wrong about Mr. Sheldrake." and she says "I guess so." Clearly, Sheldrake spun events in his favour and made her think he did it all for her. And Baxter plays along and doesn't contradict her as he's protecting Sheldrake's image, something which has just seen him promoted once again.

Last watched: Being There (5/10), Milk (7/10)

[–] movibuf1962 9 years ago

Beautifully summed up, ecarle!! Who are you, really?? Leonard Maltin?!!

[–] mdonln 9 years ago

Interesting! I enjoyed reading this post and all the details provided; all making a case for why this is a good movie. I'm still not a fan but that's okay. We can't all be. Here are a few things I saw differently.

By the time the big scene with the mirror arrives, Wilder has created characters, laid out the situation and built considerable suspense

That's odd. I never found this movie to be the least bit suspenseful. The minute Baxter gives the compact to Sheldrake, we know it belongs to Fran. I knew immediately it would pop up again and would probably be how Baxter learns that Fran is Sheldrake's mistress. Sure, the compact could have been a red herring but typically everything that's said or shown in a movie is there for a reason.

Baxter could have just as easily spotted Fran with Sheldrake coming out of or going into his apartment but using the compact serves multiple purposes. It shows Fran's with Sheldrake; it reveals the state of their relationship (shaky); and it touches on Fran's state of mind (imbalanced).

(The best suspense, for comedy purposes, has to be with Dr. Dreyfuss, Baxter's next door neighbor. Dreyfuss thinks that Baxter is some kind of womanizing ladies man-sex machine, but ONLY WE KNOW that all that sex Dr. Dreyfuss keeps hearing is the sex of many men, not one sexual superman.)

What does this have to do with suspense? This aspect of the movie is lame. The fact none of the neighbors ever crossed paths with the men or couples who frequented the apartment is beyond ridiculous. It had been going on for at least a year, the neighbors are sufficiently nosy, and the layout of the building is such that common areas are shared. How could it go on so long and not one neighbor knew? It's unrealistic. Are we to believe no one ever noticed anything? They never knocked to complain about the noise while it was happening? Come on!

Still, that broken mirror scene is a beauty, a textbook lesson in writing plot, writing character, writing dialogue(says Fran of the broken mirror, "I keep it that way to remind me how I feel') and writing suspense...all with the VISUAL marker of the mirror itself, which is the essence of cinematic storyttelling.

Again, this is fairly common. In most movies, both good and bad, visual cues are key. This is what separates movies from books; everything cannot be revealed using dialogue. Movies that do it that way are too wordy and usually boring. They don't give the audience enough credit to figure things out.

In my opinion, the compact in this movie (among other things) is almost too obvious. I may have enjoyed the movie if things were more subtle. I like to figure things out as I go not have them revealed to me. This movie gave me nothing to think about or figure out. There were many issues but they weren't handled very well.

As an audience, we want CC to "land" Fran; his initial attempts to curry her favor, and her tentative wililngness to say "yes," warm our hearts because IN our hearts, we sense these are two nice people who should get together.

Really? Not me. I wasn't hoping for that nor did I feel these two people, Baxter and Fran, should be together. In fact, I thought their relationship seemed forced, unnatural, and unhealthily co-dependent. What I find interesting is how easy it is to get the audience to buy into the world of the movie they're watching.

Baxter and Fran are thrust upon us and each other and suddenly we're supposed to root for them. Why? They're both messed up, unstable people. If there had been another female lead, most people would be here debating which one of the two is the better choice for Baxter; as if one had to be.

I don't see it that way at all. We're not limited to the characters or choices we're given. Even in this make believe world, there are other options besides the ones we're provided. Characters don't have to end up with whichever other character has been created for them in the movie. They can also opt to go their separate ways and find love (or not) off screen, beyond the end of the movie. That's what should have happened with Baxter and Fran. These two are not a good match at all; getting together, I feel, would be destructive.

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[–] Piperson 9 years ago

I wanted to mention another piece of business I thought was brilliantly handled by Wilder.

He has for the music this beautiful haunting love theme that he wants to anchor to the character of Fran. So instead of just having it playing when she comes on screen he does this:

When she enters the restaurant for her meeting with Sheldrake, the piano player is seated by the door. He is noodling around playing incidental music and then he sees her, recognizes her, and immediately begins to play the theme as she walks down the aisle of the restaurant to meet her lover. It is a very touching moment. We already know that Sheldrake is a cold-hearted guy but this moment lets us feel how vulnerable and tender Fran is.

[–] Maddyclassicfilms 9 years ago

Excellent post and I completely agree. It moves me every time when Fran says "it makes me look the way I feel". Fran feels broken and damaged.

Jack's reaction to her saying that is so moving because he realises how low she feels. He realises what Sheldrake has been doing and what he has been allowing to happen by loaning out his apartment.

Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

[–] ecarle 8 years ago

Thank you!

--

It moves me every time when Fran says "it makes me look the way I feel". Fran feels broken and damaged.

--

And she is EXPRESSING that to Baxter. Its a key moment, she generally keeps the men of the building at bay with a smart aleck, tough cookie exterior. She can show her heart to Baxter. And her bitterness. Over another man, actually. Which is painful for both of them.

---

Jack's reaction to her saying that is so moving because he realises how low she feels. He realises what Sheldrake has been doing and what he has been allowing to happen by loaning out his apartment

---

Yes. Its a great scene, and the wheels are beginning to turn. Baxter will(in the short term) give up Fran to Sheldrake. But for the long term, the seeds have been sown for Baxter to realize the awfulness of what he is doing here -- he finally SEES one of the women who are being used by the men. And its the worst possible woman. But the worst possible man.

[–] bpollen 7 years ago

Excellent summary. A little long, but still excellent.

[–] johandav 7 years ago

My wife, who went to NYU Film School and worked in television for years - and is a big movie fan! - thinks that the broker mirror is the best use of a prop in a film that she's ever seen.

I remember when I drove a Moon-Crane. Damn near rolled the thing into the Sea of Tranquility.