The Apartment 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Apartment 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 23, 2022

Billy Wilder's "The Apartment" (1960) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary recorded by film historian Joseph McBride; archival programs with interviews; original trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

In the United States, The Apartment has previously been made available on Blu-ray by MGM and Arrow Video. For an in-depth analysis of the film, please see Casey Broadwater's review of the MGM release here, and Jeffrey Kauffman's review of the Arrow Video release here.

The Apartment 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of The Apartment is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray offer presentations of the recent 4K restoration of the film.

Two sets of screencaptures are included with this review. Please note that the screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray are downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures: #1-17 are from the 4K Blu-ray.
Screencaptures: #18-27 are from the Blu-ray.

The 4K restoration was initially introduced by Arrow Video with this Blu-ray release, but this is the first time it has been made available in its native resolution. I viewed only the 4K Blu-ray and quickly tested the 1080p presentation of the restoration in the Blu-ray.

On my system the visuals looked very impressive. Delineation, clarity, depth, and fluidity were as good as I hoped they would be. Also, I thought that a lot of the darker black and gray nuances were very, very nicely balanced, and even though the 4K Blu-ray does not come with an HDR/Dolby Vision grade most were clearly superior than their counterparts from the Blu-ray. It is very possible that that the improved clarity, delineation, and depth actually alter the mind's perception of their superiority, but I am simply reporting what I saw on my system. Fluidity is unquestionably superior too, so if you have a larger screen expect the 4K Blu-ray to outperform the Blu-ray again. Obviously, the restoration has very strong organic qualities, so grain exposure is excellent. This means that in native 4K the visuals have superior density levels as well. Image stability is outstanding. All in all, I think that when viewed in 4K The Apartment looks every bit as striking as Some Like It Hot. (Note: The 4K Blu-ray release is Region-Free).

The Apartment 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the entire film with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, which is a Dual Mono track, and did not perform any direct comparisons with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. I thought that the quality of the audio was outstanding. The dialog is clear, sharp, and very clean. Balance was excellent as well. The range of dynamics is good too, but Adolph Deutsch does not produce any memorable contrasts. There were no encoding anomalies to report.

The Apartment 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary by film historian Joseph McBride, author of Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge. Mr. McBride has recorded a couple of outstanding commentaries for home video releases of different Billy Wilder films and his new commentary for The Apartment continues the trend. He apparently knew Wilder quite well and the two had some pretty interesting discussions about the quality of his work, so throughout the commentary he shares plenty. For example, there are some pretty interesting comments about the casting choices and how later on the actors managed to effortlessly blend the unique comedy and drama that define The Apartment. Also, there are some equally interesting comments about the initial reactions to the film, both by casual viewers and critics.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by critic Bruce Block.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by by film historian Joseph McBride, author of Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by critic Bruce Block.

• Magic Time: The Art of Jack Lemmon - this archival featurette takes a closer look at the life and legacy of Jack Lemmon. It features clips from an interview with his son, Chris. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Inside the Apartment - this archival program examines the conception, production and success of The Apartment. It features clips from interviews with Shirley MacLaine, author Kevin Lally (Wilder Times), film professor Drew Casper, and Robert Osborne, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).

• Trailer - a remastered vintage trailer for The Apartment. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

The Apartment 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Billy Wilder's The Apartment happens to be one of your all-time favorite films, this upcoming 4K Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber should be in your collection. I think that it offers a very convincing, definitive presentation of the film. It has a modest selection of bonus features, but the exclusive new audio commentary author and film historian Joseph McBride recorded for it is predictably excellent. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.