The Red Scare Film Analysis

Following the end of World War II, America established itself as the world’s strongest military power and economic envy. The post-war economic boom influenced the large-scale expansion of the middle class. Consumerism became a defining characteristic of American society. Loans and credit created a materialistic culture that allowed people to continuously improve the perceived quality of life. It was a time of stability. Yet, this prosperity masked the actual divisions in American society. The Red Scare engulfed every aspect of American society causing conformity and conservatism to become the social norms of the time. As a result, few individuals dared to inspire controversy or differ from the norm. Despite the recent Hollywood blacklist period,

The very first line of the film is a statement of the number of human beings living in New York City, which creates a sense that people are only numbers in this society. Prior to formally introducing himself, the protagonist, C.C. Baxter, announces that he, “[works] on the nineteenth floor, Ordinary Policy Department, Premium Accounting Division, Section W, desk number 861” (The Apartment). Such an introduction serves as a grim indication of the business world. People are no longer individuals, but numbers in a department. It is worth noting that Baxter provides this introduction prior to announcing his name, implying how business life began to connect with self-identity. Huge corporations were no longer a threat to small firms, but it appears to be a threat to the individual. People began to associate their perceived success in life as tied to the office. Yet, such success would matter little when one is simply a desk number on a floor. There is a subtle identity crises in society considering how often one’s line of work or department or associated with their name. Businesses created a culture of identity linked to office

In Ian Brooke’s article, “The Eye of Power: Postwar Fordism and the Panoptic Corporation in ‘The Apartment,’” he notes the spread of Fordism into other aspects of society. Brooke clarifies that, “the Fordist rationalization of work became inseparable from the rationalization of time and space” (Brooke). It is of no coincidence that the sudden spike in the idea that time is a commodity arose after Ford’s system of productivity. Ford’s assembly line was constructed off of the principle that time must be exploited in order to ensure productivity. Such a belief began to extend outside of the work environment into daily life. Society began to perceive time as a product to not be wasted. Brooke notes that, “For the executives, squeezed between the demands of work and family commitments, time is a commodity to be exploited to the utmost” (Brooke). There is a scene in The Apartment where Baxter must reschedule his managers after falling ill. Baxter serves as the vessel for the company managers to exploit their free time away from their personal lives and their business lives. Brooke elaborates on how the managers exploit their free time with sexual liaisons, but does not elaborate on Baxter. Although society is utilizing free time for personal pleasure, Baxter is left working overtime at the workplace. His free time is often spent waiting for his managers to finish using his