I continue to trip over examples in film of men looking at themselves in the mirror. I get so excited! I wrote a whole lengthy essay about it for Oscilloscope Laboratories – and people who have been reading me for years will remember the initial post about this – where I basically said “I am fascinated by these scenes and how they erupted into prominence in the 1970s where every major actor had a scene where he looked at himself in the mirror and I really should write about this one day.” Well, I finally did! Mission accomplished! It only took me 15 years.
Here are two separate shots from The Apartment where first Fred MacMurray looks at his reflection in a broken mirror, and then Jack Lemmon – in a crucial moment – looks in the same mirror. It’s a very upsetting moment. I love how Billy Wilder basically used the same exact shot – same framing, same distance from the camera, same angle – to highlight what is REALLY going on.
I read it and I LOVED it!
Thank you Clary!