The Lost Weekend (1945)

Great Film overall

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

In "The Lost Weekend", Ray Milland gave what may have been the screen's first ever serious portrayal of an alcoholic. The dipsomaniac was a stock character of comedy theatre long before films were invented, but Milland's Don Birnam bears no relation to the characters famously played by W.C. Fields.Birnam is a struggling New York writer who gets by with the support of his brother, Wick, and his saintly girlfriend, Helen. These two intend to take Birnam on a weekend vacation that will extend a period of sobriety, however Birnam heads to a bar where he gets drunk and loses track of time, missing the trip. He thereafter heads on a massive bender.There are a series of harrowing scenes that follow, such as the heart-wrenching moment where Birnam is caught trying to steal to pay his bill in a restaurant, and his experience of Delirium Tremens. There is also a sadistic nurse in the real-life Bellvue Hospital where Birnam briefly stays; this was the first movie that the Hospital allowed to be filmed there.The movie has, it must be said, a commendable realism, as does Milland's powerful central performance. The movie even hints at the even more bleak possibility of suicide; however, the ending seems to take a step back from truth, with a happy ending I could have done without.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I watched this film with low expectations, even after watching Wilder's masterful Sunset Boulevard and Double Indemnity, and reading such glowing reviews on this film, but I was completely blown away by The Lost Weekend. It is a bleak work of realism, but also a fantastic work of art.Ray Milland delivers one of the best performances in film history as an alcoholic who also happens to be a struggling writer in New York. We follow him on four days of his life, as his serious addiction begins to take its toll on his mind and body. Ultimately, many of the supporting actors and actresses are almost drowned out due to Milland's strong on screen presence, but thankfully provide the character development required for the story to continue.Billy Wilder's direction is impeccable. The camera work is fluid, the scenes expertly filmed with a dark, noirish feel to it in order to evoke the mental deterioration of Don Birnam. The music is haunting and undeniably central to the film, with its eerie sound effects and dramatic score. The Lost Weekend has withstood the test of time and continues to do so. Released in 1945 amidst controversy for its serious examination of alcohol abuse, The Lost Weekend hasn't lost any of its power, and is quite simply of the greatest psychological dramas of all time.

Winner of 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Billy Wilder's follow-up to his mighty successful Double Indemnity is a deeply unsettling yet painstakingly realistic illustration of alcoholism that takes the subject of alcohol dependency far more seriously than any other Hollywood film before it & is absolutely uncompromising with its content.Based on the novel of the same name, The Lost Weekend tells the story a chronic alcoholic over a four day period which begins with him evading the country weekend planned by his brother & girlfriend and covers his desperate attempts to get himself a drink while flashback reveals the past events of his life, most of which went wrong because of his drinking habits.Co-written & directed by Billy Wilder, The Lost Weekend shows that there is nothing funny about an alcoholic or any sort of addiction for that matter. The film also hits the mark when it comes to depicting the inner struggle & helplessness one feels when attempting to resist a strong urge for what the person is dependent on, and the desperation that follows when it isn't around.The events of the picture are nicely photographed in black-n-white, the pacing is controlled for the most part, background score is wonderfully composed, humour infused in the story is pitch-black and Ray Milland delivers a truly magnificent performance as our protagonist for he sells his character in an extremely convincing manner & his depiction of an addict is highly relatable.On an overall scale, The Lost Weekend is another fabulous piece of filmmaking from Billy Wilder that paints a devastating portrait of addiction, is technically sound in all aspects & benefits greatly from Milland's terrific on-screen work. Entertaining, enlightening & alarming, The Lost Weekend is an essential cinema that deserves a watch or two from every film lover out there.

What a movie and what a performance by Ray Milland. Don Birnam is an alcoholic writer who just can't get started on anything. He is brilliant and tortured by his own alcoholic demons. This is based on the true life of the writer Charles Jackson. If ever there was a more truthful look at a drunk, this is probably the best. The only other true look would be The Days of Wine and Roses. There are many light moments where Milland goes into line after line of how he wound up this way. How his brother Wick had given him a place to live and a few dollars for shows and smokes. Jane Wyman is the long suffering girlfriend who won't give up on him. Sometimes we feel that she won't give up because she needs to be right for him and herself. I like Howard DeSilva as the bartender Nate. Even though we despise him for giving the booze to Don, we really feel he does in some way care for this man. He along with Wyman see touches of a really wonderful mind being wasted in a bottle. Milland lost a lot of weight to play this part that was turned down by numerous big stars. He is still so handsome that even when he is in the depths of a alcoholic weekend we wish he would clean up and get back to his life. Many people do not realize that the street shots were from hidden cameras in store fronts and vans. So many people really thought that Milland staggering along was really drunk. In fact some people called the studio to warn them about his bender. Magnificent as he was in this film we had always wished that he had more dramatic parts like this one. The industry just never gave him the best of the best. Well deserved Oscar for this great actor.