Sean Wilson
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.
poe-48833
From an opening sequence not unlike the opening moments of Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO 15 years later to the bloody bat-eats-rat moment, THE LOST WEEKEND teeters on the verge of outright Horror- which is as it should be: I've spent the better part of my life babysitting drunks and addicts and it IS a Real Life Horrorshow, no doubt about it. (If anything, THE LOST WEEKEND is a relatively TAME depiction of alcoholic addiction.) I had a Mother, but no Father (HE loved one thing, and one thing only: The Bottle, which comforted him and laid him to rest and took him away from Life and all its responsibilities). "Drink responsibly" is an oxymoron you seldom hear any more; like any addiction, alcoholism is a self-inflicted malady, so it's hard to feel sympathy for the hardcore Drunk (at least, it is for ME). In my entire life, I've never seen so much untapped potential wasted as when someone takes up The Bottle (or drugs). Remember always: "Denial is NOT a river in Egypt."
ironhorse_iv
Possibly the first Hollywood film to treat alcoholism in anything resembling a serious realistic way. The film is almost has a sense of an Orson Welles's an uncompromising look at the devastating effects of alcoholism. Directed by Billy Wilder, and based on Charles R. Jackson's 1944 novel of the same title, 'the Lost Weekend' recounts the weekend life of an alcoholic writer, Don Birnam (Ray Milland) where he went on an extreme alcoholic binge. Ray Milland is just the right actor for the job as he really gives out the character willing to do almost anything for a drink. It was no surprise, that he won Best Actor at the Academy Award in this role, that year. What makes the film so gripping is the way, Billy Wilder shot the film. I love the opening & closing shots of the city. Billy Wilder made great use of John F. Seitz's cinematography camera-work. The scene where Don Birnam is frantic looking a pawn store to sell his typewriter along Third Avenue in New York City on Yom Kippur has this sense of neo-realist morceau d'anthologue to it. You see this copy or reused in other films, where the character walking toward the camera as neon signs pass by camera effect. The drab, gritty black and white cinematography of the expressionistic film emphasized the frightening, twisting, and harrowing power of alcohol. The way, the black and white works on shadows gives it an expressionistic film noir style look. The way, the small bottle appear big in the lamp is a great use of illusion. Some of the booze-soaked scenes were shot through or in the presence of bottles, given a warp illusion of human figures. The way, he shot the staid rings of the shot glasses was great. I love the speech, Birnam gives to the bartender, not to wipe it. The enclosing rings is a symbol of the depth of his drunkenness; little vicious circle. By not wiping it, it will continue to go around and around with no end, no beginning. No end, no beginning. That's how Birnam wants it. While, some people might not his story due to his unlikable; the way, Ray acts makes the film, a little bit more charming, sucking you into the story, more and more. The film's musical score by Miklós Rózsa was among the first to feature the theremin, which was used to create the pathos of alcoholism. It's chilling, and reminds me more a tune to an old school classic horror movie, than anything drama relate at the time. The bat and the mouse scene is a lot scarier than some of these modern day horror movies. That really make the silly notice of pink elephants, scary right there. Wilder was originally drawn to this movie due to his recovering alcoholic screenwriter friend Raymond Chandler who fell off the wagon during the filming of 1944's Double Indemnity. Wilder made the film, in part, to try to help Chandler. The story is well-written with crafty dialogue. I love the whole river Nile speech. I like how Gloria (Doris Downling) cheapens herself by shortening her words with abbreviations. It's a way to say, symbolism how cheap she became as a call girl. I also love how very accurate, the film is to the book. The only different is that novel pointed to a homosexual affair as the root of Birnam's troubles; the film version replaced it with writer's block. I guess, talking about homosexuality was still a little bit more taboo than talking about alcoholism, back then. The pacing is great. Still, I found the Opera flashback to be a bit odd. If Don didn't like the opera, why did he go in the first place? Perhaps the only thing saving Don was girlfriend Helen St. James (Jane Wyman), a selfless and incorruptible woman who tolerates his behavior out of love. Helen still seems to be one-dimension, manic pixie dream girl who hasn't nothing else to do besides help Birnam with his life. Doesn't she has a job as an editorial researcher at Time Magazine or not? Helen does, however, tells him with the words, 'while he trying to stop drinking, she is trying hard not to love him'. One other different from the book is the ending. Although it's somewhat unconvincing, rehabilitative 'happy ending' conclusion. The film did had a more optimistic, upbeat and hopeful than the one in the novel. I thought the film ending was ominous and so true of anyone struggling with addiction in that one never really knows if he has really kick the habit or not. Anybody who knows or is dealing with alcoholism should at least, watch this film. When this movie came out in 1945, the liquor industry tried to sway Paramount from releasing the film, allegedly even going as far to bribe Billy Wilder for the negatives remove it from circulation. On the other hand, the more traditional folks tried to keep it from release for fears it would encourage drinking. The film had enormous impact, especially upon returning combat-fatigued GIs from WW II who were adjusting and struggling with their own difficulties in civilian life and often turning into alcohol dependents. In fact, its success spurred further black and white, post-war dramas dealing with social-problems. While the film hasn't aged well due to the number of scratches and mark abrasion, and some people might not find watching a black and white film, attractive. I have to say, a color film like 2012's Flight couldn't give us the depth, this film does. The film did great a poor DVD transfer and here's hoping they get together to properly restore both the sound and especially the picture quality of this classic film. I felt that this was a great movie with a great script, great acting, great directing and hence overall an excellent work of art with a very good message about life.
