Highly Overrated But Still Good

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

'The Lost Weekend (1941)' wraps itself up a little too quickly to be entirely convincing, though the promises made in the finale could be just as empty as those made in the opening (making the ending much darker than it appears to be), and there is the occasional lull in pace marked by a repetition indicative of the alcoholism of the protagonist, but it's a daring and generally powerful cry against addiction in all its forms compounded by some excellent writing and performances (especially the Oscar-winning turn from Ray Milland) that really get into the psychology of the characters. 7/10

I often take a fair bit of flack for listing The Lost Weekend as my favorite Billy Wilder film. With a career spanning over a dozen classics, The Lost Weekend, which took home top prize at the Oscar's in 1945, is often overlooked in Billy Wilder's accomplished filmography. The Lost Weekend isn't just my favorite Billy Wilder film, it's one of my favorite films of all time. Starring the ever alluring Ray Milland and Jane Wyman, the story of an alcoholic struggling through a 4-day drinking binge is a heartbreaking to watch. Don Birnam, (Ray Milland) is an alcoholic who has recently begun the road to recovery, or so he pretends. When his brother Wick (Phillip Terry) plans a weekend away in the country with Don and his girlfriend Helen St. James (Jane Wyman) the thought of being away from the bottle with no chance of a drink becomes overwhelming to Don. Maybe all Don needs is a send-off from the bar to get him through the long weekend. Manipulating Helen, who loves Don dearly despite his addiction, he convinces her to take his brother to a show promising to leave on the train for the country when they return. Once Don is in front of the bartender he loses all track of time, missing the train and his brother who took an angry cab ride home after being stood up by Don. Don spends a great deal of time reminiscing about his life as a young writer. Don abandoned college after a story he wrote sold to a magazine, only to find that same amount of success unattainable to him in his mid- thirties. Stopping at nothing to drown his sorrows about the unhappiness of his writing career and his life, Don's weekend binge leads him to the hospital, then back at home as he contemplates the only option for him that will seem to make everyone happy.The most obvious statement of the day is that Billy Wilder was a phenomenal director. He had a controlled yet inviting relationship with the camera that I truly appreciate. My favorite shot in cinema history is tucked into The Lost Weekend. The first time we see Don in the bar, it is indicated that time is passing solely by additional rings from his glass appearing on the table. The subtle beauty yet despair contained in that shot makes me pause the film at that moment each time I watch it just to be able to appreciate it for a few extra seconds. Wilder also captures a brilliant shot of a reflection in the mirror near the end of the film that allows Hellen to see just how dire Don's situation has become. There were also a couple scenes involving visions that were incredible. The scene of Don at the opera where he longs for the alcohol he stashed in his checked coat so badly he begins to imagine scores of his overcoat parading on stage was a dream to watch. Don also has a breakdown before falling asleep once back at his home where he imagines a mouse climbing out of a hole in his wall only to be attacked by a bat in his apartment perfectly illustrating the futile effort Don felt against the much more aggressive opponent of his alcoholism that he was facing. As for capturing the perils of addiction, The Lost Weekend succeeds tenfold. The Lost Weekend is a perfect double bill along with Otto Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm which explores the life of a heroin addict. The Lost Weekend displays the family of the addict which is often a mix of enabling and tough love, the film illustrates the rage the addict often experiences when too many obstacles impede their next fix and the desperation of exhausting every seemingly available opportunity to get it. The audience is invited into Don Birnam's life when the camera pans his apartment windows from the outside before following the string attached to a bottle into his apartment. The string hiding a fix is a perfect metaphor for what Don's life has become. His life teeters on a precipice of resuming his writing career and settling down with Hellen or sinking deeper and deeper towards the bottle where "one (drink) is too many and 100 is not enough". We begin the emotional ride of the film outside of Don't life, then invited in for an intimate look at the weekend in which Don must make the decision that will dictate the rest of his life.This brings me to the Ray Milland portion of this review. I love Ray Milland, and The Lost Weekend was the first film I saw of his. I was sold on his style immediately and only grew to love him more when Dial M for Murder became another personal favorite. His reserved command of the screen works for me on every level. Milland's name is one I don't hear nearly as often as I'd like to hear thrown around as a screen great of the Golden Age of Hollywood. His portrayal of Don Birnam which goes from the brink of despair complete with tears and screaming to the acceptance of an existence beyond alcohol was more than deserving of a gold statuette at the '45 Oscars, as well as a place in my heart for eternity. Maybe it was Ray Milland's perfect portrayal of an alcoholic that kept me from taking even one drink my entire life, who knows.

Ray Milland received his Best Actor Academy Award (on his only nomination) portraying a man struggling with his alcoholism in this Oscar winning Best Picture, which also saw Billy Wilder earn his first Oscars (Director and Screenplay; the latter shared with his frequent collaborator, and this film's producer Charles Brackett) and showcases Jane Wyman's dramatic acting ability for the first time, leading to her first (of four) Best Actress nomination in The Yearling (1946) (and award for Johnny Belinda (1948)). Also receiving nominations from the Academy were John Seitz's B&W Cinematography, Doane Harrison's Editing, and Miklós Rózsa's Score. Added to the National Film Registry in 2011.The story follows Don Birnam (Milland), an unsuccessful writer, over a several day alcoholic binge. His girlfriend Helen St. James (Wyman) and his brother Wick (Phillip Terry) are unable to help him remain sober. Howard Da Silva is the bartender Nat, with whom Don converses with at various times; the others in the cast are the people he meets in the different stages of his drunkenness.

LOST WEEKEND is a film about the state of life of any man. In general, every life is full of ups and downs. Alcoholism, as a kind of escape from his own life is more than stable. Lack of self-confidence, poverty and lack of understanding are just some factors with which the main character struggles. Alcohol is a deadly rescue. The story is quite realistic and morbid. The main protagonist is a split personality. We get to know him through the illustration of a drunk and writer in the attempt. I have to admit that this movie at first viewing fascinating.I have to admit that the minor characters have been pretty naive. I have the impression that the main protagonist and bottles of alcohol tell a story, while minor characters just go and get lost. Practically everything is told in a couple of days where we can see how a man touches a human and moral bottom. Unwritten parts of the novel through flashbacks working perfectlyRay Milland as Don Birnam is simply brilliant. He revealed the ugly nature of man, through the degradation of life, weakness and shame.Jane Wyman as Helen St. James had the demanding role of loyal girls. In this case, love knows no boundaries. The lack of emotion is so obvious and I her character can not imagine as a kind of salvation or the voice of reason.Other characters are "stations" on the road to environmental ruin. Caring and exemplary brother who miraculously evaporate at the beginning of the film. Ironic and gritty bartender, sadistic medic or girl in love at the bar.Lost Weekend is a very honest and disturbing drama. The musical score perfectly corresponded to the theme of the film. I must say that I am not satisfied with the contrived happy ending. The main protagonist in 5 minutes free his life of suffering. It's all in the decision, but the decision came suddenly and utterly illogical.