The Lost Weekend (1945) 8.0
The desperate life of a chronic alcoholic is followed through a four day drinking bout. Director:Billy Wilder |
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The Lost Weekend (1945) 8.0
The desperate life of a chronic alcoholic is followed through a four day drinking bout. Director:Billy Wilder |
|
Watch Trailer 0Share... |
Complete credited cast: | |||
Ray Milland | ... | ||
Jane Wyman | ... | ||
Phillip Terry | ... | ||
Howard Da Silva | ... | ||
Doris Dowling | ... | ||
Frank Faylen | ... | ||
Mary Young | ... |
Mrs. Deveridge
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Anita Sharp-Bolster | ... |
Mrs. Foley
(as Anita Bolster)
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Lilian Fontaine | ... |
Mrs. St. James
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Frank Orth | ... |
Opera Cloak Room Attendant
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Lewis L. Russell | ... |
Mr. St. James
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Don Birnam, long-time alcoholic, has been "on the wagon" for ten days and seems to be over the worst; but his craving has just become more insidious. Evading a country weekend planned by his brother Wick and girlfriend Helen, he begins a four-day bender. In flashbacks we see past events, all gone wrong because of the bottle. But this bout looks like being his last...one way or the other. Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Uncompromising, dark and definitely disturbing Best Picture Oscar winner from 1945 that deals with a writer's (Ray Milland in one of the very best performances ever shown on the silver which deservedly landed him his only Oscar) alcoholism and the effects that his problem has on himself, his work and those closest to him. The love of his life (Jane Wyman) and his very supportive brother (Phillip Terry) try to save Milland from a habit that has gotten terribly out-of-hand. Heart-wrenching flashbacks into Milland's demise are sometimes difficult sequences to get through. In the end it is not a sure thing if Milland can distance himself from his disease and return to a normal life. Billy Wilder's uncompromising direction and screenplay yielded him Oscars in this film that scared many studios away in the early-1940s due to its intense subject matter and the question of whether the film could create interest. Made during a time when patriotic movies and romantic comedic farces dominated the cinema, "The Lost Weekend" was truly unlike anything ever experienced before. A very well-made production that is first class all the way. A real classic in every sense of the term. 5 stars out of 5.