jadavix 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.

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.

TheLittleSongbird As great as Days of Wine and Roses is, to me The Lost Weekend is the more powerful film on the subject of alcohol addiction.What is so striking is how much truth there is in how it deals with a sensitive subject and how ahead of its time it is (at a time where it would be so easy to skim over what is so cruel about alcohol addiction, which The Lost Weekend did not), while also being wholly relevant today at the same time seeing as alcohol addiction is very much a big problem now. It is a simple story told harrowingly (the nightmare sequence is still horrifyingly freaky by today's standards) and incredibly movingly, with nothing incoherent about it, with every aspect of the addiction explored realistically and plausibly (doing a better job than Days of Wine and Roses of showing the desperation and guilt). All in a way that is never sugar-coated or heavy-handed, difficult to do for subjects like alcohol addiction and films with a message.The Lost Weekend is both grittily and sumptuously filmed, with first rate location work, it's a very visually pleasing film while also matching the film's tone perfectly. Billy Wilder's direction is also superb, he is sympathetic rather than patronising but is also uncompromising, it was also surprising that he managed to still bring his characteristic mordant wit to a story so grim, something that almost certainly would have jarred in lesser hands. Miklos Rosza provides one of his most haunting scores, it fits perfectly but is never obvious and repetitive, and the use of the theremin was effectively nightmarish but was equally effective showing the pathos of alcoholism (the main reason apparently for its use.It's very thoughtfully scripted too, making the viewer think long and hard about the subject and motivations from the very first scene, and it also develops the characters compellingly. Nothing is black-and-white or stock, in fact it's straightforward but the characters are the kind that are flawed but with enough room for empathising towards them. The acting is very good. Ray Milland wasn't always the most compelling of leading men at times, however in a piece of casting that was courageous and pretty ingenious he gives a career-best turn, rarely did he show this much range or emotional depth than here. Jane Wyman contrasts beautifully in one of her better and more sympathetic performances, while Phillip Terry brings good realism as the brother. Contrastingly their scenes are more soft-centred, but they do still work.The Lost Weekend's only real pitfall, from personal opinion, was the too pat and too-easily-resolved ending in a film that cried out for the complete opposite considering everything that happened before, it just felt tacked on.Otherwise, The Lost Weekend is a wonderful film that came so close to a masterpiece. Maybe not one of Billy Wilder's best films, but this is only because so many of his films are so outstanding (even his lesser films are worth seeing) which is testament to how great a director Wilder was. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox

mamalv 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.