The Lost Weekend (1945)
1945 · Feature film · 101 min · dir. Billy Wilder
The screen dares to open the strange and savage pages of a shocking bestseller!
- Drama
- film noir
- flashback film
Synopsis
Longtime alcoholic Don Birnam has been sober for ten days and appears to be over the worst... but his craving has just become more insidious. Evading a country weekend planned by his brother and girlfriend, he begins a four-day bender that just might be his last – one way or another.
Synopsis from TMDb
Details
- Director
- Billy Wilder
- Writer
- Charles Brackett
- Composer
- Miklós Rózsa
- Cinematography
- John F. Seitz
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
- Released
- 1945-11-29
- Running time
- 101 minutes
Cast & crew
Billy Wilder Director
Lewis Lord Russell
Byron Foulger
Mary Young
Anita Sharp-Bolster
Walter Baldwin
Lilian Fontaine
Ernest Whitman
Phillip Terry
Reviews on the Internet Archive
★★★★★ · Still powerful · Barryc111 · 2024-09-23
This movie captures, in excruciating detail, the behavior of a severe alcoholic. Ray Milland earned his Oscar.
★★★★ · Almost flawless movie · joycex4 · 2024-08-24
Ray Milland is underrated an actor mostly due to the low budget movies he made in the 1960’s. In The Lost Weekend his artistry proves that he deserves high accolades (plus his Oscar) than he is historically given. He interprets Don perfectly. Jane Wyman, De’Silva and Terry hold their own as characters encircling Don like a cluster of protective wagons. The settings are fantastic, the passage of time using milk and paper deliveries is a good tool, the score cleverly swirls like liquid swirling in cups and the supporting cast earns high marks. I would’ve liked for Ms, Wyman to interpret her…
★★ · Decent movie but lost momentum & started to drag on · StrangerThangz · 2024-10-09
Ray Milland's character is supposed to be 33 years old and he was actually 38 in 1945. He looks closer to mid-forties to me. I think many people looked a lot older back in the day b/c they smoked like chimneys and drank like fish. The music in this movie makes it almost eerie at times, and also just really adds to the drama. I think everyone has known an alcoholic in their lives, so this film is relatable, albeit it's exaggerated behaviour and dialogue for dramatic purposes. I don't think this performance is Oscar-worthy. Makes me curious to look up who he was nominated against for Best Actor…
