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The Lost Weekend

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Director: Billy Wilder
Actors: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD

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Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

64 reviews
Sales Rank: 12874

Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 101
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
DVD Layers: 2
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Pan & Scan
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.8 x 0.7

MPN: MCAD21153D
UPC: 025192115325
EAN: 0025192115325
ASIN: B0000549B1

Theatrical Release Date: 1945
Release Date: February 6, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: ******BRAND NEW****** ** Over 1.5 million orders shipped worldwide and more than 500 000 items in stock, BUY FROM A TRUSTED SOURCE, ESTABLISHED SINCE 1998 - INETVIDEO ~~~

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 6-10 of 64

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Good movie, but inseparable from cultural fallout. January 29, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

The Lost Weekend (Billy Wilder, 1945)

While there's no denying that The Lost Weekend is a pretty durned fine piece of filmmaking, looking at it sixty years later, it's impossible to divorce the film from its cultural fallout. Screenwriter Charles Brackett, working from Charles Jackson's potboiler of a novel, did his best to bring out every possible melodramatic moment, and he succeeded tremendously. The problem being, of course, the public believe what they see, no matter how exaggerated for melodramatic effect. The Lost Weekend was one of the biggest steps in the diseasing of America (cf. Stanton Peele's book of the same name); that it is not as reviled today as Birth of a Nation or Triumph of the Will (both similarly excellent films on a technical level) is simply a matter of public perspective.

Ray Milland stars as Don Birnam, the very definition of an addict. Here's a guy who's willing to steal from strangers, manipulate those around him, and generally act as hateful as humanly possible to get his hands on more of the demon rum. (Or, in Birnam's case, the demon rye.) His girlfriend Helen (Jane Wyman) has put up with his alcoholism for years, but is rapidly reaching the end of her rope. His brother Wick (Phillip Terry) has arranged a weekend in the country for them, to get Don to dry out and start working on the novel he's been trying to write for years (The Bottle, a thinly-veiled autobiography about alcoholism). Don wanders off and gets drunk before he can leave with Wick, and the rest of the film chronicles Don's debauchery over the weekend that he's supposed to be in the country, which culminates in him hitting bottom after a quick trip to Bellevue's alcoholic ward. Climactic confrontation, etc., ensues, blah blah blah.

What makes the film stand apart from the usual redemption film is the constant, unrelenting subtext that there is no redemption to be found here. Wilder often seems allergic to happy endings; it has been mentioned more than once that the ending of this flick was mandated by the studio, but Wilder found every way he could to subvert it (without getting too spoilery, note Birnam's constant talk throughout the second half of the film about vicious circles, and then compare the last scene of the film to the first). Well, that and the fact that one of America's greatest directors made the movie, with some of the best and brightest stars of the day. Milland acts his role to a fever pitch, working the melodrama with every ounce of talent he's got and only crossing the overacting line a handful of times. Wyman does a lot more overacting, but she pulls it off, in some weird way; she's quite good at playing the harried girlfriend here. Perhaps the best acting in the film comes from the bartender at Don's favorite watering hole, Ned (Howard Da Silva), who acts as Milland's straight man, feeding him all the right lines, as bartenders are wont to do.

Any fault to be found with this movie has to be found with audience reaction to it, rather than the film itself, but I find that I can't divorce the two in this case. And to think the temperance League wanted to ban the movie, thinking it would encourage drinking. It has done their job far better than they did. ***

5 out of 5 stars

Fine movie, but don't look for 12 Steps January 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is a good movie that most likely was far ahead of its time in the 1940s. When I first saw it nine years ago, I was disappointed that Ray Milland's character didn't find sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous. However, AA was still a very young entity (only 10 years old) at the time this movie was made, so it may not have been enough of a force for the filmmakers to have considered for inclusion in the story. (About 17 years later, things were different: by the early 1960's, AA had a proven track record of success, and credibility, as the impetus for positive change in Jack Lemmon's character in The Days of Wine and Roses.) But even the founders of AA pointed out that there are many ways to sobriety; they never claimed that AA was the one and only option. If Ray Milland's character had to go through delirium tremens and its associated, terrifying hallucinations to be scared sober, that's ok, too. Could have been an effective warning to viewers struggling with alcoholism, themselves.

5 out of 5 stars

The Lost Weekend My Review January 3, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Ray Millands portrayal of Don Birnum an alcholic writer is realistic for its time, He lies, steals, and hides His bottle. Jane Wyman does a great job in the loyal,forgiving,fiance role a scene that stands out for me is when He tries to pawn His typewriter. The Lost Weekend is one of the greatest movies to win Best Picture, showing the depths of Alcholisim.

5 out of 5 stars

black and white sobriety November 17, 2007
This film depicts the disease of alcoholism. Yes, alcoholism is a disease and fortunately we have learned a lot about the disease since the movie was made. I recommend this movie to anyone who wants to learn what powerlessness is all about. The symptoms of the disease are easily evident and so is the solution. Although motivation varies to quit drinking, and some believe will-power alone can solve the problem, for most recovery means going the extra mile in a formal treatment program and attendance at recovery support groups such as AA/NA.

4 out of 5 stars

Pretty intense November 14, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

4.5 stars

This movie threw me for a loop when I saw it a few years back. It's rare to see an old black and white film with this kind of honesty and realism. It is cheesy at moments, but Milland delivers the goods (and the bads) as a true drinker (kinda hammy at times, but you just gotta roll with the era). In any case, this sure ain't no standard studio picture.
Wilder really scored with Lost Weekend. It took balls to make this movie. A true classic and worth watching with any over-the-top drinker you might know and love.

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