Review of The Lost Weekend (1945) by Matt T — 28 Jul 2010
Never has a film had such a direct influence on me as this. Why? Let me explain...
This film is all about one man's fight against the dreaded vice of alcohol abuse. Ray Milland stars as the novelist with writers block who goes on a two day bender but pummels the depth of depravity, leading to the gutter. His friends who are aware of his addiction try their best to help him but when a man needs a drink he'll stop at nothing to get one.
Why such an influence? For some reason before watching this I hadn't had a drink for a whole 10 days (can't remember why). Watching Milland doing his up most to get a drink started to make me thirsty. As the film rolled on I found myself in need of a fix but low and behold there wasn't a drop in the house- no beer, spirits or wine. Damn! The film was on TV and I wanted to watch it in one sitting but the lure of liquor was calling for me. My only option was to nip over the shops. Decisions, decisions. I started to pull at my hair, panic was creeping in, my heart beating faster, hands becoming clammy, heavy breathing. I need a drink. I NEED A DRINK NOW! Luckily I made a discovery -I found chocolate in the fridge which along with a nice cuppa tea managed to calm me down and I managed to finish the film. Phew...
As for the film this is often described as a film noir because of it's dark atmosphere and story even though no murder is committed, which is the usual requirement.
The moral of my review is to make sure that you are fully stocked up with beers. Don't make the same mistake as me.
This review of The Lost Weekend (1945) was written by Matt T on 28 Jul 2010.
The Lost Weekend has generally received very positive reviews.
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