Review of The Lost Weekend (1945) by David U — 10 Mar 2007

[font=Trebuchet MS]I'm sure it was revelatory at the time- the raft of Oscars proves that- but I was extremely disappointed to find that, today, [i]The Lost Weekend[/i] seems little more than a faded '40s melodrama. The 1940s are probably my favourite decade for film, so don't go accusing me of inexperience- it's just that [i]The Lost Weekend[/i] is so overcooked. Ray Milland won an Oscar for his performance as a hopeless alcoholic, but his performance today is ridiculously overwrought and entirely unsympathetic- especially when put next to Jane Wyman's more layered, delicate work as his devoted 'girl', whose intense dedication to the man would be totally inexplicable without Wyman's hard work. Director Billy Wilder, having directed his noir masterpiece [i]Double Indemnity[/i] the year before, doesn't have a handle on the melodrama at all- and, in perhaps the worst aspect of the film's production, Miklos Rozsa's score is loud, pummelling and, well, overwrought. A deep disappointment.[/font].

[font=Trebuchet MS]Full review to come.[/font].