Review of The Lost Weekend (1945) by Sheila C — 18 Dec 2011

Billy Wilder's "The Lost Weekend".

"The Lost Weekend" is an honest and harrowing look at alcohol addiction seen through the eyes of Don Birnam, played magnificently by Ray Milland. It is the very first film to tackle the subject of alcoholism and to this date, remains, in my view, one of the best films dealing with this social problem (Nicolas Cage and "Leaving Las Vegas" would be the other). While its ending might be too optimistic, Billy Wilder was able to capture the realism of the subject matter from the script he co-wrote and his black and white photography of the streets of New York city and its skyline.

The film chronicles one weekend in the life of Don Birnam, a failed writer, and his slow decent towards hopelessness and losing his sanity due to alcoholism. Jane Wyman and Phillip Terry play Don's friend and brother, respectively, who try and help him get through his addiction. Ray Milland played the deception and struggles that his character Don Birnam went through in the entire film very convincingly.

The film won four Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Screenplay. Today, âThe Lost Weekendâ? is a film that, at times, takes a back seat to other Billy Wilder films such as âSunset Boulevardâ?, âSome Like It Hotâ?, âThe Apartmentâ? and âDouble Indemnityâ?. However, âThe Lost Weekendâ? is definitely one of Wilder's best films that have made him such an accomplished filmmaker.