Review of The Lost Weekend (1945) by Cris B — 24 Jul 2007

This film won a deserved four Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor), and it still is as powerful and moving as it certainly was in 1945. Milland's Don Birnam is a (dangerously) captivating writer-turned-drunk who avoids a weekend getaway with his brother and falls into his cycle of drunken behaviors, which includes theft, lying, and hallucinations.

Director Billy Wilder did a fantastic job at capturing Birnam as more than just a drunk; Birnam is articulate and well-liked (when sober), talented, kind, loving. The film also has a darkness reminiscent of Hitchcock (i.

E. the rat/bat scene towards the end). All in all, a fine example of how cinema doesn't have to rely on incredible special effects or a deeply complex plot. The Lost Weekend relies on the rawness of reality, the truth of artistic frustration, and outstanding performances, as well as a few well-chosen shots from beginning to end in order to emphasize the sensation of being trapped in an endless circle.