| THE LOST WEEKEND (1945) |  |
| CAST |
Ray Milland Jane Wyman Phillip Terry Howard Da Silva Doris Dowling Frank Faylen Mary Young Anita Sharp-Bolster Lillian Fontaine |
| DIRECTED BY |
Billy Wilder |
| PURCHASE |
| "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation. I can't take quiet desperation!" |
| Time: 101 mins. Rating: Not Rated Genre: Drama Won Academy Awards for Best Actor, Director, Screenplay and Best Picture. Nominations for Cinematography, Film Editing and Score. |
| CAPSULE REVIEW –– Billy Wilder pulls no punches in this honest, dark and brutal tale of one man's battle with the bottle over a long and lonely weekend. Directed or written by anyone else, this film would have been unbearably preachy. As it stands, we literally get under the skin of this disease, seeing the inevitable end of the line for someone unable to resist the temptation to drink. Milland is brilliant as the never-has-been writer unable to deal with the utter failure he's made of himself. Even the love of a good woman, played wonderfully by Jane Wyman, and the constant support of his family can't make him stop drinking. The urge is so strong, he's forced to resort to lying, cheating and stealing to quench his thirst. In the end, Wyman saves him from ending his torment once and for all by giving him a reason to go on. Don't worry, it's nothing as sappy as love. Wilder is never that obvious. Though the film has some heavy-handed moments, it is for the most part a gripping portrayal of alcoholism. Milland draws you into his pain, making you a partner in his need. The score is a bit melodramatic, but the look and feel of the film illuminates an extremely stark portrait of what this disease does to people and their families everyday. It's not an easy film to watch, but it is an important one to see. |