The Lost Weekend (1945)

Written by Charles Brackett & Billy Wilder

Directed by Billy Wilder

I’ll cut right to it: I was extremely surprised how much I enjoyed this movie.

Before I watch these films, I generally try not to read anything about them, except occasionally what genre it is. With this film, I continued that, only knowing it was a Noir film, which, as I mentioned with Casablanca, I don’t have much experience with. Well, if this film and Casablanca are the template for this genre, then I am definitely intrigued.

Ray Milland battles his demons

This film was surprising to me because it seemed so hard-hitting, based on what we’ve seen so far. This film is from the mid-40’s, so when it deals with intense subjects, they’re usually done in a metaphorical way. The issues being dealt with, so far, also haven’t been too “extreme”: love, war, jealousy, etc. This film deals with alcoholism, and does so in such a frank way that I was shocked that the film was released when it did.

Don watches in desperation at the bottles on stage

From the onset, the film maintains an on-going tension, a tension that permeates the entire experience. Ray Milland plays Don, an alcoholic who tries, and usually fails, to stay on the wagon. He carries this film 100%, as it follows him through a single weekend as he caves to his addiction, and we witness his tumble down the rabbit hole of liquor. Milland’s performance is absolutely fantastic, ranging the entire gamut of emotions. In one particular scene, a flashback to three years previous, we see him in the audience of an opera, and as we see the various bottles of champagne being passed around in the scene on stage, we can feel his utter desperation for a single drop. It’s no wonder that he won a Best Actor statue for his work, because it’s top-notch.

Don succumbs

One of my favorite things about the film are the technical elements, specifically the cinematography and music. The music, composed by Miklós Rózsa, features the theremin, which is used to highlight the call of alcohol, and almost seems to give a character to the alcohol itself. It’s almost as if it becomes a siren song to Don, luring him to the bottle. There’s some excellent shots within the film as well; one particularly memorable shot is the camera zooming and “falling” into the glass, as Don begins his lost weekend.

The film isn’t quite perfect: Doris Dowling’s Gloria is pretty over the top, even by the standards of the time and genre (she’s almost a walking stereotype), and the final three minutes of the film really stumble. The film drives Don to the worst possible place, only to have him reach an over-moralizing epiphany, which pretty much completely contradicts the entire movie proceeding it. I’ve nothing against a happy ending, but it seems so jarring compared to what’s come before it.

In spite of those issues, the movie really was quite excellent, one I would highly recommend in a heartbeat. Gritty, real, and visually exciting, it’s a gem within this list, and I’m glad it’s crossed my path.

FINAL GRADE: B+