The Lost Weekend

Starring:Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling, Frank Faylen, Mary Young, Anita Sharp-Bolster, Lillian Fontaine, Frank Orth, Lewis L. Russell, Sophie (XXI), William O'Leary (III), Stanley Price, Mark Power (II), Ernest Whitman, Jess Lee Brooks, David Clyde, Frank Mills, Walter Baldwin
Director: Billy Wilder
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

"I'm not a drinker--I'm a drunk." These words, and the serious message behind them, were still potent enough in 1945 to shock audiences flocking to The Lost Weekend. The speaker is Don Birnam (Ray Milland), a handsome, talented, articulate alcoholic. The writing team of producer Charles Brackett and director Billy Wilder pull no punches in their depiction of Birnam's massive weekend bender, a tailspin that finds him reeling from his favorite watering hole to Bellevue Hospital. Location shooting in New York helps the street-level atmosphere, especially a sequence in which Birnam, a budding writer, tries to hock his typewriter for booze money. He desperately staggers past shuttered storefronts--it's Yom Kippur, and the pawnshops are closed. Milland, previously known as a lightweight leading man (he'd starred in Wilder's hilarious The Major and the Minor three years earlier), burrows convincingly under the skin of the character, whether waxing poetic about the escape of drinking or screaming his lungs out in the D.T.'s sequence. Wilder, having just made the ultra-noir Double Indemnity, brought a new kind of frankness and darkness to Hollywood's treatment of a social problem. At first the film may have seemed too bold; Paramount Pictures nearly killed the release of the picture after it tested poorly with preview audiences. But once in release, The Lost Weekend became a substantial hit, and won four Oscars: for picture, director, screenplay, and actor. --Robert Horton

Product Description

The Best Picture of 1945 has lost none of its bite or power in this uncompromising look at the devastating effects of alcoholism. Ironically, this brilliant Billy Wilder film was almost never released because of poor reaction by preview audiences unaccustomed to such stark realism from Hollywood, but the film has since gone on to be regarded as one of the all-time great dramas in movie history.Ray Milland's haunting portrayal of a would-be writer's dissatisfaction with his life leads him on a self-destructive three-day binge. Filled with riveting imagery, the multiple Academy Award-winner offers an unforgettable view of life on the edge.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

The Lost Weekend.......2007-06-25

Billy Wilder's searing look at the "problem" of alcoholism was harsh, unpleasant stuff for audiences to swallow in the '40s, but Paramount execs--who nearly shelved "Weekend" over pressure from temperance and liquor lobbyists--were thrilled when it became a huge hit. That's due entirely to Milland's riveting, Oscar-winning portrayal of Don, a man so hysterically self-destructive that he sacrifices his dignity and others' goodwill to keep himself in a state of perpetual stupor. Cheery it's not, but "Lost Weekend" is a landmark work, showcasing Wilder at his gut-wrenching best. Wyman also excels in an early role as the concerned Helen.

One's Too Many and a Hundred's Not Enough.......2007-05-21

As with all the great products on Amazon, the spotlight reviews have just about covered everything that should impel one to watch this fine film. I should only like to resonate and emphasize those points.

At its core, The Lost Weekend is a didactic movie that tries to show all the degenerative aspects of alcoholism, with a self-conscious sense of unflinching character. Of course, by now there are plenty of films--both fictional and documentaries--that take on the same goal. The beauty of this one, and the reason for watching it, is in the approach the director takes to relate the message.

To make sure we sympathize with Don Birnam, rather than see him as a doomed sod of a separate class from us, the director employs the film noir style. Don is not a bum or a wife-beater, but an intelligent, witty fellow, with his own quirks (like constantly putting a cigarette the wrong way in) who is driven to drink by the weight of his ambitions--a typical film noir presentation of an essentially decent man corrupted by a wrong decision. As his vice starts to dominate and he tumbles into the abyss, his surroundings reflect the change by moving from the bright cheeriness of an opera or the prospect of a relaxing weekend in the countryside to the dark and seedy halfway ward of the hospital. Here, too, the film noir technique of stark lighting contrasts and dominating shadows play an effective role. Ultimately, as Don reaches rock bottom, he intends to find redemption one way or another, although the ending picks, somewhat superficially, the cheerier of the alternatives.

The reason for watching this movie, then, is not the plot necessarily--even by watching the trailer, you should find out it will focus entirely on a man's spiritual dissolution--but for the empathy it aptly evokes. Don is fully fleshed out, is portrayed as a convincing representation of even the most good-natured person in the audience, and the result is that the viewer feels the heartfelt pangs of withdrawal almost as much as Don himself.

Whoever wants to see superb manipulation of lighting and character development, in other words, need look no further than this noir classic. Everything that needs to support these things is present--a great director, fantastic acting, memorable writing (a quote of which is the title for this review), all these are present. The only thing it lacks is consistency with the ending, but even that is handled so eloquently that you won't walk away with disappointment.

As a side note, since this is a review for the whole product, the DVD has nice video quality, though some of the very dark scenes do show signs of "static." The features include only the trailer, and images of production notes and actor/production team biographies. Though lacking in all, at least the production notes are very pithy.

LOVE IT!.......2007-02-07

Being a man in recovery, I was really pleased by this performance by Ray Milland. Very real. The scheming and the hiding of the booze in his apartment. He deserved his Oscar!
By the way, was he Bryan Ferry's Dad? Ha Ha Ha!

A Very Powerful Film by the Great Billy Wilder and Performed Masterfully by Oscar Winner Ray Milland.......2007-02-04

The first time I saw "The Lost Weekend" was about a year ago on TCM and in my own opinion, it was a excellent film. Billy Wilder, who had just done "Double Indemnity", does not miss a step. Ray Milland's performance as Don Birnam, who was chosen as the star, after several of Hollywood's box office draws had turned it down, was perfect for the part and most deservedly won the Oscar. Jane Wyman was perfect as Don's girlfriend, Helen St. James, who stuck by Don no matter what the outcome. There was also the support of Philip Terry, Howard DaSilva and Doris Downing, who helped to add to the film as well.

While the ending may seem a bit rosy in some regards, any other way in which the film would have ended, possibly with Don committing suicide would have violated the Production Code, which still was prevalent during the 1940's. Also, to take into consideration of World War II coming to an end when the film was made, a rosy ending would probably help to bring a little bit of optimism after years of fighting and bloodshed. That's just what I have surmised from this.

Anyways, excellent film and performances. This film is highly recommended and should not be missed!!

"Talent, ambition. That's dead long ago. That's drowned. That's drifting around in the bloated belly of a lake of alcohol.".......2006-11-24

Billy Wilder pulls no punches in showing the horrors of alcoholism in "The Lost Weekend." So ahead of its time was this film upon its original release that it still holds up pretty well to modern sensibilities.

Writer Don Birnam (Ray Milland) is an alcoholic. Both his brother, Wick (Phillip Terry), and his girlfriend, Helen St. James (Jane Wyman), have tried to get him to sober up. Don is making progress but he gives into his demons once more during one harrowing weekend. During this time, Don lies, steals, and does whatever he can to get his hands on booze and more booze. After staying at the drunk ward of a hospital and experiencing a series of terrifying hallucinations, his journey enters even darker territory when he contemplates ending his life

Wilder's unwavering direction coupled with Milland's remarkable performance gives "The Lost Weekend" a dramatic power that disturbs and frightens. The scenes in the film are so well staged that they attain a heightened sense of realism that is impressive for a non-documentary. The only problem with "The Lost Weekend" is an ending that feels a little too neat and tidy. Specifically, Don's final proclamation has a dubious ring to it. Wilder undoubtedly wanted to end his film on a hopeful note but the ending just feels awkward. Yet, even though "The Lost Weekend" ends oddly, its depiction of one man's total meltdown remains a powerful viewing experience to this very day.

Average customer rating:

Lost Weekend: Costa Rica

Manufacturer: Travel Channel
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Best Pictures - The Ultimate Collection (All Quiet on the Western Front / The Deer Hunter / The Lost Weekend / Out of Africa / The Sting)

Average customer rating:

An eclectic collection of Best Picture winners

Best Pictures - The Ultimate Collection (All Quiet on the Western Front / The Deer Hunter / The Lost Weekend / Out of Africa / The Sting)
Starring: Louis Wolheim , Lew Ayres , John Wray , Arnold Lucy , and Ben Alexander
Director: Lewis Milestone , Billy Wilder , and George Roy Hill
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Film Noir | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00005UMFE
Release Date: 2002-01-29

Customer Reviews:

An eclectic collection of Best Picture winners.......2007-02-03

The group of films in this collection is so varied, it would be hard to be a real fan of one of the five and not really dislike one of the others. There's no common theme here, not even a time period. The films included are as follows:

All Quiet on the Western Front (1929-1930) - A group of German schoolboys are encouraged to sign up to fight in World War I. Once they get to the front, they encounter the harsh realities of killing your fellow man up close. It's still a powerful film because it was made pre-code and there was much more freedom to use harsh symbolism than in films made after 1934. It really embodies the antiwar sentiment that was common between the world wars. (5/5)

The Lost Weekend (1945) - This is another really great film. Great acting by Ray Milland as Don Birnam, an alcoholic writer whose brother pays his bills so he can go on drinking. After decades of movies making drunkenness look like great fun, this film showed just how low a man can sink when he really needs a drink. (5/5)

The Sting (1973) - This was a different kind of film to win the Best Picture award. It seems like it should be a film noir, since it is about revenge for a grifter buddy murdered by a mobster, but the mood of the film is actually rather playful. (5/5)

The Deer Hunter (1978) - This is a great film about the effect of the Vietnam war on three friends from Pennsylvania. It is effectively a war movie without a war. The focus is more on what happens before and after the three experience what happens in Vietnam than what happens during their time in the military. (5/5).

Out of Africa (1985) - This is one of those slow beautiful-to-behold but impossible-to-watch kind of movies that the Academy honors every now and then. I've sat through it exactly once, just so I could honestly say I had given it a chance, but I really found it insufferably boring. It's supposed to be based on the life of storyteller Isak Dineson, who lived in Africa from 1913 until 1931 running a coffee farm, and her love for a man that wants to keep his freedom. (3/5)...And I consider myself an easy grader.

If you average the ratings of the movies together, you get 4.6/5, so I round up the score to 5 stars. You basically have four excellent films in this pack and one pseudo-dud. However, your mileage may vary depending on your taste in film. It's a good value if you are trying to collect the Best Picture winners on DVD and you can find it for under sixty dollars, plus its content doesn't overlap with the other Best Picture boxed sets. Overall, highly recommended.

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