Monday 10 June 2013

''The Lost Weekend'' (1945 movie)- Review

Directed by: Billy Wilder
Released: 1945
Country: United States
 

Main cast: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling, Frank Faylen, Mary Young

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review

The Lost Weekend  intensely explores the horrors of addictions- the psychological and financial horrors that can result because of addiction, and also how such obsessions can affects and may even ruin lives. The film tells the story of such a person who is addicted with alcohol; it presents a painful, intense, and disturbing story of the life of a alcohol-addicted person over a weekend, the reflections, memories, pains, hopelessness and fake resolutions of such a person.

Don Birnam (Ray Milland) is a recovering alcoholic ''writer'', apparently suffering from writer's block. In the very beginning of the movie, we see Don and his brother Wick (Phillip Terry) in their small apartment. They are planning to spend the weekend in the countryside. But Don has a secret. He is trying to put a bottle of whiskey in the suitcase, without his brother noticing it. Apparently, Wick is trying hard, extremely hard, to get his brother out of this alcohol obsession. However, Don gets the opportunity when his girlfriend Helen (Jane Wyman) arrives and tells him that she will be attending a concert, and has an additional ticket. Don persuades Wick to attend the concert with Helen. However, circumstances cause Wick to discover the hidden bottle of whiskey. Wick empties the bottle... and then Wick and Helen leaves, trusting that Dick won't do anything wrong, as there is no money in the house with which he can buy a drink. However, Don discovers the house cleaner's salary hidden in a sugar pot, steals it, and goes to buy drinks.

After returning from the concert, Wick and Helen understand in an instant what has happened. Wick is furious, and leaves for the country without Don. Helen waits for Don for a while, then sticks a note to his door and leaves.

For Don, this becomes the most nightmarish weekend ever, perhaps. He goes through so many incidences within this single weekend, he goes through a lot: depression, want of money, false resolutions, memories, and starting to have a distaste at life. He decides to start writing but he can't find the words! He needs alcohol! He steals. His heart breaks. He becomes depressed. What will happen?

It was a very intense and heartbreaking movie, and very engrossing yet painful to watch. Perhaps  most people who are addicted to drugs, alcohol, etc., go through these painful incidences. There are certainly cure for addictions, and people around the addicted person try to convince him that there is a way, there is a cure, there is no need to lose hope. But the addicted people are only thinking about the incidences, the heartbreaks that they had to go through because of this obsession. They have lost hope. Yet certainly, if people don't hate them, rather tell that there is a light of hope, that they can be cured, then certainly, the addicted people can have faith in themselves, and work to cure themselves. I loved the character Helen, played by Jane Wyman, because of this. She could get out of her relationship with Don, but she didn't. Why? Because she loves him, she wants him to be alright. So she keeps giving him hope that he can be cured with proper treatment and firm resolution.

Ray Milland portrays Don excellently, and absolutely deserved the Academy Award for Best Actor which he won for this film. The screenplay by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder was amazing and vivid as well. The background score, which sometimes resembled those of horror movies, is very memorable as well. 

Mostly the film centers around the tragic weekend of the protagonist, and there are supporting characters as well, who despite of their small screen presence, give excellent performances as well. Overall, the film deals with a realistic and disturbing subject matter and is presented excellently. The protagonist, Don, represents the tragic lives of the people who are addicted with alcohol or drugs. The film is painful yet very powerful.

4.5 out of 5!



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