It’s interesting how many of Hollywood’s ‘mistakes’ have turned out to be among its most important achievements. Case in point: The Lost Weekend, a film that only got made because director/co-screenwriter Billy Wilder (Some Like it Hot, Double Indemnity) and producer/co-screenwriter Charles Brackett (writer of Ninotchka, Sunset Blvd.) had the pull to bring Charles R. Jackson’s novel onto the screen. It’s easy to see why the studio pessimists were concerned – it’s a dark story of alcoholism, as we watch would-be writer Don Birnam ( Ray Milland) stagger through a bleak weekend of drinking, hallucinating and pondering how to escape the bottle. It’s so dark that advance showings of the film were not well received. In 1945, with the world just beginning to extricate itself from the Second World War, who wanted this kind of realism?
Surprisingly, lots of folks were open to The Lost Weekend’s does of reality, as was demonstrated by a raft of awards from Cannes, critics’ groups and Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Even more significant is how well the film has aged over more than half a century. While treatment options for alcoholics have changed, as have gender roles, the movie remains on-the-mark in its portrayal of alcoholism from the perspective of the addict.
Birnam is the seriously flawed protagonist of this dark drama. He’s an intelligent and charming young man, living in his brother’s (Phillip Terry) New York City apartment while he tries to kick-start his once-promising writing career. His girl, Helen (Jane Wyman), is a dream-come-true, but Birnam’s life is anything but that. He’s penniless, except for what his brother provides, and his façade of upper middle class success is as thin as his self-control. The Lost Weekend follows Birnham through a weekend of getting soused, trying to sober-up, using those around him to get more booze, and getting dragged off to the drunk ward of Bellevue Hospital. While there’s a hopeful end to all of this, it’s still remarkably dark, as if it’s a blend of film noir and pseudo-documentary styles.
Milland – who was initially advised that this role might be the demise of his career – showed himself to be fully capable of playing this extremely challenging character. Birnam’s wide mood swings required Milland to be almost manic at times, but he managed to pull it off while never going over the top. The supporting players are also good. Terry and Wyman are adequate, but it’s Nat the bartender (Howard Da Silva) and Gloria the ‘bar girl’ (Doris Dowling) who really give the film character and depth.
The film’s realism is enhanced by extensive location filming in Manhattan (the 1940s New York City skyline certainly looks different from the city today), which included the use of a hidden camera to record street scenes amidst the regular New York City bustle and traffic.
With the exception of an over-bearing and melodramatic music score, The Lost Weekend stands out as a nearly flawless dramatic examination of a difficult topic.
