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The Lost Weekend

  • 1945
  • Approved
  • 1h 41m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
42K
YOUR RATING
Ray Milland, Doris Dowling, Phillip Terry, and Jane Wyman in The Lost Weekend (1945)
Trailer for The Lost Weekend
Play trailer2:08
1 Video
99+ Photos
Film NoirDrama

The desperate life of a chronic alcoholic is followed through a four-day drinking bout.The desperate life of a chronic alcoholic is followed through a four-day drinking bout.The desperate life of a chronic alcoholic is followed through a four-day drinking bout.

  • Director
    • Billy Wilder
  • Writers
    • Charles R. Jackson
    • Charles Brackett
    • Billy Wilder
  • Stars
    • Ray Milland
    • Jane Wyman
    • Phillip Terry
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    42K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Billy Wilder
    • Writers
      • Charles R. Jackson
      • Charles Brackett
      • Billy Wilder
    • Stars
      • Ray Milland
      • Jane Wyman
      • Phillip Terry
    • 200User reviews
    • 129Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 4 Oscars
      • 18 wins & 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Lost Weekend
    Trailer 2:08
    The Lost Weekend

    Photos109

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    Top cast67

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    Ray Milland
    Ray Milland
    • Don Birnam
    Jane Wyman
    Jane Wyman
    • Helen St. James
    Phillip Terry
    Phillip Terry
    • Wick Birnam
    Howard Da Silva
    Howard Da Silva
    • Nat
    Doris Dowling
    Doris Dowling
    • Gloria
    Frank Faylen
    Frank Faylen
    • 'Bim' Nolan
    Mary Young
    Mary Young
    • Mrs. Deveridge
    Anita Sharp-Bolster
    Anita Sharp-Bolster
    • Mrs. Foley
    • (as Anita Bolster)
    Lilian Fontaine
    • Mrs. St. James
    Frank Orth
    Frank Orth
    • Opera Cloak Room Attendant
    Lewis L. Russell
    • Mr. St. James
    Andy Andrews
    • Alcoholic
    • (uncredited)
    Gene Ashley
    • Male Nurse
    • (uncredited)
    Walter Baldwin
    Walter Baldwin
    • Man from Albany
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Barris
    Harry Barris
    • Pianist at Harry & Joe's
    • (uncredited)
    Ian Begg
    • Undetermined Secondary Role
    • (uncredited)
    Eddie Borden
    Eddie Borden
    • Drunk in Alcoholic Ward
    • (uncredited)
    Jess Lee Brooks
    • Hospital Patient
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Billy Wilder
    • Writers
      • Charles R. Jackson
      • Charles Brackett
      • Billy Wilder
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews200

    7.941.8K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'The Lost Weekend' is a groundbreaking film with a realistic portrayal of alcoholism. Ray Milland's performance as Don Birnam is praised for its depth. Billy Wilder's direction and the film's visual style, including deep focus and Miklós Rózsa's haunting score, effectively convey addiction's despair. However, some find it melodramatic and repetitive, with an unrealistic ending. Despite criticisms, it is regarded as powerful and influential in cinema.
    AI-generated from the text of user reviews

    Featured reviews

    tfrizzell

    Risk-Taking Film-Making at Its Finest.

    Uncompromising, dark and definitely disturbing Best Picture Oscar winner from 1945 that deals with a writer's (Ray Milland in one of the very best performances ever shown on the silver which deservedly landed him his only Oscar) alcoholism and the effects that his problem has on himself, his work and those closest to him. The love of his life (Jane Wyman) and his very supportive brother (Phillip Terry) try to save Milland from a habit that has gotten terribly out-of-hand. Heart-wrenching flashbacks into Milland's demise are sometimes difficult sequences to get through. In the end it is not a sure thing if Milland can distance himself from his disease and return to a normal life. Billy Wilder's uncompromising direction and screenplay yielded him Oscars in this film that scared many studios away in the early-1940s due to its intense subject matter and the question of whether the film could create interest. Made during a time when patriotic movies and romantic comedic farces dominated the cinema, "The Lost Weekend" was truly unlike anything ever experienced before. A very well-made production that is first class all the way. A real classic in every sense of the term. 5 stars out of 5.
    Ford-kp

    "Before 'Weekend', alcoholism was treated as something funny. There were character actors who only played drunks, and always for laughs.There's nothing funny about a drunk."

    The often stated belief that alcoholism is a mere bodily addiction does not do the truth any justice. Alcoholism is more. It's a state of mind. It's addictive escapism for those who feel cheated by life, a way of avoiding fears and unhappiness, an illusionary method to make up for ones failures. Maybe that's why most therapies do not succeed. They solely concentrate on the illness, rather than on the cause of it. Of course, in many cases the cause cannot be helped...

    In The Lost Weekend we accompany the failed writer Don Birnam (Ray Milland) surrendering to the self-destructive nature of his addiction. Despite being good-looking and intelligent, Don is a hopeless alcoholic filled with self-loathing ("The reason is me. What I am. Or rather what I am not.") The brand doesn't matter, the cheaper the better – to him it's all the same. Drinking seems to be his only way to escape from his misery and low self-esteem. "Suddenly I'm above the ordinary. I'm competent. I'm walking a tightrope over Niagara Falls. I'm one of the great ones. I'm Michaelangelo, molding the beard of Moses. I'm Van Gogh painting pure sunlight. [...]" That's what a drunk Don tells his favourite barkeeper Nat (Howard Da Silva).

    Yet, in one aspect he is lucky. Unlike many of his fellow sufferers he is not alone. After years of abuse, his faithful girlfriend Helen (Jane Wyman) and his brother Wick (Phillip Terry) have still not deserted him. Compassionately they do their utmost to protect Don from himself by keeping him under close observation. With great effort they determined the most inventive hiding-places of his bottles and they even visited nearby liquor stores and bars, begging not to accept Don as a customer. There is nothing they haven't tried, but Don appears to be beyond salvation ("I am not a drinker. I'm a drunk." he tells them.). Just before the three of them are about to go on a weekend trip, Don devises a cunning plan to temporarily get rid of the two persons who care about him, giving him time to acquire the liquid he treasures the most. Soon he is stone drunk, staggering through the streets, always on the lookout for the next drink. For Don there will be no weekend trip. Only the bottle and the desperate humiliations connected with attaining it.

    The Lost Weekend is a a drama of great emotional vehemence, lacking the light heartedness of Billy Wilder's later works. It gives unclouded insight into the darkest corners of alcoholism and depicts the powerlessness of the alcoholic over himself. Wilder created great controversy at that time by letting the lead actor succumb to his addiction. He didn't shy away from showing the addict's humiliations when begging for money or booze. Neither did he hesitate to point out the addict's loss of all self-respect when stealing and lying to pay for his one need. The horrifying hallucination scene only adds up to the disturbing decline of Don Birnam's humanity, proving that the greatest horrors lie within our imagination.

    This is an excellent film of lasting relevance. It is technically brilliant and shines with great dialogue (which is typical for Wilder). Its storytelling (flashbacks) is superior. Furthermore Ray Millard (Dial M for Murder) gives a terrific and equally courageous performance as the the self-destructive alcoholic. You can see the desperate self-loathing and calculating slyness of a true addict written on his face.

    In the end it comes down to two choices. Don can give in to alcoholism and thereby give up on life. Or he can try to overcome his addiction and face his fears and discontentment. Although sheer will-power may not be enough to achieve the latter, it is essential for succeeding. And the cause isn't lost, for there is Helen to help and care for him. Don is not alone. May someone have mercy on those who are...
    10Don-102

    Textbook drama about addiction powerfully told...

    From the first shot of a bottle hanging from a drunk's apartment, we realize we are about to see a clever addict and a weekend of his demented exploits. Ray Milland has an honest face, not unlike Jimmy Stewart's, however, with this character it is only skin-deep. The great thing about his performance and the film as a whole, is that his face will gradually change, becoming dark and chilly, just like Stewart's in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Stewart had lost his life momentarily. Milland has lost his soul to the bottle and he will stop at nothing to quench his thirst.

    This really is a textbook example of the alcoholic's lies and schemes, a precursor to LEAVING LAS VEGAS, although there are people in this film who care about the drinker from the beginning. He just can't stop and we start to lose whatever sympathy we had for him because of how he treats other people. This is a drunk with a sober man wanting to come out, but Wilder's script dives deeply into the unpredictable outcomes of most alcoholics.

    LOST WEEKEND was innovative and was almost never released because test audiences could not take the film's realism. The hospital sequence retains its horror, and Milland's withdrawal-induced hallucination of a rat in the wall was like him looking in the mirror. See this movie and you will come away with a completely informed and scary anthology of the antics of a hopeless alcoholic. This is amazing considering it came out of the old Hollywood system.
    9Huron

    The first great film on alcoholism.

    As a recovering alcoholic (14 years sober) this remains as the first great film dealing with alcoholism. Ray Milland"s great performance shows realistically the insanity of drinking and the struggles. The promises and hidden bottles will ring true to anyone who has dealt with the problem. Billy Wilder's career was noted for his comedies but he showed in "Lost Weekend" that he knew how to deal with serious matter as well. The ending shot is a classic and will be memorable for anyone seeing the film. Check out "Days of Wine & Roses" as well.
    Doylenf

    Powerful landmark film on alcoholism has lost none of its status...Ray Milland deserved his Oscar...

    I take exception to previous comments that call the film "daring for its time" or "dated". It's still a very powerful film and there is nothing dated about the theme of a man who loses his soul to the bottle. It was a landmark film in its time and still is--there is no question about its holding power and the excellence of writing, acting and direction. Yes, even by today's standards! It outclasses more recent films dealing with alcoholism as it focuses on one man's problem with the bottle--a problem that affects all of the people whose lives he touches--particularly his loyal girlfriend (Jane Wyman in one of her best roles) and Philip Terry as his more conventional brother. The emotions are stark and real. The pity we feel for Milland's character is also mixed with disgust for his weakness. It's an accurate depiction of an alcoholic's struggle for the next fix--a never ending search for the next bottle. The pseudo-babble of a previous commentator attempts to inject disdain for the film as outdated and outclassed by more serious works. Nonsense! This was a stark and powerful film in 1945 and I have news for you--it is just as powerful and timely today! No other American film comes close to it. It is as searing an indictment of alcoholism as you are ever likely to see and Milland fully deserved his Oscar.

    Oscars Best Picture Winners, Ranked

    Oscars Best Picture Winners, Ranked

    See the complete list of Oscars Best Picture winners, ranked by IMDb ratings.
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Billy Wilder claimed the liquor industry offered Paramount Pictures $5 million not to release the film; he also suggested that he would have accepted had they offered it to him personally.
    • Goofs
      When the waiter gives Don the check at Harry & Joe's and he reaches for it, the glass, ashtray, napkin, and cigarette all change position between camera shots.
    • Quotes

      [Nat moves to wipe away the circle of whisky from Don Birnam's glass]

      Don Birnam: Don't wipe it away, Nat. Let me have my little vicious circle. You know, the circle is the perfect geometric figure. No end, no beginning.

    • Connections
      Edited into Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
    • Soundtracks
      La Traviata
      (1853) (uncredited)

      Music by Giuseppe Verdi

      Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave

      Libiamo ne' lieti calici (Drinking Song) Performed by John Garris and Theodora Lynch with The San Francisco Opera Company

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    FAQ21

    • How long is The Lost Weekend?Powered by Alexa
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    • What is the significance of the three balls outside of the pawnbroker's shop?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 1946 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Días sin huella
    • Filming locations
      • Bellevue Hospital - 462 First Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,250,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $813
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 41 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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