Saturday, May 12, 2012

The Oscar Project #18: The Lost Weekend (1945)



There are bad weekends, and then there is The Lost Weekend. Don Birnam, a failed writer played by Ray Milland, is an alcoholic. His brother and fiancée (played by Jane Wyman, who was Mrs. Ronald Reagan at the time) have done everything in their power to help him, but it’s just no use. In a last-ditch effort to save him, Don’s brother has planned a weekend getaway, just the two of them, so Don can stay distracted and hopefully get some writing done. Things do not go as planned.

It’s too bad that Don can’t put as much thought into his novel as he does into hiding his booze. He knows that his brother has learned most of his tricks, and the first ten or so minutes of the movie are all about his efforts to smuggle a bottle of liquor into his suitcase for the trip. The lengths that he is willing to go to effectively set up the extent of his alcoholism. This man is a serious addict, which makes it even more devastating when his plans are foiled.

Nevertheless, Don is an intelligent guy, and he won’t be stopped so easily. After convincing his brother to go to a show with his fiancée before they catch their train, he learns that a $10 bill is in the kitchen; it’s payment for the cleaning lady. Don steals it, goes to the bar, and has a few drinks. Nobody will notice, he figures, as long as he gets back before the show is over.

As you might imagine, he doesn’t get back. His brother gives up and leaves without him. His fiancée sits on the stairs crying and waiting for him, but he’s too ashamed to face her. And this is where his troubles really begin.

The rest of the film chronicles this lost weekend, and it effectively portrays the nightmare of addiction. Don will do anything for just one more drink. But one more drink is never enough. Soon he’s in the drunk tank. The DTs come next. It’s not a pretty sight.

This seems healthy enough.
This is a dark movie, especially considering that it was released in 1945. In this era where virtually every movie showed its main characters smoking and drinking, it was surprising to see a film that confronts the potential horrors as well. The Lost Weekend doesn’t cause the same feeling of overwhelming despair as, say, Requiem for a Dream, but that doesn’t mean it’s a fun watch, either.

Billy Wilder turned out a string of great films during this time (many of which are better than The Lost Weekend, if you ask me), and he seemed infinitely capable of switching between genres. Double Indemnity was classic film noir. Sunset Blvd. was a brilliant drama. The Apartment (which also won Best Picture) was straight comedy. Some Like It Hot is somewhere in between. He was successful no matter what type of movie he made.

Unfortunately, I think that The Lost Weekend was more “successful” than “great.” I enjoyed it, sure, but I didn’t love it like I did Double Indemnity and Sunset Blvd. But even though it wasn’t a masterpiece, it was important for tackling subject matter that was all too often ignored at the time. I appreciated that. So many of the Best Picture winners from the first couple of decades of the award have been such “safe” movies. The Lost Weekend took chances, and although it didn’t always work, it left a lasting impression. And you know, I’ll take that. 

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