Directed by Billy Wilder, The Lost Weekend was Hollywood's first serious treatment of the problem of alcoholism and was made in spite of studio jitters, as well as protests from the brewers that it would discourage drinking and from prohibitionists that it would encourage it. The film is a serious, painful and uncompromisingly frank look at alcohol addiction that follows almost five days (one lost weekend) in the life of a chronic, tortured alcoholic, and failed writer - Don Birnam (Ray Milland). Don is thrust into a hellish weekend trying to get money to sustain his habit. This leads the character down a path of complete ruin. After he falls down a flight of stairs, he is taken to a hospital where he sees first hand the horrors of alcoholism. Eventually, Don decides to quit drinking. Addicts of one kind or another also pop up in other Wilder films such as Some Like It Hot, The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes and Fedora. None of these, however, can match The Lost Weekend's sheer unremitting quality. The film still makes one of the strongest statements about alcoholism, though time has taken away some of its edge.
Jesse Gumbarge is editor and chief blogger at JarvisCity.com - He loves old-school horror films and starting pointless debates. You can reach out at: JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com
