Rating of
3.5/4
Review - The Lost Weekend (1945)
Delorted - wrote on 11/07/07
Don Birnam (Ray Milland) and his brother Wick (Phillip Terry) were going on a weekend out of town together, but all Don wanted to do was drink. His girlfriend Helen St. James (Jane Wyman) and Wick both knew he was a drunk, but nobody knew just how desperate Don could get in the Best Picture winning film, "The Lost Weekend."
Ray Milland delivers a brilliant performance, making you feel true sympathy for such an anti-hero. Jane Wyman also delivers a wonderful performance as Ray's counterpart. The whole ensemble is very disturbingly and almost uncomfortably real. It's hard for me to describe the acting because it just struck me as such great work.
The story alone of a man desperately grabbing for that last drink is so captivating and so emotional that I was drawn in from the moment it began. The whole film is very Hitchcockian, using remarkable camera work and shadowing to portray the story, going that one step further.
This film really caught me by surprise, as I had no idea before viewing it what to expect. Now that I have seen it, I believe it's going to claim a place near the top of my All-Time Favorites list for a long time.
Acting: 9/10
Writing: 9/10
Video/Editing: 10/10
Audio/Music: 9/10
Entertainment: 9/10
Final Score: 9.2/10
