Rating: 
Summary: A film by the greatest director still living
Review: Ray Milland is not really thought of as a great actor. He was a fine, competent leading man, but he rarely gave an outstanding performance. Lost Weekend shows that he was a far better actor than was usually apparent. Milland's performance is wonderfully realistic and daring also, for his character is not especially sympathetic. There is no glamour in the situations he faces. He is dirty, seedy and at times obnoxious. This is a portrait of a drunk which was and is untypical. Most often drunks are portrayed as comic characters, but there is little humour in the life shown in Lost Weekend, only degradation. This all rather makes the film sound dull and unappealing. It is anything but. Often with Billy Wilder's films it is the dialogue which is most memorable and Lost Weekend has some great lines. I particularly enjoyed the language and forties slang of sympathetic bad girl Doris Dowling. It seems amazing that Wilder, who co-wrote the film, grew up in Austria. He must have really listened to those around him to pick up all the nuances of contemporary speech. I would not say that Lost Weekend is Wilder's best film. The story is a little bit too predictable. This is always the case with message films. Here the message is the horrors of alcoholism, so we rather know where we're going. Nevertheless it is a fine film by one of the finest directors ever. The quality of the DVD is very good. It has few extras, just a trailer really, but the quality of the picture and sound is superb. My only quibble is with Universal who issue the DVD and no doubt own the rights to the film. They should not put their globe symbol at the beginning of the film in front of the Paramount mountain. This might seem petty, but it is still 'A Paramount Picture' whoever owns it now.
Rating: 
Summary: A Superb Look At Desire!
Review: Ray Milland is one of the most realistic protagonists of American film. His Don Birnam is so entrancing and unforgettable; not to mention way ahead of its time. The film begins with a portrait of a witty man on the verge of a wreck. For three days, while his brother Wick is gone on a trip to the country and Mr. Milland refuses to go, he embarks on an unbelievable drinking binge; made me nearly cry when I first saw it. The nihilistic esssence of the flashbacks and Don willing to sell his life for a drink is simply messmerizing! Jane Wyman is also great as Helen, Birnam's supportive girlfriend.The book was equally great, however contradicting in the denoument. Read and watch it!
Rating:
Summary: Shockingly Realistic Insight Into Desperate Alcoholic's Life
Review: Ray Milland took home the Oscar for his performance as a struggling writer who also struggles with alcoholism. Jane Wyman is the loving sister who no longer wants to enable her unstable brother. There were many broken promises, and Milland seems to just sink deeper and deeper into despare, unable to conquer his addiction. The scene with "the bat and the mouse" is a gruesome visualization of what true alcoholics go through during "delirium". Shockingly realistic, this film is an appeal to all who suffer from this disease to seek help rather than drift into living hell. This is a 5-star Hollywood Classic!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Movie Ever Made About Addiction!
Review: Simply a great, if at times, painful movie. Although it's about Alcoholism, the plot could just as easily apply to any substance addiction. Ray Milland's peculiar delivery and diction is a good fit for this type of character and makes the movie very believable. Well written, directed and good cinematography.
Rating:
Summary: Still effective after all these years.
Review: Superb mellow drama about a drunk, Don Birman, played by Ray Milland, & his battle with the bottle over one week-end in New York City. Nobody is a drunk anymore. They are said to have a "substance abuse " problem.
There is little stigma attached to the problem today as compared to the self-loathing Milland felt & the repugnance the neighborhood & even his favorite bartender felt towards him. In fact, the long, fairly one-sided conversations with Nat the bartender, played by Howard de Silva, are some of the best scenes in the movie.
Brakett & Wilder took some chances in this ground-breaking movie. They fought the Hollywood studios who probably wanted it watered down & rendered more palatable. They didn't give in &, as a result, this was the best movie of the the year 1945. It was well deserved. Ray Milland also got an Oscar & he was never better. Jane Wyman does a fine job as his long suffering girl friend, Helen.
It is unbelievable that that kind of woman, a real lady, would put up with a loser like that for so long. But after all, this is a movie. A pat ending that doesn't matter at all. The combination of gritty, street level scenes of New York City, the noir atmosphere & black & white filming all combine to make this one of the best aging movies, still relavent, I've seen in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Still effective after all these years.
Review: Superb mellow drama about a drunk, Don Birman, played by Ray Milland, & his battle with the bottle over one week-end in New York City. Nobody is a drunk anymore. They are said to have a "substance abuse " problem.
There is little stigma attached to the problem today as compared to the self-loathing Milland felt & the repugnance the neighborhood & even his favorite bartender felt towards him. In fact, the long, fairly one-sided conversations with Nat the bartender, played by Howard de Silva, are some of the best scenes in the movie.
Brakett & Wilder took some chances in this ground-breaking movie. They fought the Hollywood studios who probably wanted it watered down & rendered more palatable. They didn't give in &, as a result, this was the best movie of the the year 1945. It was well deserved. Ray Milland also got an Oscar & he was never better. Jane Wyman does a fine job as his long suffering girl friend, Helen.
It is unbelievable that that kind of woman, a real lady, would put up with a loser like that for so long. But after all, this is a movie. A pat ending that doesn't matter at all. The combination of gritty, street level scenes of New York City, the noir atmosphere & black & white filming all combine to make this one of the best aging movies, still relavent, I've seen in a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: A Rip-Roaringly GOOD TIME!
Review: that was sarcasm. the lost weekend is probably one of the most depressing films i have ever seen in my life.
ray milland plays an alcoholic writer who just can't seem to do the right thing for himself. he can't get any work done, he can't keep his girlfriend from worrying about him and even his one real friend in the world can't help him out. it's a downward spriral for him and no happy ending in sight.
this piece demonstrates the ugly, harsh and way too deep consequences of being a down and out drunk. two scenes throb in my head as i write this: one where he is in a restaurant drinking and notices that he doesn't have the money to pay for his booze, so he tries to sneak a young woman's purse away from her. it's a bad idea with bad, bad results. the other scene is the withdrawal scene where hallucinations in his bedroom begin to drive him stark raving mad. the horror...
ray milland is amazing in this role and well-deserving of a best actor award. see this film for the deep education it it's famous for.
Rating:
Summary: the 2nd best alkie movie
Review: The best being the 'Days of Wine and Roses'. However this movie is a great movie about the relationship of a person and their alcohol. It is like a love affair. 'Leaving Las Vegas' is a good portrait of the end, but this movie explains better the relationship.
Rating:
Summary: Milland's Shining Moment
Review: The Lost Weekend brought Billy Wilder the first two of his many Academy Awards. The film is a brilliant look at the life of a man who is not a drinker, but a full blown drunk. Ray Milland stars as Don Birnam who is trying to stay dry. His girlfriend, played by Jane Wyman, has enlisted the help of Don's brother and for a while, Don deals with his situation. But slowly and surely, his demons get the best of him and he heads down to his local watering hole and goes on a bender. The decent of Don into his alcoholic hell is probably the most terrifying and griping portrayals of alcoholism ever committed to the screen. Mr. Milland is absolutely brilliant and he avoids overplaying the role. He could have easily hammed it up by over emoting, but he goes to just the right level without ever going over the line. Mr. Milland took home the 1945 Best Actor Oscar in addition to Mr. Wilder's Best Director and Writing Awards and the film won for Best Picture. The film shows the master that Mr. Wilder is, as he was able to coax the brilliant performance out of Mr. Milland who was nothing more than a B-list actor up until The Lost Weekend and never really capitalized on the role after.
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreakingly real and timeless
Review: This is a very powerful and moving film that, like most Billy Wilder films, gets better the more times you see it. The characters are free of cliches and completely believable. This film does as great a job as any I've seen of capturing addiction in all of its ugliness while also showing the hope to which those around addicts desperately cling.
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