The Lost Weekend (1945)

Third viewing, probably; previously viewed on November 24, 1992 and, possibly, once before that between 1983 and 1986.

An alcoholic man is getting ready for a weekend in the country away from liquor with his brother. Things do not go as planned, though.

The excellence of this drama comes from an  honest screenplay, a taut narrative, and the expert technique with which it was filmed. It is not, in my opinion, a complete analysis of alcoholism. Many troubles the protagonist goes through do not seem to be directly derived from alcohol itself -- some of them are caused by the repression of alcoholism, and some others might be attributed to his personality. And, on the other hand, many noxious traits found in some alcoholics, e.g. physical violence, are simply absent from his behavior. There is a philosophical aspect to addiction on which the film touches very slightly, namely the fact that the distinction between a bad habit and good one is not that easy to establish, and both in the final analysis are psychological constraints on the individual which could become real mental prisons. As we all tend to form habits, we all tend to become addicts one way or the other. I found Milland's resemblance to Nicholson in this film remarkable, and apparently something of that perception is shared by Paul Mayersberg in this review of The Shining. And here is a fine review of The Lost Weekend by TV Guide.

Rating: 83 (unchanged)