The Lost Weekend

Director: Billy Wilder

Overview

"Billy Wilder's brilliant, trend-setting study of an alcoholic receives an adequate DVD release from Universal. While The Lost Weekend went on to great public and critical acclaim and ended up winning 1945's Oscar for Best Picture, it had been tough for W

Product Details

Release Date:	01/02/2002
UPC:	0025192115325
Original Release:	1945
Rating:	NR
Source:	UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W, Full Frame]
Sound:	[monaural, Dolby Digital]
Language:	English
Time:	1:41:00
Sales rank:	22,653

Special Features

Theatrical trailer; Production notes; Cast and filmmakers biographies; Film highlights

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ray Milland	Don Birnam
Jane Wyman	Helen St. James
Howard da Silva	Nat
Philip Terry	Nick Birnam,Nick Birnam
Doris Dowling	Gloria
Frank Faylen	Bim
Mary Young	Se?orita Deveridge
Anita Sharp-Bolster	Mrs. Foley
Lillian Fontaine	Mrs. St. James
Lewis L. Russell	Charles St. James
Frank Orth	Opera Attendant
Gisela Werbiseck	Mrs. Wertheim
Eddie Laughton	Mr. Brophy
Harry Barris	Piano Player
Jayne Hazard	M.M.
Craig Reynolds	M.M.'s Escort
Walter Baldwin	Albany,Albany
Fred 'Snowflake' Toones	Washroom Attendant
Clarence Muse	Washroom Attendant
Gene Ashley	Male Nurse
Jerry James	Male Nurse
William Meader	Male Nurse
Emmett Vogan	Doctor
Milton Wallace	Pawnbroker
Lester Sharpe	Jewish Man
Bertram Warburgh	Jewish Man
Theodora Lynch	Opera Singer
John Garris	Opera Singer
Byron Foulger	Shopkeeper
Helen Dickson	Mrs. Frink
David Clyde	Dave
Anita Bolster	Mrs. Foley
William O'Leary	Irishman
Jess Brooks	Actor
James Millican	Nurse
Pat Moriarity	Irishman
Peter Potter	Shaky and Sweaty
Lee Shumway	Guard
Douglas Spencer	Beetle
Miklos Rozsa	Composer

Technical Credits

Billy Wilder

Charles Brackett

Billy Wilder	Screenwriter
Charles Brackett	Screenwriter,Producer
Gordon Jennings	Special Effects
Stanley Cooley	Sound/Sound Designer
Joel Moss	Sound/Sound Designer
Pat Moore	Sound Editor

Scene Index

Chapter List
0. Chapter List
1. Main Titles [1:08]
2. The Birnam Brothers [8:43]
3. Mrs. Foley's Money [2:38]
4. Nat's Bar [5:11]
5. A Sick Person [8:06]
6. Gloria [3:10]
7. "The Bottle" [10:02]
8. Helen's Parents [13:39]
9. Writing? [8:36]
10. Hungover [7:31]
11. Gloria's Help [2:38]
12. Hospitalized [5:01]
13. Escape [7:49]
14. The D.T.'s [5:24]
15. A Pawned Coat [2:19]
16. Death wish [5:10]
17. Nat Pays A Visit [1:56]
18. Novel Plans [1:12]

Menu

Main
Menu Group #1 with 19 chapter(s) covering 01:40:19
Languages
Spoken Language
English
Captions & Subtitles
English
Español
Français
Bonus Materials
Theatrical Trailer
Production Notes
Cast and Filmmakers
Ray Milland as Don Birnam
Jane Wyman as Helen St. James
Phillip Berry as Wick Birnam
Howard De Silva as Nat
Doris Dowling as Gloria
Frank Faylen as Bim
Recommendations
Play

Editorial Reviews

Billy Wilder's harrowing case study of a booze-addicted writer, released in 1945 to international acclaim, heralded a new realism in Hollywood dramas; today, more than five decades later, The Lost Weekend retains the power to shock with its uncompromising depiction of alcoholism. Ray Milland won a richly deserved Oscar for his moving portrayal of a drunken scribe who goes on a three-day bender, plunging himself into a nightmarish phantasmagoria. Jane Wyman delivers a first-rate performance as Milland's heartbroken girlfriend, while Howard Da Silva (as a cynical bartender) and Frank Faylen (as a sanitarium attendant) contribute notable supporting turns. The screen adaptation of Charles Jackson's bestselling novel, penned by Wilder and Charles Brackett, deviated somewhat from the original story but sacrificed none of its potency. The film was deemed so effective, in fact, that a consortium of liquor manufacturers offered Paramount five million dollars to suppress it. Ultimately, Wilder's faith in the project was justified by rave reviews and a slew of Academy Awards (including Best Picture). His film pioneered a new type of socially relevant drama, specimens of which periodically issued from Hollywood studios in the post-World War II era. Its historical importance, however, shouldn't obscure the fact that Lost Weekend is, first and foremost, a tremendously entertaining movie. The new DVD release includes production notes, cast and crew biographies, and the original theatrical trailer.