For my entire adulthood I have avoiding drinking alcohol. For one thing, I never really liked the taste of alcoholic beverages, but I have also seen first-hand how being a compulsive drinker affected people that I know. Being acquainted with those who were alcoholics turned me off to drinking. Alcoholism is one of our biggest problems in our society, with many not knowing when to stop drinking. Billy Wilder’s classic, The Lost Weekend focuses on the reality of being a heavy drinker and its consequences. And just because this happens in ‘reel-life’ does not it is fictional. In fact, films about drug abuse and alcohol are 100% accurate.
Screen legend Ray Milland (The Premature Burial, Reap the Wild Wind) stars as Don Birnam, a New York writer who suffers from a severe case of alcoholism. Don is preparing a weekend trip with his brother Wick (Phillip Terry, The Monster and the Girl). His girlfriend Helen St. James (Jane Wyman, All that Heaven Allows) has two tickets to a concert and would like for him to attend and after that take his weekend vacation away from the city. Despite their insistence, and fears of leaving him all alone and will start drinking, Don ultimately declines. As they leave, they have assurance there is no alcohol in his home and Don will not take a drink but of course he does. Don spending all his time and money at Nat’s Bar, where Nat (Howard DeSilva, The Blue Dahlia) serves him alcohol despite not wanting to do, warning him about his alcoholism. Don falls into desperation, and despair throughout his four-day weekend. He tries to pawn off his typewriter and even his girlfriend’s jacket! Each morning he often wakes up in strange places that he is unsure how got there, including an alcoholic ward!
The Lost Weekend is a tremendous, powerful and dark film. The cast of veteran actors all hand in superb performances and are fantastic in their respective roles. Ray Milland hands in one of his greatest performances, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor. Other Academy Awards The Lost Weekend won were for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was also nominated for three other Academy Awards but came up short. The excellent soundtrack is courtesy of iconic composer Miklós Rózsa.
The Lost Weekend arrives on Blu-ray for its first North American debut and this is a fantastic package. The 1080p transfer has been given a brand-new 4K transfer on a dual-layered BD-50 disc and the results are astounding. The black and white image now looks about as sharp as I have ever seen, with a clean, smooth and polished look without a hint of print damage.
The English DTS-HD master audio 2.0 mono track is crisp and clear with spoken lines, action and musical scores coming in flawlessly without drop-offs or hissing sounds. Optional English subtitles are available .
Extras include an audio commentary by film historian/author Joseph McBride who provides a vast amount of information about The Lost Weekend, and its cast and crew members. It is a must listen for you commentary aficionados!
Also in this supplemental package is a thirty-minute radio adaptation, and Trailers from Hell with Mark Pellington.
Speaking of trailers, Kino has included a plethora of trailers for this release including The Lost Weekend, Five Graves to Cairo, A Foreign Affair, Witness for the Prosecution, Beau Geste, Reap the Wild Wind and Panic in Year Zero
Even though The Lost Weekend is a depression story, the movie is a pleasure to watch repeatedly. Kino Lorber has gone a great job with the audio and video presentation for this film, and added some cool supplements making this a highly recommended release!
The Lost Weekend
Director- Billy Wilder
Cast- Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry
Country of Origin- US
Distributor – Kino Lorber
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date- 12/6/20