What an unpleasant film. Not bad, of course, but very unpleasant. Do people really have such vivid hallucinations when they've been binge-drinking?
Okay, so my only real complaint is that it seems that his girlfriend and brother have tried EVERYTHING, but in the end, it only takes a few compliments and a nudge in the right direction to fix Don Birnam's (Ray Milland) alcohol problem. Somehow I doubt that it's that easy after three straight years (at least) of on-the-wagon, off-the-wagon. In general, it was a very well-written and well-acted movie. Unsettling, sure, but I really got a sense of each character (even the bartender). I think that's Billy Wilder's gift. I could understand Don's need to drink, because he got so much chattier and more verbose when he was drunk. And sometimes in a good way. He really could express himself after twelve shots through three hours more than I've ever seen anyone do. I don't have much more to say. It's not really my kind of movie, but I can appreciate it for what it is. Notes to myself: Ray Milland IS Chris Noth. Jane Wyman (Helen St. James, girlfriend to Don) was married to Ronald Reagan when this movie came out. "Somebody Stole a Purse" is one of my favorite bits in any movie so far. 8/10
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4 comments:
First off, I'm pleased somebody's watching all this best pictures; I watched them all too - and then set about to watch the best picture nominees (I've seen all but 80; and it's helpful to know what movies were competing - it says more about the Oscars than the winners). Anyways, I never thought to blog about it, and it's about the only thing that would make this enterprise worthwhile. So I'm envious.
But... as for Mrs. Miniver, like many of the political movies you review (you two seem to like them, and have disdain for lighter fare) you go far too easy, and it would help if you'd seen more 1940s movies and knew the basic formula. Mrs. Miniver is a total propoganda film, and totally formulaic, and even if you agree with its propoganda you can't completely ignore that.
And as for the serving tea to a Nazi scene, this is high camp. As if the fact of a man bombing your house is no excuse to be unladylike. Mrs. Miniver isn't a bad movie, but as with Cimarron or Gentleman's Agreement, don't go easy on it just because you admire the political message.
PS: Don't be frightened of The Greatest Show on Earth, it's a camp delight. It deserved no nominations, and beat many renowned classics, but I'd much prefer watching it to - say - the racist, disturbing, overlong nightmare of The Deer Hunter.
Just a suggestion: perhaps instead of rating a film (blank) out of ten, perhaps you could use a zero-four star system or rate a film from 1 to 5. Really, ten is an awfully large range of numbers to describe a film...how often will you have any fours, or fives, or sixes? And what is the difference between a five or a six? Giving "The Lost Weekend" three stars our of four, instead of 8/10, might make for a better understanding of your opinion.
Or get rid of the ratings altogether. They're all pretty much the same...
This blog was originally intended by ourselves for ourselves, and we decided on a 10-point rating system at the start of the project, agreeing never to change it throughout. Though our readers may not appreciate a seemingly arbitrary rating system, it is helpful as an archive to us.
i wish you didn't have spoilers in your blog or would warn us against them. i didn't know what happened at the end of Lost Weekend, which you kind of gave away here.
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