The Lost Weekend

The Lost Weekend (1945)

Timing: 1:41 (101 min)

7.6/10
557

7.612/10
10716

7.9/10
43000

All about film

Video 3

Photo 37

Actors and characters

Release date

1945-11-29

Country

United States

Production

Paramount

Genre

Drama

Budget

$1 250 000

Revenue

$11 000 000

Website

Director

Billy Wilder

Actors

Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling, Frank Faylen, Mary Young, Anita Sharp-Bolster, Lilian Fontaine, Frank Orth
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Charles Brackett

Operator

John F. Seitz

Composer

Miklós Rózsa

Artist

Audition

Editing

Doane Harrison
All team (24)

• Ray Milland (1907-1986) had himself admitted to Bellevue Hospital with the help of familiar doctors in order to experience firsthand all the horrors of the drunk tank. Milland was shown an iron bed and locked in a ward. That same night, another patient was brought in, he screamed, there was terrible chaos in the hospital, and Milland took advantage of the moment while the door was left ajar, escaped, and began hailing a taxi on 34th Street. He was noticed by a police officer, the actor tried to explain everything, but the officer noticed the "Bellevue Hospital" markings on Milland's gown and took him back to the hospital, despite his protests and attempts to explain. It took the actor another half hour to explain the situation to the hospital administration, after which he was finally released.
• According to director Billy Wilder (1906-2002), liquor manufacturers offered Paramount Pictures $5 million not to release the film. According to him again, if the offer had been made to him personally, he would have accepted it.
• It was only later that Billy Wilder learned that there was an error in the film's title. The 1944 novel by Charles R. Jackson (1903-1968) was titled "The Last Weekend" ("last" in English, "lost" – "lost").
• Billy Wilder first read the novel on a train heading to New York. Upon arrival, he immediately called screenwriter Charles Brackett (1892-1969) in Los Angeles and instructed him to find out if the film rights could be acquired. Brackett called him back the same day and said they could be. He had recently read the novel himself and asked Wilder what specifically attracted him to the book. Wilder replied that it would be the first true depiction of an alcoholic – in contrast to the usual humorous portrayals.
• Striving to achieve the image of a completely fallen alcoholic, Ray Milland went on a diet and switched to a diet consisting solely of toast, coffee, grapefruit juice, and boiled eggs, which caused him to lose a noticeable amount of weight.
• With the help of acquaintances, Ray Milland checked himself into Bellevue Hospital to experience the horrors of an alcoholics' ward. Milland was shown an iron bed and locked in a room. That same night, another patient was brought into the ward, he screamed, chaos erupted in the hospital, and Milland took the opportunity to escape and hail a taxi. A police officer spotted him, the actor tried to explain everything, but the officer noticed the hospital logo on Milland's gown and took him back. It took the actor another half hour to explain the situation to the hospital administration, after which he was released.
• According to director Billy Wilder, liquor producers offered Paramount Pictures $5 million not to release the film. He also said that if the offer had been made to him personally, he would have accepted it.
• Billy Wilder first read the novel on a train to New York. Upon arrival, he immediately called screenwriter Charles Brackett in Los Angeles and instructed him to find out if the film rights were available. Brackett called him back the same day and said they were. He had recently read the novel himself and asked Wilder what specifically about the book had attracted him. Wilder replied that it would be the first true depiction of an alcoholic in cinema.
• In an effort to achieve the image of a fallen alcoholic, Ray Milland went on a diet and lost a lot of weight.