The Lost Weekend (1945)

One of the most justly celebrated "problem films" of the 1940s. Though hailed in its time as a great advance in screen seriousness, this film just barely missed being shelved. The script by the noted team of Wilder and Brackett is dispassionate and unrelenting but also occasionally poetic. The film's emotional power is greatly abetted by Seitz's evocative black-and-white cinematography, ranging from unvarnished realism to delirious Expressionism. Finally, Milland's virtuoso work as the hopeless alcoholic is surprising, shocking and utterly riveting.(…)
The Lost Weekend is candid and brilliantly conceived from shot to shot. Wilder builds his film slowly and utilizes low-key lighting and deep-focus photography to emphasize objects that suggest the menace of alcohol, with scenes photographed through shot-glasses and bottles. A likable lead of light comedy and romance, Milland initially felt unequipped to handle such a serious role, but his wife encouraged him to try it. He was also encouraged by the fact that Wilder and Brackett had never had a flop. Faylen, though only onscreen for a few moments, makes an indelible impact as a bitchy male nurse in the sanitarium. Wyman forever escaped dumb blonde roles with her work here, and da Silva is excellent as a conscientious bartender.
Oddly, Paramount executives took one look at the finished film and told Wilder they were seriously considering not releasing it. They had received an avalanche of protest from temperance advocates who felt the film would encourage drinking. Powerful lobbyists for the liquor industry offered as much as $5 million for the negative of the film so it could be destroyed. But, at Wilder's urgings, Paramount released the film on a limited engagement in New York City, and the critics fell all over themselves praising it. It eventually became one of Paramount's biggest hits of 1945.
Uno de los más celebrados "films de temas serios" de los años 40. Aunque saludado en su momento como un gran avance en lo que respecta a la seriedad de los temas representados en la pantalla, el film estuvo a un tris de no ser estrenado.
Tras echarle una ojeada al producto terminado, los ejecutivos de la Paramount le dijeron a Wilder que estaban considerando seriamente la posibilidad de no distribuirlo. Habían recibido una avalancha de protestas de defensores de la templanza que argumentaban que el film en realidad alentaba a la bebida. Por su parte, poderosos lobbystas de la industria del licor ofrecieron hasta cinco millones por el negativo del film con la intención de destruírlo. Finalmente, por encarecimiento de Wilder, la Paramount lo estrenó de modo limitado en la ciudad de Nueva York, y el film gozó de un gran éxito de crítica que aseguró su supervivencia. A la larga se convirtió en uno de los grandes éxitos de 1945.

TV Guide

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