Directed by:
Billy WilderCinematography:
John F. SeitzComposer:
Miklós RózsaCast:
Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling, Clarence Muse, Frank Faylen, Lilian Fontaine, Earle Hyman, Byron Foulger (more)VOD (1)
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Ray Milland stars as alcoholic writer Don Birnam in Billy Wilder's first unabashedly dramatic film, and one of the first to deal in such painstaking detail with the disease of alcoholism. Don shares an apartment in New York City in the 1940s with his brother Wick (Phillip Terry) who has his hands full trying to deal with his brother's drinking problem. One night, Don encourages his brother to take his girlfriend Helen St. James (Jane Wyman) to hear some music only so that he can be out from under their watchful eyes. Taking the money left for the maid, he goes out to buy some liquor, stashing one bottle in the chandelier. When he goes to the bar the next day, Nat (Howard Da Silva), the owner berates him for treating his girlfriend badly and warns him that he's on a path toward death. Don returns to the apartment to try to work on his novel "The Bottle," but consumed by self-doubt, goes to another bar, and steals a woman's purse to buy a drink. As the weekend wears on, his spiral downward continues apace. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (6)
An excellent example of how it is possible to make a film about an alcoholic and present it truly oppressively, even though you don't know from the beginning that it will be like that. The gradual escalation is great, as well as the form that was used at certain moments. The scene with the bat is truly oppressive. It's a shame that Hollywood was guided by the code at that time because I am quite curious about how it would end if the ethical code didn't exist. It's still a great film.
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A socially dangerous movie due to its naivety which can’t even be fully excused by the year it was made in. The filmmakers’ notion of alcoholism is about as realistic as a five-year-old’s. In fact they are saying that you are irresistibly attractive if you drink like a fish from morning till night, destroying everybody’s lives around you. But nobody cares of course, and everybody from barman to lover take loving care of you and still think of you as “Mr. Incredible". Then everything turns out well, you become a famous writer and, as a bonus, you can see terribly cool animals (a bat!) during your delirium tremens. No damage, a great ride. So why not become a lush for a couple of years? P.S.: Ray Milland overacts outrageously and his every gesture is charged with “gimmeanOscargimmeanOscargimmeanOscar". And what do you think? Of course, he got one.
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On the one hand, traditionally excellent direction by Billy Wilder and great acting by Ray Milland, which has not aged at all. On the other hand, a Hollywood superficial handling of the subject and occasional noticeable naivety of the script. However, taking into account the time of creation and the seriousness of the subject, I come to the conclusion that I must lean towards a higher rating, and therefore to four stars. Overall impression: 75%.
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A subtle Hollywood look at the pitfalls of alcoholism, the power of love and hope. Ray Milland is great, as is the directing, which carefully guides us through the protagonist’s increasingly steep descent. The initial coldness and apathy towards the character grows into compassion and pity. It’s just a shame about the terrible ending, which diminishes the overall impression and brings my rating down by a whole star. Otherwise, this is definitely a film after which you won’t crave a drink.
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The confession of a truly honest alcoholic (as Bolek Polívka would say), which, although due to the ingrained Hollywood need to melodramatize, is 100% inconsistent with the reality of similarly high-frequency emptying of whiskey glasses, still safely achieves its "anti-alcoholic" goal. Milland's performance is excellent and Wilder, though he has more interesting films to his credit, dictates the narrative with just enough insistent and addictive pace to make us properly nervous about whether we'll leave with just a hangover, or end up in a coma or with our heads shot off. The ending was a bit disappointing considering the course and expectations, but on the other hand, it didn't detract from the story. Alcohol can be a good friend, but when you've been in its company every day since morning, something is wrong. :) 80%
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