The Lost Weekend - 1945 * * *

Billy Wilder was really pushing boundaries with a movie about an alcoholic in the 1940s. Especially an alcoholic who in my mind was totally dislikeable and pathetic in his actions. Ray Milland's performance is excellent however as he made me end up despising his character for the horrible way he treats the people in his life, much like a real alcoholic. His lack of willpower is also rather disgusting (he resorts to stealing and begging for money for a drink) all the time looking as though the problem lies with everyone else but him, the facts are if an alcoholic wants help enough, they will get it, but most of the time they couldn't really care less about getting better or how they make the people in their life feel. Alcoholics are selfish, expecting to be molly-coddled and looked after like babies because they can't function properly on their own.So is Milland's character, and the treatment of his lovely girlfriend ( Jane Wyman) is appalling.
A landmark film of it's time that I'm sure any other film about alcoholism remembers on it's way, but not one that I feel I would be happy to watch again, more than anything the experience of watching the film is completely draining.