The Lost Weekend

film by Wilder [1945]

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July 16, 2026

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The Lost Weekend is a 1945 American film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Ray Milland. The film is a stark and harrowing portrayal of a writer's struggle with alcoholism during a four-day drinking binge. Milland's performance as the aspiring writer, Don Birnam, earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor. The film itself won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Wilder received an Oscar for Best Director, with him and Charles Brackett winning for Best Screenplay. It was groundbreaking for its time in its frank depiction of addiction.12

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Ray Milland
Billy Wilder

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- Billy Wilder
  Films of the 1940s
  …success of Double Indemnity with The Lost Weekend (1945), a stark, harrowing portrait of one man’s battle with alcoholism. Milland gave a career-defining performance as an aspiring writer whose weekend drinking binge nearly costs him his life. Both critics and audiences embraced this powerful cautionary tale, which won the Academy…
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  …success of Double Indemnity with The Lost Weekend (1945), a stark, harrowing portrait of one man’s battle with alcoholism. Milland gave a career-defining performance as an aspiring writer whose weekend drinking binge nearly costs him his life. Both critics and audiences embraced this powerful cautionary tale, which won the Academy…
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- Ray Milland
  …as an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend (1945, Academy Award) and also played dramatic parts in The Big Clock (1948), Something to Live For (1952), and Dial M for Murder (1954). In his later years he generally played only minor roles. He directed several movies in the 1950s and…
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  …as an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend (1945, Academy Award) and also played dramatic parts in The Big Clock (1948), Something to Live For (1952), and Dial M for Murder (1954). In his later years he generally played only minor roles. He directed several movies in the 1950s and…
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