Don is little more than a whiney bore and the DATED music score is WAY TOO MUCH.
After the first hour I just wanted Don to QUIT MOANING and get a grip on himself.
And did I mention that the music score is UNBEARABLE?
Jane Wyman's character is a saint for enduring that monotonous crap - I could barely stand 105 minutes of it.
The equally overrated Days of Wine and Roses suddenly looks so much better.
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Well, luckily, primemover, you've still got "The Carrie Diaries".
shareI agree with the score. I don't think its necessary in every scene. TCM did say that this was new territory for movies, alcoholism. So the creepy soundtrack heightens the suspense. But his addiction is timeless. The only part of the movie I would change is his girlfriend's faith that he would change without help. He was hospitalized, and the nightmares. Maybe that was his turning point. Some are successful at cold turkey. But it's good to have a backup plan (managed care plan). He saw his dream, being a famous author, his brother astounded, and it didn't include sobriety.
If we can save humanity, we become the caretakers of the world
Agreed. The depiction of addiction was great, but the notion that Don would be saved by the love of a good woman is too optimistic and insulting to friends and family of addicts who don't get better. Obviously, family members, girlfriends, etc. can help addicts with their recovery, but no one talks an alcoholic out of suicide and into sobriety. Not even if she stands by him for five ears. The alcoholic has to do that for himself.
The landlady, Wick, and the other characters who told Helen to leave Don were a bit too harsh, but they were fundamentally correct. In real life, either Don would get sober by himself or he wouldn't, and someone like Helen, no matter how well meaning or how in love, would be crazy to hang around and wait for Don to get better.
Your assessment about Helen works for me and you. I will say that when I wrote that I was fresh of the boat of therapy and managed care. I'm that person on the plane that would help others with their mask first before my own. But I understand that was "the mom" in me wanting to protect my kids. I'm still going to do that no matter how old they are. Today, I better understand that to help someone you need to protect yourself first, then give assistance.
When watching this film I took away that there are just so many times you can offer assistance until you accept their decision. I was projecting (possibly incorrectly) that Don didn't want help, not that he wasn't ready for help. I see a difference in those two assessments. Some don't want to change, while others aren't ready. Maybe Helen was intuitive to see he wasn't ready, and she saved his life. Also, I better understand that some people fall off that boat of "managed care" for many reasons including the managed care stopped working. In those cases, I would not abandon the person. I'm leaving when I get the answer that they are happy they way they are. So, where I think the code may have impacted this excellent film about alcohol addiction, they are "Helens" out there that wouldn't have it any other way.
Your second life is never like your first. Sometimes it's even better
The OP is just a troll. Evidenced by his never coming back.
"I will not go down in history as the greatest mass-murderer since Adolf Hitler!" - Merkin Muffley
Too optimistic? Agreed.
Insulting? To ANYONE?? No.
I totally disagree. The last paragraph in my review tells you why.
http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/21953/lost-weekend/
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I know what you mean but I still think it's a fantastic film.
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