

The Lost Weekend
The screen dares to open the strange and savage pages of a shocking bestseller!
Longtime alcoholic Don Birnam has been sober for ten days and appears to be over the worst... but his craving has just become more insidious. Evading a country weekend planned by his brother and girlfriend, he begins a four-day bender that just might be his last – one way or another.
TMDB
7.6/10
696 votes
IMDb
Not rated yet
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $1.3M
- Box office
- $11M
- Language
- English
- based on novel or book
- alcohol
- brother
- paranoia
- bartender
- addiction
- alcoholism
- flashback
- film noir
- suicidal
- black and white
- writer
Top billed cast















Behind the camera
Director
Writers
Music
Produced in
United States of America
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
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Videos
Release dates
United StatesUS
- TheatricalNRLos Angeles, California29 Nov 1945
AustriaAT
- Theatrical121 Jan 1948
BrazilBR
- Physical14IMDB25 Jun 2012
ChinaCN
- PremiereShanghai International Film Festival13 Jun 2026
DenmarkDK
- Theatrical21 Apr 1948
FranceFR
- TheatricalU4 Feb 1947
GermanyDE
- Theatrical12genauer Tag der Veröffentlichung unbekannt1 Feb 1948
HungaryHU
- Theatrical612 Jun 1947
IrelandIE
- TheatricalPG4 Jan 1946
JapanJP
- TheatricalG5 Dec 1947
NetherlandsNL
- PhysicalALDVD24 Feb 2005
- PhysicalALBlu ray25 Jun 2012
- TheatricalALRelease5 Jul 2018
South KoreaKR
- Theatrical1515 Oct 1948
Frequently asked questions
The Lost Weekend was released on 29 November 1945.
Audience reviews
4- J9/10
John Chard
2/8/2017
Delirium is a disease that only comes at night. Don Birnham is not a drinker, he is in fact a drunk, he is left alone for the weekend by those who love him under the proviso that he gets stuck into his writing, thus the hope is that he stays away from the booze that is killing his life and the loving foundation that his life is built upon. Billy Wilder directs this with brilliant hands, he pulls his first maste…
- N10/10
Nutshell
8/3/2019
One of Billy Wilder's best films, and certainly Ray Milland's best performance as he's cast against type playing a failed alcoholic author. Milland perfectly captures the despondent, manipulative and even criminal behavior of the lead character. More than 70 years after its release this film still packs a huge punch.
- J8/10
JPV852
12/4/2020
This Best Picture winner (also won for director, actor and screenplay) was decently acted, albeit a bit too theatrical (stage type) for my taste but still well made movie with what I assume is a realistic take on alcoholism (never drank myself) from director Billy Wilder. It is a bit optimistic in the end but still an engaging enough drama. **3.75/5**
- C7/10
CinemaSerf
7/1/2022
A truly evocative tour de force from Ray Milland in this semi-autobiographical tale of four days in the life of writer Charles R. Jackson - characterised here as "Don Birnam" - whose life as a writer is frequently wrecked by his chronic alcoholism. Just when he might be on the wagon, however, his addiction becomes even more acute and he diverts $10 meant for their cleaner and goes on a massive bender reaching the dep…
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