On Nov. 29, 1945, Paramount Pictures and Billy Wilder brought their adaptation of The Lost Weekend to theaters in Los Angeles. The film would go on to be nominated for seven Oscars at the 18th Academy Awards, claiming four wins, including best picture. The Hollywood Reporter’s original review, headlined “Brackett, Wilder, Milland Do Great Jobs In ‘Weekend,'” is below:
This is undoubtedly the best horror picture of the year and it is without question one of the best pieces of picture-making, so far as writing, directing, acting and any other techniques are concerned, that Hollywood has turned out in many a long moon. The word-of-mouth advertising alone will prove to be as terrific as the picture is horrific.
Effective is a mild word for the picturization of this novel, taken from the book of the same name. With the exception of the end, it has stuck most faithfully to the original,...
This is undoubtedly the best horror picture of the year and it is without question one of the best pieces of picture-making, so far as writing, directing, acting and any other techniques are concerned, that Hollywood has turned out in many a long moon. The word-of-mouth advertising alone will prove to be as terrific as the picture is horrific.
Effective is a mild word for the picturization of this novel, taken from the book of the same name. With the exception of the end, it has stuck most faithfully to the original,...
- 11/28/2023
- by THR Staff
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mitchell Leisen’s great Christmas-time tale has a brilliant screenplay by Preston Sturges and letter-perfect performances by Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, threading the needle between light cynicism and well-earned sentiment. Sturges’ celebration of ‘country values’ is sincere and heartfelt, as is his affection for the supporting cast. The presentation includes two radio broadcasts plus a star-studded Paramount short subject for war bonds.
Remember the Night
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1940 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 94 min. / / Street Date December 19, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £18.99
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson, Sterling Holloway, Julius Tannen, Virginia Brissac, Fred ‘Snowflake’ Toones, Charles Arnt, Paul Guilfoyle.
Cinematography: Ted Tetzlaff
Art Directors: Hans Drier, Roland Anderson
Costumes: Edith Head
Film Editor: Doane Harrison
Original Music: Friedrich Hollander
Written by Preston Sturges
Produced by
Directed by Mitchell Leisen
The 1940 feature Remember the Night made its comeback a few years ago just as...
Remember the Night
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1940 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 94 min. / / Street Date December 19, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £18.99
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson, Sterling Holloway, Julius Tannen, Virginia Brissac, Fred ‘Snowflake’ Toones, Charles Arnt, Paul Guilfoyle.
Cinematography: Ted Tetzlaff
Art Directors: Hans Drier, Roland Anderson
Costumes: Edith Head
Film Editor: Doane Harrison
Original Music: Friedrich Hollander
Written by Preston Sturges
Produced by
Directed by Mitchell Leisen
The 1940 feature Remember the Night made its comeback a few years ago just as...
- 12/17/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
It’s back and Criterion’s got it, so be prepared for sharp-talking insights on Billy Wilder’s nearly flawless, cinema-changing ode to cold-blooded murder, Los Angeles style. Edward G. Robinson wants Fred MacMurray but Barbara Stanwyck has him wrapped around her trigger finger. James M. Cain tapped into our city’s domestic malaise — who doesn’t know somebody they’d like to trade in for some extra cash? What about the extras? The Big C has Noah Isenberg, Imogen Sara Smith, Eddie Muller, Angelica Jade Bastién. Plus, we get the legendary Wilder interviews with Volker Schlöndorff, uncut and völlig ungeklärt. Revolver under the sofa cushion, anyone?
Double Indemnity
4K Ultra-hd + Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1126
1944 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 31, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Edward G. Robinson, Porter Hall, Tom Powers, Jean Heather, Byron Barr, Richard Gaines, Fortunio Bonanova, Mona Freeman,...
Double Indemnity
4K Ultra-hd + Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1126
1944 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 31, 2022 / 39.95
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Edward G. Robinson, Porter Hall, Tom Powers, Jean Heather, Byron Barr, Richard Gaines, Fortunio Bonanova, Mona Freeman,...
- 5/17/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Billy Wilder’s first big Oscar winner holds up as fine work in every respect, and serves as evidence of the writer-director’s moviemaking instincts at a time when he could do no wrong. Starring Ray Milland as a self-destructive alcoholic, Wilder and Charles Brackett manage to retain much of the sordid truth and nightmarish horror of the ordeal of would-be writer Don Birnham, who ducks his guilty self-loathing by taking to the bottle. It’s still a harrowing experience, with a sharp emotional kick. This new remastered edition carries a commentary by Joseph McBride. Co-starring Jane Wyman, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling, Frank Faylen and Phillip Terry; the scary music is by Miklos Rozsa.
The Lost Weekend
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1945 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 101 min. / Street Date November 24, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling, Frank Faylen, Douglas Spencer,...
The Lost Weekend
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1945 / B&w / 1:37 flat Academy / 101 min. / Street Date November 24, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Ray Milland, Jane Wyman, Phillip Terry, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling, Frank Faylen, Douglas Spencer,...
- 12/26/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
It’s smart, it’s funny, it has a touch of romance… it’s Billy Wilder & Charles Brackett’s entertaining espionage thriller set between the battle lines of the North Africa campaign. Franchot Tone must impersonate a double agent, when the command staff of General Rommel (Erich von Stroheim!) takes over a half-bombed hotel run by the forlorn Akim Tamiroff. Anne Baxter is the French maid desperate to make a deal, with whichever side will help her get what she wants. Even the title of this winner has a clever special meaning.
Five Graves to Cairo
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1943 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 96 min. / Street Date September 29, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, Akim Tamiroff, Erich von Stroheim, Peter van Eyck, Fortunio Bonanova.
Cinematography: John F. Seitz
Film Editor: Doane Harrison
Original Music: Miklos Rozsa
Written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett from a play by Lajos Biró...
Five Graves to Cairo
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1943 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 96 min. / Street Date September 29, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, Akim Tamiroff, Erich von Stroheim, Peter van Eyck, Fortunio Bonanova.
Cinematography: John F. Seitz
Film Editor: Doane Harrison
Original Music: Miklos Rozsa
Written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett from a play by Lajos Biró...
- 9/15/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This can’t-lose comedy is ace writer-director Billy Wilder’s first solo directing credit; he and writing partner Charles Brackett concoct a side-splitting crowdpleaser guaranteed to secure his Hollywood future. Ginger Rogers was never more adept, playing a fake 11 year-old in a farce that’s both code-iffy and censor proof; Ray Milland shines as well with the limitlessly clever and witty screenplay. And look out for Diana Lynn, the terrific teenage comedienne that Wilder found before Preston Sturges did.
The Major and the Minor
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1942 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 100 min. / Street Date September 24, 2019 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Ginger Rogers, Ray Milland, Diana Lynn, Rita Johnson, Robert Benchley.
Cinematography: Leo Tover
Film Editor: Doane Harrison
Original Music: Robert Emmett Dolan
Written by Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder from a story and a play by Fanny Kilbourne, Edward Childs Carpenter
Produced by Arthur Hornblow, Jr.
Directed by Billy Wilder
Paramount...
The Major and the Minor
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1942 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 100 min. / Street Date September 24, 2019 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Ginger Rogers, Ray Milland, Diana Lynn, Rita Johnson, Robert Benchley.
Cinematography: Leo Tover
Film Editor: Doane Harrison
Original Music: Robert Emmett Dolan
Written by Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder from a story and a play by Fanny Kilbourne, Edward Childs Carpenter
Produced by Arthur Hornblow, Jr.
Directed by Billy Wilder
Paramount...
- 9/28/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
All hail Olivia de Havilland, America’s longest living movie star. The more de Havilland pictures we see, the more we admire her taste and judgment in roles… or is that better expressed as, the more we admire her ability to guide a near-perfect career, going so far as to defy the studios in court. This 1941 drama has director Mitchell Leisen in fine form, a smart script by Brackett & Wilder, and a central topic that’s currently quite hot: illegal immigration.
Hold Back the Dawn
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1941 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 116 min. / Street Date July 16, 2019 / 39.95
Starring: Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havilland, Paulette Goddard, Victor Francen, Walter Abel, Curt Bois, Rosemary DeCamp, Nestor Paiva, Eva Puig, Micheline Cheirel, Madeleine Lebeau, Mikhail Rasumny, Charles Arnt, Mitchell Leisen, Brian Donlevy, Kitty Kelly, Veronica Lake, Carlos Villarías, Richard Webb.
Cinematography: Leo Tover
Film Editor: Doane Harrison
Original Music: Victor Young
Written by Charles Brackett,...
Hold Back the Dawn
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1941 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 116 min. / Street Date July 16, 2019 / 39.95
Starring: Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havilland, Paulette Goddard, Victor Francen, Walter Abel, Curt Bois, Rosemary DeCamp, Nestor Paiva, Eva Puig, Micheline Cheirel, Madeleine Lebeau, Mikhail Rasumny, Charles Arnt, Mitchell Leisen, Brian Donlevy, Kitty Kelly, Veronica Lake, Carlos Villarías, Richard Webb.
Cinematography: Leo Tover
Film Editor: Doane Harrison
Original Music: Victor Young
Written by Charles Brackett,...
- 7/6/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Rko's final in-house production is a good end-of-an-era film, a spirited and well-made musical comedy. Bright-eyed Jane Powell can't stop accepting marriage proposals, from nerdy Tommy Noonan, dreamboat kisser Cliff Robertson and zillionare Keith Andes. She imagines her future with each man in musical terms, through production numbers staged by Gower Champion. The Girl Most Likely DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1956 / Color / 1:78 enhanced widescreen / 98 min. / Street Date November 17, 2015 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Jane Powell, Cliff Robertson, Keith Andes, Kaye Ballard, Tommy Noonan, Una Merkel, Kelly Brown, Judy Nugent, Frank Cady, Joseph Kearns, Marjorie Stapp, Robert Banas. Cinematography Robert H. Planck Film Editor Doane Harrison Original Music Nelson Riddle Choreographer Gower Champion Written by Devery Freeman, Paul Jarrico (uncredited) Produced by Stanley Rubin Directed by Mitchell Leisen
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
From roughly 1925 to 1957, the powerful men in charge of the big studios controlled most aspects of production. That...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
From roughly 1925 to 1957, the powerful men in charge of the big studios controlled most aspects of production. That...
- 1/1/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Music has always been one of the most important supporting characters on "Supernatural." We'd put it right up there with Castiel, Bobby, and the Impala. In fact, one draft of the pilot script described the soundtrack as so: "Cue Music. And you can take your anemic alternative pop and shove it up your ass. We're playing Dean's music-- adrenaline pumping Metal-- and we're playing it loud."
The draft also called our heroes Sam and Dean Harrison, which just doesn't have the same ring to it, but we digress.
The first couple of seasons of the show featured songs like "Renegade" by Styx, "Back in Black" by AC/DC, and "Laugh, I Nearly Died" by the Rolling Stones, but the classic rock has been less prevalent in more recent episodes. Zap2it was On the Scene at the Creation Entertainment Salute to Supernatural Event in Los Angeles when series star Jensen Ackles addressed fans' concerns.
The draft also called our heroes Sam and Dean Harrison, which just doesn't have the same ring to it, but we digress.
The first couple of seasons of the show featured songs like "Renegade" by Styx, "Back in Black" by AC/DC, and "Laugh, I Nearly Died" by the Rolling Stones, but the classic rock has been less prevalent in more recent episodes. Zap2it was On the Scene at the Creation Entertainment Salute to Supernatural Event in Los Angeles when series star Jensen Ackles addressed fans' concerns.
- 2/16/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
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