JUNE 2023: The Lost Weekend by Charles R. Jackson

[Samantha]

This summer we will be reading The Lost Weekend by Charles R. Jackson, the book that became the Oscar winner for Best Picture in 1945.

Have you watched the film or read this book before?

Has your life been touched by alcoholism? How?

[[deleted user]]

I have seen the film, but have not read the book before. I have a copy in hand and will begin it soon.

[Samantha]

The scene in the piano bar is expertly written. The way Don sits back and observes the people around him while his thoughts flit from thing to seemingly unconnected thing really reminds me of the way the drunken brain works, the mild amusement at everything with hints of strong emotion breaking through.

[Christopher]

Yes, that's the surprising quality of how the book is written versus what one might expect from the book after first seeing the film: the interior monologue. Billy Wilder, of course, had to select key moments of that running monologue and show it. When you realize what Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett invented for the screenplay--scenes that are entirely absent from the book--like the daydream/hallucination of the dancing coats, you understand that they were able to portray much of those inner thoughts visually and in highly imaginative ways. Like the cumulative rings the bottom of Don's glass leaves on the bar. (I don't remember a description of that appearing in the book.)...Anyway, I wrote this a few days ago, only getting about halfway through what I wanted to say before being derailed by circumstance: "I'm a fan of the Billy Wilder film of the book, so it was hard not to imagine Ray Milland as Don Birnam and Jane Wyman as Helen. However, I found the audiobook free to borrow on Hoopla.com (through my library and perhaps yours, too) and Donald Corren's narration is superb--I started to picture Don Birnam as someone other than Milland. The third-person omniscient narration is brilliantly employed here, putting the reader (or listener) inside the mind of an alcoholic would-be writer, but also at times giving the objective view. This is one of the central elements of alcoholism: The alcoholic is often oblivious to the harm, embarrassment, pain that he or she is inflicting on others. Ironically, though, sometimes the opposite is true. I can remember in my twenties, after a night out with friends, getting together the next day and being told stories about things that happened the night before. One particular story ended with a very funny line, and I said, "That's hilarious. Who said that?" And my girlfriend had this confused look on her face, and said, "You did. You idiot." But the scary side of it is doing and saying things that you have absolutely no recollection of. Most of the time, it's not going to be funny, and those lost moments, hours, days, weekends all add up. One of the best passages in the book is about Time and how it is lost to the drunk, and how it accumulates. It's really a very poetic passage, and not the only one in the book. Don is definitely a bit of a philosopher, and it makes sense that he's written with some success in the past and now wants to write this book...When I first read The Unbearable Lightness of Being, I thought that it had more keen insights into relationships in a chapter, or a paragraph, or a few lines, than you would find in any number of books on the subject. Similarly, The Lost Weekend puts you in the mindset of...really an addict, and I suppose even a non-drinker could be given a whole new perspective on what it's like: the thought processes, the rationalizations, the desperation (which Ray Milland portrays perfectly; actually, at times, personifies).

[Samantha]

There is a great moment when Don sees that Garbo's Camille is playing at the local theater and he suddenly needs to see it, even though he has watched it before. He starts remembering scenes and dialogue. "He knew the performance by heart, as one knows a loved piece of music: every inflection, every stress and emphasis, every faultless phrase, every small revelation of satisfying but provocative beauty. There was a way to spend the afternoon!"

I think all of us can relate to that passion for movies.

[Christopher]

That is a great moment! In the movie, I think Don's appreciation of art is shown by his love for classical music--or, at least, certain composers. Whether it's in the book or the movie, it's in these moments when we see glimpses of what Helen sees in Don. Her continued presence is enough to lead the reader or viewer to believe that Don must have some redeeming qualities. I think the movie gives you sympathy for Don, while the book gives you empathy for him. I sympathize with most all of these characters--with the exception of Bim! I love Frank Faylen (a.k.a. Ernie the cabdriver in It's A Wonderful Life or Herbert T. Gillis in Dobie Gillis) whenever he turns up. But I have to skip the scene in the movie or turn away. And Bim is SO much creepier in the book.

[Samantha]

Our readers would get the question near the end of this vintage episode of Hollywood Squares correct. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Taryr-f...

[Samantha]

I found this passage interesting, "Telephones didn't ring like that at home, not in his mother's house when he was a boy. They were short, or long, or anyway irregular, depending on the operator; and sometimes you even knew which operator was on duty by the way the phone rang Madge always gave three short rings, Doris a couple of long ones..."

I always think of phones being pretty automated, but there was a time when a person was behind the phone system. This passage is a nice indicator of a different time in history.

Has reading this book inspired you to read other books by the author?