"The Lost Weekend" is a rigorous and refined masterpiece. In addition to editing, directing, and acting, Milos Zrosa's soundtrack and John Seitz's black and white photography also played a role in setting off the atmosphere. In "The Lost Weekend", the most important role is Don Burnham, and his actor Ray Mirren is also highly involved in the role, bringing the spirit and physical behavior of the alcoholic to life. "The Lost Weekend" also has its shortcomings. Some of the film’s dialogue is too literary, and the performance of certain scenes is also biased towards stage. All these have led to the film’s realism being weakened.
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"The Lost Weekend" is the first work in the history of American cinema to discuss the problem of alcoholism with a serious attitude. The first shot at the beginning of the film is a panoramic view of the high-rise buildings in New York City, indicating that this is a universal story. As the camera pans to a window of a building, the film cuts directly into the subject. Then, the video will start a case-based observation. The highlight of the first point of view took place in the hall of Burnham's house. The atmosphere of the whole scene was a bit like a stage play, and the script had a strong dramatic density. After the relationship between the characters is determined, the development of the plot also changes. When the problem of alcoholism is resolved, the camera retreats to the window of Don Burniem's house, and ends the film with a vision of New York City. This kind of ending screen is not only powerful, but also complete in one go, and the message to be conveyed by the film is also presented clearly and powerfully.
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