This striking study of alcoholism not only changed Ray Milland's career from lounge lizard leading man to personable star in both hero and villainous roles, but shook the film colony by taking four of the year's major Academy Awards. Besides the almost inevitable award for Milland - the competition that year wasn't strong but Milland's performance would have won against almost anything - The Lost Weekend picked up statuettes for Best Film, Best Director (Billy Wilder) and Best Screenplay. And Frank Faylen should at least have been nominated as best supporting actor for his frightening study of a male nurse in the film's most nightmarish and memorable sequence, when Milland lands up in the alcoholic ward of a hospital. Wilder's direction conveys a fine sense of frenzy, especially when Milland is hunting for the bottles his brother has removed from their hiding places.