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Days of Wine and Roses (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Days of Wine and Roses | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical Poster |
|
| Directed by | Blake Edwards |
| Produced by | Martin Manulis |
| Written by | J. P. Miller |
| Starring | Jack Lemmon Lee Remick Charles Bickford Jack Klugman Alan Hewitt |
| Music by | Henry Mancini |
| Cinematography | Philip H. Lathrop |
| Editing by | Patrick McCormack |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | December 26, 1962 |
| Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Days of Wine and Roses is an American Academy Award-winning film released in 1962 and directed by Blake Edwards. The movie was executive produced by Martin Manulis, with original music by Henry Mancini.[1]
The picture stars Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick, Charles Bickford, Jack Klugman, and others.
The film tells of two everyday and seemingly normal Americans who succumb to alcoholism and how they deal with their problem.
Contents |
The film is a study of the insidiousness of addiction in modern life.
Joe Clay (Jack Lemmon) meets and falls in love with Kirsten Arnesen (Lee Remick), a bright and non-drinking secretary. They marry, conceive a child and make a home for themselves.
Joe introduces Kirsten to social drinking and its pleasures. Reluctant at first, and after her first few Brandy Alexanders, she admits that having a drink "made me feel good."
Joe is a business man who slowly goes from the "two-martini lunch" to alcoholism and in due time both succumb to the pleasures and pain of alcohol addiction.
At one point Joe walks by a bar and sees his reflection in the window he goes home and says to his wife:
- I walked by Union Square Bar. I was going to go in. Then I saw myself, my reflection in the window, and I thought, 'I wonder who that bum is'? And then I saw it was me. Now look at me. I'm a bum. Look at me! Look at you. You're a bum. Look at you. And look at us. Look at us. C'mon look at us! See? A couple of bums.
Later, when Joe is demoted due to poor performance brought on by too much drink, he is sent out of town on business. Kirsten finds the best way to pass the time is to drink, and drink a lot. While drunk one afternoon she sets fire to their apartment and almost kills herself and their child.
When Joe finally gets sober for a while, with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous and their meetings, he tries to convince his wife to go dry. Joe explains to Kirsten:
- You remember how it really was? You and me and booze--a threesome. You and I were a couple of drunks on the sea of booze, and the boat sank. I got hold of something that kept me from going under, and I'm not going to let go of it. Not for you. Not for anyone. If you want to grab on, grab on. But there's just room for you and me--no threesome.
The film pulls no punches and by the end of the film it offers hope to viewers wishing to recover from the ravages of "King Alcohol" via the self-help group Alcoholics Anonymous.
The screenplay for the film was adapted by J. P. Miller from his own 1958 Playhouse 90 television script produced on CBS.
Director Blake Edwards became a non-drinker a year after completing the film and went into substance recovery. He said that he and Jack Lemmon were heavy drinkers while making the film.[2] Edwards used the theme of alcohol abuse often in his films. Examples include: 10 (1979), Blind Date (1987), and Skin Deep (1989).
Both Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick sought help from Alcoholics Anonymous long after they had completed the film. Jack Lemmon revealed to James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio his past drinking problems and his recovery.
The film had a lasting effect in helping alcoholics deal with their problem. Today Days of Wine and Roses is required viewing in many alcoholic and drug rehabilitation clinics across America.[3]
The Oscar winning song was written by Henry Mancini and the words were penned by Johnny Mercer. The phrase "days of wine and roses" is originally from the poem Vitae Summa Brevis by the English writer Ernest Dowson (1867-1900):[4]
- They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
- Out of a misty dream
- Our path emerges for a while, then closes
- Within a dream.
The filming takes place in Northern California. Locations include: San Francisco, California and Albany, California, and the Golden Gate Fields racetrack.
Tagline: This, in its own terrifying way, is a love story.
The picture was released in the United States on a wide basis on December 26, 1962.
The box office receipts for the film were good given the numbers reported are in 1962 dollars. Total sales were $8,123,077.[5]
A DVD of the film was released on January 6, 2001 by Warner Home Video. The DVD contains an extra commentary track by director Blake Edwards, and an interview with Jack Lemmon.
A laserdisc was released in 1990.
The film was certainly well received in the media.
The New York Times film critic, Bosley Crowther, liked the film but was disappointed because the characters do not seem to overcome their problem. He writes, "[It] is a commanding picture, and it is extremely well played by Mr. Lemmon and Miss Remick, who spare themselves none of the shameful, painful scenes. But for all their brilliant performing and the taut direction of Blake Edwards, they do not bring two pitiful characters to complete and overpowering life."[6]
Other professionals are more appreciative of the film. Margaret Parsons, film curator at the National Gallery of Art, said, "[The film] remains one of the most gut-wrenching dramas of alcohol-related ruin and recovery ever captured on film...and it's also one of the pioneering films of the genre."[7]
| Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Australia: | G |
| Canada (Ontario): | PG |
| Finland: | K-16 |
| Germany: | 16 |
| Spain: | 18 |
| United States: | Not Rated |
- Jack Lemmon as Joe Clay
- Lee Remick as Kirsten Arnesen Clay
- Charles Bickford as Ellis Arnesen
- Jack Klugman as Jim Hungerford, AA sponsor
- Alan Hewitt as Rad Leland
- Tom Palmer as Ballefoy
- Debbie Megowan as Debbie Clay
- Maxine Stuart as Dottie
- Jack Albertson as Trayner
- Ken Lynch as Liquor Store Proprietor
Academy Awards Wins (1963)
- Best Original Song, Henry Mancini (music) and Johnny Mercer (lyrics).
Academy Awards Nominations (1963)
- Best Actor, Jack Lemmon.
- Best Actress, Lee Remick.
- Best Art Direction, Joseph C. Wright and George James Hopkins.
- Best Costume Design, Don Feld.
Other wins
- Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival: OCIC Award Blake Edwards; Prize San Sebastián, Best Actor, Jack Lemmon; Best Actress, Lee Remick; 1963.
- Fotogramas de Plata, Spain: Fotogramas de Plata; Best Foreign Performer, Jack Lemmon; 1964.
Other Nominations
- Golden Globes: Golden Globe; Best Motion Drama Picture; Best Motion Drama Picture Actor, Jack Lemmon; Best Motion Drama Picture Actress, Lee Remick; Best Motion Picture Director, Blake Edwards; 1963.
- BAFTA Awards: BAFTA Film Award; Best Film from any Source, USA; Best Foreign Actor, Jack Lemmon; Best Foreign Actress, Lee Remick; 1964.
Other distinguishments
- Was selected by the film critics of The New York Times as one of the 1000 best films ever made.
- Selected as one of American Film Institute's best 400 films.
Joe: My name is Joe Clay. I'm an alcoholic.
Kirsten: Thanks for the compliment, but I know how I look. This is the way I look when I'm sober. It's enough to make a person drink, wouldn't you say? You see, the world looks so dirty to me when I'm not drinking. Joe, remember Fisherman's Wharf? The water when you looked too close? That's the way the world looks to me when I'm not drinking.
- ^ Days of Wine and Roses at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Days of Wine and Roses, DVD commentary by Blake Edwards.
- ^ Alcoholics Anonymous. Movies to watch and recommended by AA Bangalore, India.
- ^ Loveridge, Charlotte. Curtain Up, theatre review, February 24, 1995.
- ^ The numbers box office data.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley. The New York Times, film review, January 18, 1963.
- ^ Parsons, Margaret. Recovery Month, July 11, 2005.
- The New York Times 1000 Best Movies Ever Made.
- Days of Wine and Roses song lyrics.
 American films of the 1960s |
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