This list is not a comprehensive list, and is not in any way official nor
endorsed by AA

CONTENTS A-Z (and reviews follow)
Affliction (1997) starring Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn,
William Dafoe
A Star is Born (1954) starring Judy Garland and James Mason
Barfly (1987) starring Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway
Bottom of the Bottle (1956) starring Van Johnson, Joseph Cotton and
Ruth Roman
Chalk Talk (n.d.) by Father Joseph Martin
Clean and Sober (1988) starring Michael Keaton
Come Back, Little Sheba (1952) starring Shirley Booth, Burt Lancaster
and Terry Moore
Come Fill the Cup (1951) starring James Cagney, Raymond Massey and Gig
Young
Country Girl (1954) starring Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly
Days of Wine and Roses (1962) starring Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick and Jack
Klugman
Drunks (1997) starring Richard Lewis and Faye Dunaway
Fields, W. C. (acted in numerous movies from 1915 to 1942)
Great Santini (1979) starring Robert Duvall and Blythe Danner
Harvey (1950) starring Jimmy Stewart, Josephine Hull
I’ll Cry Tomorrow (1955) starring Susan Hayward, Richard Conte
Ironweed (1987) sStarring Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.
Lady Sings the Blues (1972) starring Diana Ross and Billie Dee Williams
Leaving Las Vegas (1995) starring Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue
Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice (1982) starring Carol Burnett
and Llyod Bridges
Lost Weekend (1945) starring Ray Milland and Jane Wyman
My Name is Bill W. (1989) starring James Woods, Jo Beth Williams, James
Garner
and Gary Sinese
My Name is Kate (1994 ) starring Donna Mills, Daniel J. Travanti and
Nia Peeples
Night into Morning (1951) starring Ray Milland and John Hodiak
On the Nickle (1980) starring Donald Moffat and Ralph Waite
Sarah T. -- Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic (2003) starring Linda Blair
and Steve Benedict
Shakes the Clown (1992) starring Bobcat Goldthwait, Julie Brown, Bruce
Baum
Shattered Spirits (1986) starring Martin Sheen and Melinda Dillion
Smash Up (1947) starring Susan Hayward and Lee Bowman
Something to Live For (1952) starring Ray Milland and Joan Fontaine
Stuart Saves His Family (1995) starring Al Franken, Laura San Giacomo
Tender Mercies (1983) starring Robert Duvall and Tess Harper
Too Much, Too Soon (1958) starring Dorothy Malone and Errol Flynn
Trees Lounge (1996) starring Carol Kane, Mark Boone Junior, Steve
Buscemi,
Bronson Dudley
28 Days (2000) starring Sandra Bullock, Dominic West
Under the Influence (1986) starring Andy Griffith, Season Hubley, Paul
Provenza,
Keanu Reeves, Dana Andersen
Under The Volcano (1984) starring Albert Finney and Jacqueline Bisset
Vital Signs (1986) starring Edward Asner, Gary Cole
Voice in the Mirror (1958) starring Richard Egan and Julie London
When A Man Loves A Woman (1994) starring: Meg Ryan, Andy Garcia, Ellen
Burstyn



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



Affliction (1997)

Starring: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn, William Dafoe

Nick Nolte is a big, shambling, confident male presence in the movies,
and it is startling to see his cocksure presence change into fear in
Paul Schrader's ``Affliction.'' Nolte plays Wade Whitehouse, the
sheriff of a small New Hampshire town, whose uniform, gun and stature
do not make up for a deep feeling of worthlessness. He drinks, he
smokes pot on the job, he walks with a sad weariness, he is hated by
his ex-wife, and his young daughter looks at him as if he's crazy.

When we meet Glen, his father, we understand the source of his defeat.
The older man (James Coburn) is a cauldron of alcoholic venom, a man
whose consolation in life has been to dominate and terrorize his
family. There are scenes where both men are on the screen together, and
you can sense the sheriff shrinking, as if afraid of a sudden blow. The
women in their lives have been an audience for cruelty; of the older
man's wife, it is said, ``Women like this, it's like they lived their
lives with the sound turned off. And then they're gone.''
``Affliction'' is based on a novel by Russell Banks, whose work also
inspired ``The Sweet Hereafter.'' Both films are set in bleak winter
landscapes, and both involve a deep resentment of parental abuse--this
one more obviously, since Sheriff Whitehouse's entire unhappy life has
been, and still is, controlled by fear of his father. We're reminded of
other films Paul Schrader has written (``Taxi Driver,'' ``Raging
Bull,'' ``The Mosquito Coast'') or directed (``Mishima,''
``Hardcore''), in which men's violence is churned up by feelings of
inadequacy. (He also wrote ``The Last Temptation of Christ,'' in which
at least one line applies: ``Father, why hast thou forsaken me?'') Wade
Whitehouse is a bad husband, a bad father and a bad sheriff. He retains
enough qualities to inspire the loyalty, or maybe the sympathy, of a
girlfriend named Margie (Sissy Spacek), but his ex-wife (Mary Beth
Hurt) looks at him in deep contempt, and his brother Rolfe (Willem
Dafoe), the film's narrator, has been wise to clear out of the town and
its poisons.

Early in the film, Wade decides to show a little enterprise on the job.
A friend of his has gone out as a hunting guide for a rich man, and
returned with the man's expensive gun, some bloodstains and a story of
an accident. Wade doesn't believe it was an accident, and like a
sleepwalker talking himself back to wakefulness, he begins an
investigation that stirs up the stagnant town--and even rouses him into
a state where he can be reached, for the first time in years, by fresh
thoughts about how his life has gone wrong.

Because there are elements of a crime mystery in ``Affliction,'' it
would be unwise to reveal too much about this side of the plot. It is
interrupted, in any event, by another death: Wade and Margie go to the
old man's house to find that Wade's mother, Glen's wife, lies dead
upstairs and Glen is unable to acknowledge the situation. It is even
possible that the sick woman crawled upstairs and was forgotten by a
man whose inner eye has long been focused only on his own
self-diagnosis: not drunk enough, drunk just right or too drunk? Rolfe
returns to town for the funeral and to supply missing elements from the
story of their childhood, and the film ends in an explosion that seemed
prepared even in the first frame. Its meaning is very clear: Cruelty to
a child is not over in a moment or a day, but is like those medical
capsules embedded in the flesh, which release their contents for years.
Nolte and Coburn are magnificent in this film, which is like an
expiation or amends for abusive men. It is revealing to watch them in
their scenes together--to see how they're able to use physical presence
to sketch the history of a relationship. Schrader says he cast Coburn
because he needed an actor who was big enough, and had a ``great iconic
weight,'' to convincingly dominate Nolte. He found one. Coburn has
spent a career largely in shallow entertainments, and here he rises to
the occasion with a performance of power.

There is a story about that. ``I met with Coburn before the picture
began,'' Schrader told me, ``and told him how carefully Nolte prepares
for a role. I told Coburn that if he walked through the movie, Nolte
might let him get away with it for a day, but on the second day all
hell would break lose. Coburn said, `Oh, you mean you want me to really
act? I can do that. I haven't often been asked to, but I can.' '' He
can.

and

Dysfunctional families have always been the subject of motion pictures.
Recently, with movies like "American Beauty" and "The Story of Us,"
Hollywood has portrayed American households as candidates to be on the
next TV tabloid talk show. Paul Schrader's dramatic portrayal of a
troubled family in "Affliction" is as intense as any suspense thriller
released within the past few years. The thought-provoking power of his
script, based on the novel by Russell Banks, and the methods he uses to
execute the vivid, interpretative character study creates more than
just a sense of emotion and empathy, but places the audience in the
character's shoes, allowing us to explore a tense atmosphere on our
own.

The movie looks into the life of a struggling person named Wade
Whitehouse, played with extreme intensity by the descriptive Nick
Nolte. He is the lowly sheriff of a small backwoods in New Hampshire.
Nothing much happens in Lawford, however, thus Wade is usually
restricted to plowing the snowy streets and serving as the local
school's crossing guard. His ex-wife, Lillian (Mary Beth Hurt), has
most custody of their daughter, Jill (Brigid Tierney), and neither
relative enjoys his company. Wade's alcoholic father, Glen (James
Coburn in an Oscar worthy performance), who abused him and his brother
Rolfe (Willem Dafoe) as children, continues to abuse him emotionlly.

The subtle town of Lawford is turned upside-down when a rich
businessman is mysteriously killed while hunting with Wade's friend,
Jack Hewitt (Jim True). Finally given something to investigate, Wade
takes his job seriously, even when complications arise when his mother
dies, his brother comes home from Boston, and his waitress girlfriend
(Sissy Spacek) meets Wade's parents and realizes what she gotten
herself into.

As Wade's life starts to completely unravel, the filmmakers neglect to
leave out any details; from flashback of his fathers abuse to an
uncompromising toothache, Wade is developed vividly and clearly. The
movie is best when allowing Nick Nolte and James Coburn to come to
terms with each other's hatred for each other. The performances are
what make this movie much more distinct than similar but lesser films
like "The Other Sister" and "The Story of Us," and even better acted
than the masterpiece Award winner "American Beauty."

Instead of milking the dysfunctional family material to the maximum,
the film also has tender dialogue and heartfelt scenes that exhibit a
loving relationship between Wade and his girlfriend. These scenes make
even more tragic the production's unsettling conclusion and increase
the overall dramatic impact, which is tremendous.

By the end of "Affliction," like in "The Ice Storm," we feel for the
main character's losses. Although this film is more conclusive, it is
also unmerciful; we receive no happy ending, no satisfying motifs, this
movie takes itself seriously and has no pity, regrets, or agreements.
For Wade Whitehouse, the climax of the movie represents death, grief
and sorrow. For us, we can only stare at the screen and try to
comprehend what we have experienced through his eyes.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A Star is Born (1954)

Starring Judy Garland and James Mason

(Note: this film was originally made in 1937 starring Janet Gaynor and
Fredic March.
It was remade again in 1976 starring Barbara Streisand and Kris
Kristofferson.)

The 1954 musical remake of A Star is Born could have been titled A
Star is Reborn,
in that it represented the triumphal return to the screen of Judy
Garland after a
four-year absence. The remake adheres closely to the plotline of the
1937
original: An alcoholic film star, on his last professional legs, gives
a career boost
to a unknown aspiring actress.
The two marry, whereupon her fame and fortune rises while his spirals
sharply
downward. Unable to accept this, the male star crawls deeper into the
bottle. The
wife tearfully decides to give up her own career to care for her
husband. To spare
her this fate, the husband chivalrously commits suicide. His wife is
inconsolable at
first, but is urged to go "on with the show" in memory of her late
husband. In the
original, Janet Gaynor played Esther Blodgett, who with no training or
contacts
came to Hollywood hoping for stardom. The remake, scripted by Moss
Hart, is a
shade more realistic: Garland's Esther, though far removed from fame,
is a working
professional singer/dancer when first we meet her. Both Gaynor and
Garland are
transformed from "Esther Blodgett" to "Vicki Lester" after being
screen-tested,
though Gaynor goes on to star in fluffy costume dramas while Garland
more
logically headlines big-budget musicals. The 1937 Star is Born
costarred
Fredric March as Norman Maine, Esther/Vicki's sponsor-cum-spouse. March

patterned his performance after the tragic John Barrymore, reining in
his emotions
in favor of pure technique; James Mason's interpretation is more
original, more
emotional, and far more effective (who can forget the scene where
Norman
sobbingly overhears Vicki planning to give up her career for his sake?)
As the
studio's long-suffering publicist, the 1937 version's Lionel Stander is
more abrasive
and unpleasant than the 1954 version's introspective, intellectual Jack
Carson;
on the other hand, Adolphe Menjou and Charles Bickford are fairly
evenly matched
in the role of the studio head. Several important omissions are made in
the remake.
The 1937 Star is Born included Esther's indomitable old grandma (May
Robson),
a helpful assistant director (Andy Devine) and a soft-hearted landlord
(Edgar Kennedy); all three characters are missing from the 1954
version, though
elements of each can be found in the "best friend/severest critic"
character played
by Tommy Noonan. Wisely, both versions end with the grieving Vicki
Lester
coming out of her shell at a public gathering, greeting the audience
with a proud,
defiant "Good evening, everybody. This is Mrs. Norman Maine". Though
directors
William Wellman (1937 version) and George Cukor (1954 version) handle
this
finale in their own distinctive manners, the end result is equally
effective emotionally.
What truly sets the 1954 A Star is Born apart from other films of its
ilk is its
magnificent musical score by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin. The songs
include
The Man Who Got Away (brilliantly performed by Garland in one long
take,
sans dubbing), It's a New World, Somewhere There's a Someone, I Was
Born
in a Trunk, Lose That Long Face and Gotta Have Me Go With You. When
originally
previewed in 1954, the film ran well over three hours, thanks to the
lengthy-and
thoroughly disposable-Born in a Trunk number, added to the film as an
afterthought
without the approval or participation of director George Cukor. The
Warner Bros.
executives trimmed the film to 154 minutes, eliminating three top-rank
musical
numbers and several crucial expository sequences (including Norman's
proposal
to Vicki). At the instigation of the late film historian Ronald Haver,
the full version
was painstakingly restored in 1983, with outtakes and still photos
bridging the
"lost" footage. Though nominated in several categories, A Star is Born
was left
empty-handed at Academy Award time, an oversight that caused outrage
then
and still rankles Judy Garland fans to this day (Footnote: Judy Garland
had
previously played Vicki Lester in a 1942 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation
of the
original A Star is Born). — Hal Erickson

The 1954 A Star is Born had better music than the 1937 original, but
that's
about all that viewers may agree on in assessing one version against
the other.
On the downside, the music added about an hour to the running time. The
film
was re-cut and shortened by studio executives after release. Despite
the efforts
of restoration experts, there are today no complete prints of the
original release
version. Judy Garland benefits from the increased emphasis on her
character,
and the film is far more of a star vehicle for her than was the
original for
Janet Gaynor. To make room for the songs, several supporting characters
from
the 1937 version were eliminated. The result is a film that, despite
the increased
length, has less story-telling richness, though the deficiency is
compensated by
Garland's superb performance. The film was not among the Oscar nominees
for
Best Picture, though it did receive six other nominations, including
for Garland,
James Mason, and "The Man That Got Away" as Best Song.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Barfly 1987

Starring Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway

This movie captures the true essence of life as an alcoholic and the
day to day struggles one has to endure. With Faye Dunaway as his
companion, we see the true struggle of humanity. With a wonderful
screenplay
and articulate direction, this must see movie will definitely make you
ponder. I felt that the movie was a true drama, but it has many comedic

moments. You will truly be entertained with Henry's whimsical quotes
and
intoxicated utterances. He is the best drunk/poet you will ever witness

on film!

AND

The script for this movie was written by outrageous
poet-author-alcoholic Charles Bukowski. But director Barbet Schroeder
makes it into an oddly amusing story of a pugnacious drunk writer
(Mickey
Rourke) based on Bukowski himself. Rourke spends almost all of his time

at the bar, struggling with sobriety (he's against it) and,
occasionally, having
fistfights with the bartender (Frank Stallone). He meets another souse,
a
formerly attractive woman (Faye Dunaway), and gets involved with her,
which means they drink copious amounts of liquor and try to have sex.
Not
much happens beyond that, yet this film is strangely entertaining, for
all of its bottom-of-the-barrel humanity. Maybe that's the secret.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Bottom of the Bottle, The. 1956

Starring Van Johnson, Joseph Cotton and Ruth Roman

Story an two brothers, one an alcoholic and ex-offender who
embarrasses
his sober brother, and leaves for Mexico to escape.



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++




Chalk Talk (Year unknown) by Father Joseph Martin

Never released to the public as far as I know. Originally was a movie
made
by Father Joe (alcoholic roman catholic priest) for use as a military
‘training
aid’. Such a powerful and informative piece of work, it found it’s way
into
many rehabs (at least here on the east coast.) father martin uses a
portable
chalk board (in a classroom) and explains just what alcohol is and what
it can
do (with a slant on chemistry). he takes you through all the
steps/changes
the brain goes through with the ingestion of booze from total
awareness/sobriety,
through relaxation, euphoria, depression, loss of motor skills, sleep
(passed out),
coma and finally to death. this movie was required when I was in rehab
back
in 1981. it is still occasionally shown on sunday afternoons at the
center where
‘alumni’ are welcome. if you can get your hands on this movie, do it.

this movie dealt with the alcoholic….father joe published a ‘companion
book’
about the effects of alcohol on the family entitled “no laughing
matter”.

review by billyk

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Clean and Sober 1988

Starring Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton plays Daryl Poynter, a hot shot real estate agent who
just happens to have a cocaine and drinking problem. One morning, he
wakes up to find a dead woman in his bed (someone he had been partying
with the night before) from a cocaine overdose. He also just happens to

receive a phone call from his employers telling him a huge sum of money
is
missing from one of his accounts. Panicking, Daryl decides to check
into a drug rehab to hide from the law, where he meets tough cookie
Morgan
Freeman. A recovering addict himself, he now works as a drug counselor,

and knows all the tricks Daryl tries to pull. Soon Daryl discovers he
just might be in the right place, afterall.

AND

After making his mark in several hit comedies including Beetlejuice,
Michael Keaton startled critics and audiences alike with his acclaimed
performance in this 1988 drama about one man's struggle against cocaine

addiction. Keaton's comedic energy is transformed here into the kind of

jittery intensity that's perfect for his role, suggesting a driven
personality who can maintain the appearance of self-control for only so

long before he crashes and burns. After a series of setbacks, Keaton's
character seeks refuge in a drug rehabilitation program and must
confront
the truth of his own addiction at the urging of a counselor (Morgan
Freeman) who's heard every lame excuse in the book from addicts
struggling
to quit. Kathy Baker leads a superb supporting cast as a recovering
alcoholic and battered wife whose flagging self-esteem is boosted by
Keaton's attention. Under the careful direction of Glenn Gordon Caron
(of
TV's Moonlighting fame), Keaton and Baker handle this delicate material

with consummate skill and grace, turning a potentially depressing story

into a moving portrait of people who must battle their inner demons
step by tentative step.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Come Back, Little Sheba 1952

Starring Shirley Booth, Burt Lancaster and Terry Moore

Based on William Inge's classic play, Come Back, Little Sheba is the
stirring
tale of a life-weary couple who rescue hope from the ruins of the past.

Shirley Booth stars in an Academy Award. - winning performance as Lola,

slovenly housewife to Doc Delaney (Burt Lancaster), a recovering
alcoholic.
The Delaneys' life is dull and unchanging, but takes a dramatic turn
when the
couple take in a charming boarder, Marie (Terry Moore).
Marie becomes the daughter the Delaneys never had. But when Marie takes

up with a boorish boyfriend, Doc descends into a jealous tailspin and
must
once again face the temptations of the bottle.

An unforgettable film shimmering with life-truths and dramatic
intensity.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Come Fill the Cup Year 1951

Starring James Cagney, Raymond Massey and Gig Young

News reporter (James Cagney) is sacked for drinking. Later gets
straight and
hires 3 former alcoholics on his staff while still living with his
friend Charley who
is an alcoholic. Helps a young man through D.T.'s. Good film on the
path of
alcoholism. Also with Raymond Massey, Jackie Gleason and Gig Young.
Film reflects A.A. precepts: permanent illness and the need to help
others in
order to stay sober.

and

Consider it to be one of Cagney's best. A very entertaining film, not
merely a
morality play, complete with a good plot, witty dialog, and humor. In
one scene,
the local crime boss (Sheldon Leonard) "forces" two alcoholics to drink
whiskey
at gunpoint. In an ironic twist, one of the drunks deciding whether or
not to quit
the bottle in the film is Gig Young, a real-life alcoholic who later
killed his wife and
himself. The difference between this film and most others is its'
contention that the
alcoholic must want to quit, and that this desire must come from one's
self. I nearly
said "anti-booze" film, but that is not true. In it, most of the
characters are able to
drink without becoming alcoholics, just like in real life. Alcohol
aside, this is a classic
crusading newspaperman versus gangster story of the 40s and 50s with
music and
humorous twists for spice.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Country Girl, The. 1954

Starring Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly

Story about an alcoholic entertainer's (Bing Crosby)
attempt to overcome his addiction to booze, make a professional
comeback,
and save his relationship with his long suffering wife (Grace Kelly).
This is
remade for television in 1982 with Faye Dunaway and Dick Van Dyke.

and
In the ranking of American playwrights Clifford Odets is usually placed
in the
second tier behind Eugene O'Neill, Arthur Miller, Lillian Hellman and
Tennessee Williams.

Grace Kelly won an Oscar as the faithful, strong-willed, bitter, dowdy
co-dependent wife of crooner Crosby who played a whimpering,
guilt-ridden
alcoholic. You have to see Grace Kelly in the bags-under-her-eyes
make-up
and spinster get-ups to believe it. She looks at least ten years older
than her
25 years with a sour puss of a face and an attitude to match. I think
she won
best actress (over Judy Garland in A Star Is Born) partly because her
appearance was so stunningly...different. (While I'm musing, I wonder
if this
was the film of hers that was banned in Monaco.) It would seem to be
the
height of creative casting to put her into such a role, yet she is
excellent,
wonderful to watch as always, her timing exquisite, her expression
indelible,
and her sense of character perfect. When she says to Holden, "You
kissed me
--don't let that give you any ideas," and then when we see her face
after he
leaves, loving it, we believe her both times.

Bing Crosby too is a sight to behold in what must have been his finest
104
minutes as a dramatic actor. He too played way out of character and yet
one
had the sense that he knew the character well. He was absolutely
pathetic
as the spineless one. (In real life Der Bingo was reportedly a stern
task
master at home--ask his kids.) Clearly director Seaton should be given
some of the credit for these fine performances. When your stars perform

so well, it's clear you've done something right.

What about the nature of alcoholism as depicted by Odets? Knowing what
we now know of the disease, how accurate was his delineation? I think
he
got it surprising right except for the implied cause. Crosby's
character goes
downhill after the accidental death of his son, which he blames on
himself.
Odets reflects the belief, only finally dispelled in recent decades,
that alcoholism
was indicative of a character flaw, as he has Crosby say he used his
son's
death as an excuse to drink. Today we know that alcoholism is a
disease, a
chemical imbalance. Yet Odets knew this practical truth (from the words
he
puts into the mouth of William Holden's character): an alcoholic stops
drinking
when he dies or when he gives it up himself. It is interesting to note
that as a
play The Country Girl appeared in 1950, the same year as William Inge's
Come
Back, Little Sheba, which also dealt with alcoholism. The intuitive
understanding
of alcoholism by these two great playwrights might be compared with the
present
scientific understanding.

Here's a curiosity: the duet song (best number in the movie; Crosby
sang it
with Jacqueline Fontaine) has the lyric "What you learn is you haven't
learned
a thing," which is what the alcoholic learns everyday.

And here's a familiar line, cribbed from somewhere in the long ago:
Fontaine
asks Crosby aren't you so-and-so, and he replies, "I used to be."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Days of Wine and Roses 1962

Starring Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick and Jack Klugman.

Days of Wine and Roses is one film not to watch if you are melancholic
by nature, as this tale of middle-class alcoholism rings very true.
Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick are the besotted couple who find that life
is
not always fun when viewed through rosé-colored glasses. He's the San
Francisco business executive who marries Remick and seduces her into a
cocktail culture that soon overpowers them both. It is not a pretty
picture when their life shatters around them, but this film is
extremely
compelling for their performances. It is matched only by Billy Wilder's

Lost Weekend and the more explicit Leaving Las Vegas. This was
nominated
for five Academy Awards and won for the title song by Henry Mancini and

Johnny Mercer. Filmed by Blake Edwards in 1962, it is based on a
Playhouse 90 television production from 1958, starring Cliff Robertson
and
Piper Laurie.

Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick are unforgettable -- and the title tune wins

an Oscar(R) in Blake Edwards' searing, bittersweet study of an
alcoholic couple on the rocks. Jack Klugman plays the AA.

and

This is a shocking film. From the moment we see Joe Clay in a crowded
bar
telling the barman to "Hit me again" and whispering "Magic time!"
before taking
a drink, we realise that out of all the people in that room he is the
man with a problem.

Sadly, as in all these cases Joe is the last person to see that he
needs help.
Doubly sadly he takes someone else with him. Marrying a bright,
non-drinking
Kirsten, Joe introduces her to the pleasures of social drinking.
Reluctant at first,
after her first few Brandy Alexanders have made her giggly, Kirsten
admits that
having a drink "made me feel good".

Unhappily their drinking doesn't stop there. Frustrated at work Joe
feels the only
way he can relax is to have "a coupla blasts" in the evening. Then he
is frustrated
because his wife is "stone cold sober". Wanting to demonstrate her love
for Joe,
Kirsten joins him in nightly sessions which find her drinking more and
regularly
getting drunk. As Kirsten develops a liking for liquor, bottles go
missing from the
drinks cupboard…

When Joe is demoted and sent out of town Kirsten finds the best way to
ease her
loneliness is to drink it away. Drunk in the daytime she sets fire to
their apartment
and almost kills herself and her young child.

Joe is fired and the next few years are a series of short-lived jobs
and increasing
addiction to drink. It certainly seems to be usual for Kirsten to be
fairly drunk by
the time Joe comes home.

At last Joe has his "moment of clarity" and tries to dry out. The
attempt fails when
he and Kirsten fall off the wagon and start getting very drunk again.
Their only hope
is to join Alcoholics Anonymous. Joe can see this, but now it is
Kirsten who refuses
to believe she has a problem.

Ultimately Joe has to make the nightmare decision to reject his wife
who is now
unable to face life without being drunk.

Watching this shattering film is like being trapped in a nightmare
where something
horrible is happening and yet you cannot look away. A sense of doom
hangs over
this tragic couple who are unaware of the fate they are walking into.
Thankfully the
performances and direction are more than capable of delivering on the
promise of
this uncompromising story.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Drunks 1997

Starring Richard Lewis and Faye Dunaway

Who knew comedian Richard Lewis could act? There is no plot to speak of

in this character study, which follows AA members who meet in a Times
Square basement to bare their souls. The performances, however, are
dazzling. A sparse plot follows Lewis through one dark, soul-searching
night in which he questions his life, his choices, and his sobriety.
The
direction is minimal, but Faye Dunaway, Spalding Gray, Parker Posey,
Amanda Plummer, Dianne Wiest, and Howard Rollins bring out the intense
emotions and dark, bitter humor of Gary Lennon's play, Blackout. We
could
have used more time with all of them, however, as the only fully
realized character is played by Lewis.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Fields W.C. (Jan. 29, 1880 - December 25, 1946) –

Numerous Movies - 1915 to 1942

Comment (sic.) by Glenn C

These are movie classics from the grand old period. They're still a lot
of fun
to watch today. It was the great era of Mae West, Edgar Bergen and
Charlie
McCarthy, and those other old classics.

Fields (who actually was an alcoholic) played an extremely cynical and
crotchety alcoholic in a lot of the movies in which he appeared.

He died of a stomach hemorrhage. A friend visited him in the hospital
shortly
before his death, and discovered, to his surprise, that Fields was
reading the
Bible. Since Fields had always been an atheist, he asked him what he
was
doing that for, and Fields replied, "I'm checking for loopholes."

A typical Fields line: "Twas a woman who drove me to drink. I never had
the
courtesy to thank her." Another one was: "Whilst traveling through the
Andes
Mountains, we lost our corkscrew. Had to live on food and water for
several
days!"

For those of us who are alcoholics, we can see what is actually going
on, and
it really isn't funny at all. But movie audiences at that time regarded
him as a
comic figure at whom they could laugh heartily, without even a twinge
of
uneasiness. And that in itself is a commentary on that era of American
history,
and the way people thought about alcoholism and drunkenness.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Great Santini 1979

Starring Robert Duvall, and Blythe Danner

Bull Meechum (Robert Duvall) loves fighting almost as much as he loves
the Marine Corps. Profane, cocky, and arrogant, he's a great fighter
pilot -- and he knows it. His boss hates his guts, but knows that if
he's
going to straighten out his lagging squadron, Meechum is the man to do
it. The story and irony of The Great Santini is in Meechum's total
intolerance of family life and fatherhood. Meechum has a lovely,
supportive
wife, Lillian (Blythe Danner), an earnest, likeable son, Ben (Michael
O'Keefe), three smaller children, and a good home, but Meechum finds
the
pastoral nature of peacetime totally incompatible with his gung-ho
nature. So he begins to drink. He drills his family unmercifully, like
recruits. He hammers his son relentlessly until, in a basketball game,
his
son fights back, and the family cheers Ben's efforts. Tension builds in

the household until, during one drunken night, Meechum breaks down.
Based on a best-selling novel by Pat Conroy, The Great Santini earned
critical raves but fared poorly at the box office. Duvall's performance
as
Meechum is generally regarded as one of his greatest.



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



Harvey 1950

Starring Jimmy Stewart, Josephine Hull

This excellent lighthearted film was adapted from the Pulitzer Prize
winning hit play written by Mary Chase. Josephine Hull won a best
supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of Elwood P. Dowd's long
suffering
sister Veta Louise Simmons. James Stewart, who plays Dowd, was
nominated for best actor in this 1950 film but lost out to Jose Ferrer
in
Cyrano de Bergerac.

Elwood P. Dowd is a friendly, likeable drunk who has a best friend
named Harvey, a six foot three and a half inch invisible white rabbit.
This
movie was made back in the days when alcoholics could be likeable ....
People have written disputing that Elwood P. Dowd is a drunk because
you never see him take a drink during the movie. While it is true that
you don't see him taking a drink in movie, you have to assume that he
orders all those martinis for some reason. You also have to assume that
he
hides bottles in his bookcase at home for some reason, too.

Harvey is a pooka, which is described in the movie as, "From old Celtic

mythology, a fairy spirit in animal form, always very large. The pooka
appears here and there, now and then, to this one and that one. A
benign but mischievous creature very fond of rumpots, crackpots,
and...."

Jesse White does a good job portraying Marvin Wilson, the psychiatric
orderly who totally mistrusts Elwood P. Dowd and isn't fond of him as
the other characters in the movie seem to be. Veta Simmons' daughter,
Myrtle May Simmons, is played by Victoria Horne. She is frustrated in
her
attempts to meet eligible gentlemen and blames her lack of suitable
callers on Elwood and his large rabbit. She meets her soul mate in the
form of Marvin Wilson, however. Elwood P. Dowd tries, all through the
movie, to introduce Harvey to everyone he meets but the only one who
eventually sees him is Dr. Chumley, the psychiatrist. Dowd's sister
Veta
sometimes acknowledges the existence of Harvey but only when she's
under
extreme stress.

Some people may say that this movie is dated and out of touch with
today's reality but maybe that's what gives it its charm.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I’ll Cry Tomorrow 1955

Starring Susan Hayward, Richard Conte

"I'll Cry Tomorrow" is a biopic about Lillian Roth (played in adulthood

by Susan Hayward), a singer pushed to child stardom by her relentless
stage mother and plunged into alcoholism after becoming a "big star" as

an adult. It's fairly effective in spite of Susan Hayward's histrionics

and deliciously enjoyable because of them.

Hayward is rather an anomaly. She has a Dresden doll pretty face yet
this gruff voice (reminiscent of Barbara Stanwyck, a fellow
Brooklynite)
and somewhat tough-girl-from -the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks behavior.
She also has a tendency to overdo the emoting like nobody's business,
alternately widening eyes or squinting, tossing her head. Her
artificiality is reminiscent almost of silent screen acting like Garbo
was famous
for, except that Garbo's style was appropriate for the silent era and
Hayward is in a whole other era where it just looks odd.

When she sneers, "Ah, shaddap" at one point in the worst imitation of a

gun moll, I gave in and started laughing. Then I really began to enjoy
her. I thought that if she's this over the top in the beginning, she'll

be deliciously off the charts in the second half when her character's
alcoholism progresses. Surprisingly, she actually got really good in
the
later half where the excessive emoting works. It then became a
wrenching and sometimes even chilling portrait of alcoholism.

As for the singing -- first, what's with that Egyptian cakewalk
choreography? Fingers splayed, elbows up, walking grapevine step. In
the right
key, as with the song "Happiness is a Thing Called Joe," she isn't bad
but in some of those opening numbers that require lots of belting and
chord changes -- the flat notes can jar. Unlike Judy Garland who could
sing and act and do both amazingly, Hayward is flirting on the side of
bad taste. But ultimately that's part of her appeal. She's perfect for
tawdry melodrama and great fun to watch. She really does give it her
all, camp tendencies notwithstanding. Life piles it on and she
perseveres.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ironweed 1987

The novel was awarded a Pulitzer prize.

Starring Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.

There are many reasons why this film is a masterpiece, but the most
significant
element is surely Streep's portrayal of a homeless alcoholic in 1930's
Albany.
Her appearance, about half an hour into the film, is quite frankly,
astonishing.
She walks into a soup kitchen and sits down next to Nicholson and your
jaw
drops at the transformation. Beyond the technical virtuosity, you
marvel at the
choices that Streep makes that express the character so movingly, from
the
vocal production which is almost like a groan of pain, to the body
language
including her constantly averted glance and shuffling walk which
express the
woman's lost self esteem, to her bursts of rage when we see the glimmer
of
the spirit she once posessed. There's a scene in a bar in which she
sings for
the patrons that you will never forget.

Every other element of the film succeeds: the other performances
(Nicholson,
Tom Waits and Carol Baker stand out), the production design recreating
a
vanished era flawlessly without resorting to the phony perfection of
say a
Merchant Ivory film, the sound design which is surprisingly complex for
such
an intimate film, the screenplay, the cinematography, the direction.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lady Sings the Blues 1972

Starring Diana Ross and Billie Dee Williams

The most influential, creative, and emotional blues singer from the
1930s to the early 1950s, Billie Holiday may have attracted a whole new

generation of fans through this 1972 film biography. Though the film is

not historically accurate about her life and her relationship with
Louis
McKay (played by Billie Dee Williams), it is effective in demonstrating

the traumas of her early life, the color bar which prevented her from
singing in many whites-only venues, her drug and alcohol addictions
(which eventually led to her death at age forty-four of liver and heart

disease), and the events which led to many of her most famous songs.

Diana Ross, as Billie, is passionate and driven, and her portrayal of
Billie in the midst of drug withdrawal is heart-rending and effective.
Playing the role "full out," Ross deals with the script she has been
given, and she richly deserves her Golden Globe Award for Most
Promising
Female Newcomer in this screen debut. A consortium of scriptwriters,
which drew on the frank, but partly fictionalized, autobiography Billie

wrote with William Dufty in 1956, has omitted or changed many aspects
of
her life in order to make the film more unified and dramatic, creating
a film that creates even more myths about Billie.

Billy Dee Williams is terrific as Louis McKay, appearing slick and
smooth at the beginning, but showing subtle changes of feeling as he is

drawn into Billie's orbit and provides some stability for her. The
accompanist (Richard Pryor) seems genuinely to care for her, as, it
seems,
does Reg Hanley (James T. Callahan), though the reasons Harry Bradford
(Paul Hampton) has for getting her hooked on drugs is not clear. Ross
is
surprisingly good when she sings Billie's songs, copying her phrasing
and creating a sound that somewhat resembles hers, though Billie's
gutsy
heart is missing.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Leaving Las Vegas 1995

Starring Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Sue

One of the most critically acclaimed films of 1995, this wrenchingly
sad but extraordinarily moving drama provides an authentic, superbly
acted portrait of two people whose lives intersect just as they've
reached
their lowest depths of despair. Ben (Nicolas Cage, in an Oscar-winning
performance) is a former movie executive who's lost his wife and family

in a sea of alcoholic self-destruction. He's come to Las Vegas
literally to drink himself to death, and that's when he meets Sera
(Elisabeth
Shue), a prostitute who falls in love with him -- and he with her --
despite their mutual dead-end existence. They accept each other as they

are, with no attempts by one to change the other, and this
unconditional
love turns Leaving Las Vegas into a somber yet quietly beautiful love
story. Earning Oscar nominations for Best Director (Mike Figgis), Best
Adapted Screenplay (Figgis, from John O'Brien's novel) and Best Actress

(Shue), the film may strike some as relentlessly bleak and glacially
paced, but attentive viewers will readily discover the richness of
these
tragic characters and the exceptional performances that bring them to
life. (In a sad echo of his own fiction, novelist John O'Brien
committed
suicide while this film was in production.)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice 1982

Starring Carol Burnett and Llyod Bridges

A fact-based TV movie starring Carol Burnett and Lloyd Bridges. Burnett
plays
Beatrice (emphasis on the second syllable: "Be-AT-trice") who
compensates for
her shyness and lack of self-respect by drinking heavily. Bridges plays
Beatrice's
husband, who tolerates his wife alcoholic intake until he can stand no
more. She
begins attending Alcoholics Anonymous and cleans up her act. But that's
not the
end of the story: Beatrice then sets out to establish a halfway house
for other
female alcoholics. The domestic scenes between Burnett and Bridges are
far
more compelling than Burnett's climactic tiltings with bureaucracy
during her efforts
to realize her dream.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lost Weekend 1945

Starring Ray Milland and Jane Wyman

"I'm not a drinker -- I'm a drunk." These words, and the serious
message behind them, were still potent enough in 1945 to shock
audiences
flocking to The Lost Weekend. The speaker is Don Birnam (Ray Milland),
a
handsome, talented, articulate alcoholic. The writing team of producer
Charles Brackett and director Billy Wilder pull no punches in their
depiction of Birnam's massive weekend bender, a tailspin that finds him

reeling from his favorite watering hole to Bellevue Hospital. Location
shooting in New York helps the street-level atmosphere, especially a
sequence in which Birnam, a budding writer, tries to hock his
typewriter for
booze money. He desperately staggers past shuttered storefronts -- it's

Yom Kippur, and the pawnshops are closed. Milland, previously known as
a lightweight leading man (he'd starred in Wilder's hilarious The Major

and the Minor three years earlier), burrows convincingly under the skin

of the character, whether waxing poetic about the escape of drinking or

screaming his lungs out in the D.T.'s sequence. Wilder, having just
made the ultra-noir Double Indemnity, brought a new kind of frankness
and
darkness to Hollywood's treatment of a social problem. At first the
film may have seemed too bold; Paramount Pictures nearly killed the
release of the picture after it tested poorly with preview audiences.
But
once in release, The Lost Weekend became a substantial hit, and won
four
Oscars: for picture, director, screenplay, and actor.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


My Name is Bill W. 1989

Starring James Woods, Jo Beth Williams, James Garner and Gary Sinese

Based on facts, and faithful to them, it deals with the founder of
Alcoholics Anonymous. It begins in 1935. Bill Wilson (James Woods) is a

successful stockbroker whose personal and professional lives are on the

rocks because of excessive, compulsive drinking. Lois, his loving,
gutsy
wife has to get a job, in a department store. She is played by JoBeth
Williams, one of my favorite actresses who is also good-looking in a
special, very distinctive way. Bill’s best friend Ebby (Gary Sinise)
witnesses helplessly his buddy’s descent to a sort of Hades. James
Woods,
one of our best thespians, gives here another bravura performance, and
as
usual it is quite convincing. When he goes over the top which is a
specialty of his -- he is entirely credible.

The story covers a longish period of time. Things are as gloomy and
hopeless as can be. To make matters worse, Bill is often hospitalized
after accidents. Eventually he contacts Robert Holbrook Smith, aka Dr.
Bob.
The latter is an intelligent, warm physician who is himself an
alcoholic. Bill and Bob become friends and after a number of steps, the

founders of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Often, TV films have economic production values, but here they are just

like those of "legit" movies. The entire cast is excellent. This
powerful docudrama received a host of nominations for awards, with
Woods
getting an Emmy.

and

This is the story of the founding of the organization Alcoholics
Anonymous.
I am acquainted with two people who knew Bill W (the main character in
the
movie) and they say that they believe this is an accurate depiction of
the
events shown in it.

and

This movie carries a great message, and I was deeply touched by the
story
of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. It's an important historic
treasure
being preserved in a true and respectful film. The story is
straightforward and
strong and gives and honest impression of the pioneers of AA. Let this
movie
carry the message too.. There is a solution.. ;-)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My Name is Kate 1994

Starring Donna Mills, Daniel J. Travanti and Nia Peeples

A suburban wife, mother and businesswoman is forced to undergo
treatment for alcoholism after family and friends threaten to desert
her. While
at a rehabilitation center, she confronts her addiction with the help
of a diverse group and begins the long road back to recovering her
life.

and

I started watching this movie because I was curious about how trite and
formulaic
it could get. While it IS trite and formulaic, it's not as bad as I
expected. There
was the "Great Denial" scene, the "I Don't Belong In Treatment" scene,
and the
"Family Confrontation" scene, as well as the character that we all root
for who
doesn't make it. While there is the standard "Happy Ending", there are
a few
unexpected bumps. All is not "Happily Ever After". After years of
supporting a
drunk wife 'for the sake of the kids' the husband admits he has found
someone
else. But, our heroine prevails, and stays sober.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



Night into Morning. 1951

Starring Ray Milland and John Hodiak
Small-town professor loses family in fire, becomes out-of-control and
self-destructive(suicidal) alcoholic. No specific treatments noted.
Attribution
is to the tragedy and not to a weakness or moral condition.

and

Perhaps it's the Berkeley locale that appeals to me, but I was riveted
by this
intelligently written and well acted look at alcoholism. Sure it's
treading on
similar ground to The Lost Weekend, but this is a much more intimate
picture.
Milland is outstanding as always, and even Nancy Kelly (Reagan) does
well.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On the Nickle 1980

Starring Donald Moffat and Ralph Waite

"On The Nickle" is a thoroughly forgotten film about skid row high
jinks in Los Angeles. It is directed by Ralph Waite who also plays a
part
in this 1980 movie.

It is a film which I was lucky enough to tape from the "Z Channel" (now

defunct) in Los Angeles many years ago. The brainchild of actor Ralph
Waite (of Waltons), it was independently made on a very low budget. In
it, Waite manages to balance the tragedy of skid-row life with humor
and
irony, and in spite of an easy, Fellini-esque ending, tells a moving
story of a man (Donald Moffat) a former alcoholic and skid row dweller,

struggling to "put his demons to rest" as he searches the "Nickle"
(Fifth Street) for his old pal, C.G., played by Ralph Waite. The movie
is
bookended by the Tom Waits song, "On The Nickle", presumably written
for
the movie, and has a score that quotes the song frequently. Maybe the
Independent Film Channel will consider running it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sarah T. -- Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic 2003

Starring Linda Blair and Steve Benedict

Fresh from her success in The Exorcist (and several years away from her

tenure as queen of the women in prison flicks), Linda Blair stars in
this searing TV movie. Sarah (Blair), a normal teenaged girl, begins
drinking socially at high school parties. She soon finds that she can't

stop -- and even worse, she can't keep her boozing a secret. After a
near-tragic baby-sitting episode, Sarah decides to attend Alcoholics
Anonymous, but soon she's back on the hard stuff. Only when Sarah
causes
the death of a horse does she strengthen her resolve to remain "clean
and
sober."

"Sarah T: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic" tempers the more sensational

aspects of the subject matter with some unforgettably poignant
vignettes -- including the A.A. testimony of a boy who's even younger
than
Sarah.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Shakes the Clown 1992

Starring Bobcat Goldthwait, Julie Brown, Bruce Baum

Bobcat is Shakes the Clown; an alcoholic party clown that doesn't know
how to turn his life around. He hangs out in a dumpy clown-bar ("The
Twisted Balloon"), and vainly wishes he could be a television clown.
All
he needs is one big break, but he's generally too drunk to do what's
best for himself, like practice his juggling and regular pie-throwing
target practice. Binky the clown is his arch nemesis; Binky is the
suburban party-clown that is used to things going his way. Binky is
also busy
pushing dope he buys from the more rowdy Rodeo Clowns. Shakes ends up
in the wrong place during a bad drug deal and gets framed for killing a

leader of the clown community with a juggling pin. That's the basic
plot and you know by now whether you will enjoy the movie or not. In my

opinion it's absolutely brilliant and, even though crude at times,
makes
for an interesting look at the different factions within society and
how we behave towards people from different backgrounds. It's not a
cutesy morale-building movie, but it's message is thinly cloaked with
hilarious dialogue and humor.

Of course it's raw, of course it's crude, but that's the POINT!
Clowns are supposed to be happy, smiling icons of goodness. These
clowns are NOT! That's what makes "Shakes the Clown" work. Other than a
few
minutes of boring "filler" scenes, the entire movie makes you laugh,
whether you feel guilty about it or not! And it doesn't even need Robin

Williams, although that's a nice surprise. Any movie that opens with
Florence Henderson's make-up smeared face after a one night stand with
a
drunken clown HAS to be great.

AND

This black comedy chronicles the fall of one of the world's most
unlovable clowns as he plies his trade and tries to survive in
Palukaville a
town where everyone is more or less a Bozo. Shakes loves women and more

than that, he loves his booze. Like many of his painted peers, ol'
Shakes likes to hang out at The Twisted Balloon, the favorite local pub

where he hoists a few, beats up on mimes (the lowest caste in
Palukaville)
and causes trouble with his girl friend Judy, a woman who cannot say
the letter "L." Because the slovenly Shakes can't seem to make it to
birthday parties sober and on time, he is fired from his booking
agency,
causing him to go on a big drinking binge. Later, Shakes awakens and
learns that Binky, a lousy TV clown, is framing him for beating up
Shake's
former boss with a juggling pin. Now poor Shakes must clear his name.
He must also rescue "Juwee" who has been kidnapped by the nefarious
Binky, and he must come to grips with his alcohol problem (perhaps the
film
could be therefore titled "Clown and Sober?"). Keep an eye peeled for
cameos by Robin Williams, as a mime instructor, and Florence Henderson
as one of Shake's illicit sexual conquests.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Shattered Spirits 1986

Starring Martin Sheen and Melinda Dillion

This film was first shown on TV at the boomtime of recovery when Betty
Ford was pushing for recovery for families affected by addiction. The
story portrays a middle class family hiding dad's (Sheen's) alcoholism
and sliding down the slope of denial. The reactions of the family to
crises and the roles they each fall into are so accurately done that
the
viewer can get way into his/her own alcoholic upbringing and pain
before
they are aware of it.

I have shown this at several gatherings and it never fails to shake
some people up seriously. Kids are especially vulnerable in their teen
years. But entire families can get very agitated during the viewing. So
I
would recommend that anyone showing or viewing this film be prepared to

deal with some extreme reactions for several days afterwards. Don't
just show this and send your guests home. Instead have a discussion and
a
followup trip to a meeting of Alateen, Al-Anon or AA.

AND

Martin Sheen stars as an alcoholic father, while M.I.F. Hall-of-Famer
Melinda Dillon desperately tries to hold the family together in the
wake
of dad's inebriated rampages. The film is pretty good (if vaguely
TV-movie-ish), particularly when Martin Sheen tells his son that he's
going
into a bar to meet a buddy, and comes out six hours later! Was the
"buddy" named Jack Daniels? However, I did resent watching the movie a
bit
-- I sat next to the class cutie, and we'd struck up a nice little
in-class friendship. So for three days, the lights were off and we
weren't
allowed to talk. Thanks a lot! Even so, it definitely opened up an
important discussion about alcoholism. I have a weakness for Newcastle
Brown Ale, but I try to remember the lesson in moderation that Martin
Sheen
taught me.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Smash Up 1947

Starring Susan Hayward and Lee Bowman

"Smash Up" is a tear jerker that offered Susan Hayward her first
staring role as Angela Evans. Angela has a promising career as a singer
ahead
of her when she tosses it all away for domestic bliss with
up-and-coming singer husband, Ken Conway (Lee Bowman). Everything is
perfect at
first, but then when Ken hits the big time, Angela's deep insecurities
emerge, and soon Angela plummets into a serious drinking problem. Ken
professes amazement and then annoyance with Angela's behavior -- after
all,
he reasons, she has everything a woman can want. Then the marriage hits

the rocks, and Angela hits the bottle even more than before ....

Eddie Albert plays Steve Nelson, Ken's accompanist and partner. Steve
is the steady bachelor who can see the error of Ken's remote and
disaffected ways. Marsha Grey (Marsha Hunt) plays a conniving woman who
wants
Ken for herself.

The film is corny in parts, and the relentless playing of the theme
grates on one's nerves, but this is Susan Hayward's film. She delivers
a
stunning performance as the needy Angela, whose decline begins with her

husband's success. Some of the scenes called for her to be drunk, or to

get drunk, and she performed excellently. Not everyone can pull off the

role of a drunk, but there were some scenes when it wasn't quite clear,

at first, whether or not Angela was tipsy -- she didn't overdo it once.

If you want to watch a 40s tear jerker, watch this.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Something to Live For. 1952

Starring Ray Milland and Joan Fontaine

An actress is guided by an Alcoholics Anonymous member to control her
alcoholism and her feelings of rejection.

and

I enjoyed this film a lot. Joan Fontaine plays Jenny Carey, a
struggling actress
whose insecurities and stage fright drive her to drink. Ray Milland is
Allan Miller,
an advertising executive who is a recovering alcoholic and a member of
AA.
He is called to Jenny's hotel room by the elevator operator one night
when
Jenny had been on a drinking binge. She was due at a rehearsal of a
Broadway
play. This meeting of Jenny and Alan lead to romance, even though Allen
is
married and has two children and one on the way. Jenny tries to cut off
the
romance as she feels it is improper, but Allan is totally taken with
Jenny and
wants to continue the romance. Joan Fontaine and Ray Milland have
wonderful
screen chemistry. Both are excellent as their respective characters,
although
parts of the script are somewhat weak. Will Alan leave his wife for
Jenny? Will
Jenny conquer alcoholism and get her chance to star in a Broadway play?
This
film is seldom seen on cable, but is sometimes put up for bid on eBay.
It is
certainly worth a look. The film was directed by George Stevens.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Stuart Saves His Family 1995

Starring Al Franken, Laura San Giacomo

Though it seems like a one-joke premise, this spinoff of Al Franken's
Saturday Night Live character, self-help nerd Stuart Smalley, actually
has some substance. And, in fact, it offers a message that wouldn't be
out of place at an Al-Anon meeting (although with the laughs). Stuart,
fired from his cable TV self-help show, goes home to resolve a family
crisis. Dad (Harris Yulin) is an abusive drunk, Mom (Shirley Knight) is

an enabler, Sis is an over-eater, and Brother has a problem with his
temper. The film turns serious, but Franken actually makes the drama
interesting, using humor to leaven it. And he brings a certain sympathy
and
resolve to the lisping, cross-eyed Stuart. To be sure, it's not your
typical SNL movie.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tender Mercies. 1983

Starring Robert Duvall and Tess Harper

Story of "Mac Sledge" (Robert Duvall, Best Actor), former star country
singer, lost in the bottle, who recovers and through the non-judgmental

health of a new wife (Tess Harper). He stays sober despite the death
of
his child and post-divorce conflicts. No group or individual therapy
indicated.

and

A once-great but out-of-style country music singer, ruined by drink,
finds
redemption through the love and support of a new wife, her son by a
long-dead Vietnam casualty, and a local band which never forgot his
greatness. Along the way, he encounters his ex-wife, whom he lost due
to alcohol, and the daughter he didn't get to see grow up.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Too Much, Too Soon. 1958

Starring Dorothy Malone and Errol Flynn

Dorothy Malone as Diana Barrymore who stays away from her alcoholic
father
during his lifetime only to turn to excessive drinking and numerous
marriages
and suicide attempts. Treatment center. A "moral" ending with
Barrymore in
recovery. This is an early portrayal of children and their experiences
in
alcoholic/drug abusing family settings.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Trees Lounge 1996

Starring Carol Kane, Mark Boone Junior, Steve Buscemi, Bronson Dudley

Steve Buscemi, an icon of the independent film world for years, took
the opportunity to write, direct, and star in this wistful low-budget
gem. He plays Tommy, a Long Island loser who gets tossed from his job
as a
mechanic for questionable financial antics. He spends his days at a
local bar, drinking his life away even as he denies that he's doing any

such thing. And when he finally works up the gumption to get a job, he
winds up driving an ice-cream truck in his old neighborhood -- and
getting involved in an inappropriate relationship with his teeny-bopper

assistant (Chloe Sevigny), earning the violent enmity of her father
(Daniel
Baldwin). Low-key in its approach, the film has a sad humor that is
both knowing and forgiving, as well as offering one of Buscemi's best
performances.

AND

Unlike Cheers, the title establishment of Steve Buscemi's astonishingly

accomplished debut feature, Trees Lounge, is a place where everybody
doesn't know your name and sometimes can't remember his or her own. And

for good reason. Take leading barfly Tommy Basilio, played by Buscemi
with a subtlety, sensitivity, and desperate wit that add another
dimension to the memorable lowlifes he's made a career of. Tommy has
lost
Connie (Elizabeth Bracco), his girlfriend, and Rob (Anthony LaPaglia),
his
best friend -- to each other, naturally. He's also lost his job as a
mechanic, and everything else that matters in his life except for
hanging
out at the bar, hitting on drunken women, and thinking just maybe he
can break out of this malaise by fulfilling his dream of becoming a
comedian. It's not likely; even his car works only as a metaphor for
his
life -- if he doesn't keep his foot on the accelerator it will stall
out,
perhaps never to start again.

Set in Valley Stream, the blue-collar town on Long Island where Buscemi

grew up, this vaguely autobiographical film captures the seedy bars,
tacky bungalows, and cheesy storefronts with such weary familiarity it
evokes a gray haze of anomie. True to its subject, the narrative
consists
of a series of binges and blackouts, with Tommy slipping in and out of
encounters with oddballs, hangovers, and constant irrefutable evidence
of his own futility. Buscemi's inspiration is John Cassavetes, but his
style lacks his mentor's coiled spontaneity and nascent chaos. To its
advantage, though, he's much more narratively coherent than Cassavetes,

unreeling with casual clarity his film's many interconnecting tales,
his tone sweet and nearly serene, belying the sometimes sordid and
mean-spirited antics of the characters.

Who include Mike (Mark Boone Junior, bearish and weird in a compelling
performance), a relative well-to-do entrepreneur who gets off by
slumming at the lounge, cozying up especially to Tommy, and plying him
with
drinks in a fuzzy attempt to live vicariously in his demi-monde. When
Mike's wife (Eszter Balint) leaves with her daughter, he talks Tommy
into
coming back to his place with a couple of teenage pick-ups for a party.

What results is less erotic than pathetic, with both Mike's need and
Tommy's exposed beneath their sodden bravura. Adding to this deflating
of
macho is a scene in which Tommy tries to pick up a blowzy but seemingly

willing Crystal (Debi Mazar). He gets her drunk -- too drunk. She
passes out, but Tommy refuses to give up his efforts to score. It's
hilarious and very sad.

Tommy's tale takes a dramatic turn of sorts when his Uncle Al (Seymour
Cassel, who makes a vivid impression in his few minutes on screen,
especially when fondling his niece in a home video) dies of a heart
attack.
After a funeral that's a mini-masterpiece of familial insensitivity and

bad taste, Tommy is offered Uncle Al's legacy -- an ice-cream-truck
route. In addition to the coterie of dubious neighborhood kids
disappointed that he's not Uncle Al, the route also includes Debbie
(Chloe
Sevigny, much more appealing and nuanced than in Kids), the nubile
daughter
of his friend Jerry (Daniel Baldwin) and Jerry's wife, Patty (Mimi
Rogers).

Tommy used to babysit Debbie; now, draped coltishly over the passenger
seat of the ice-cream truck, she engages him in banter. It's the
closest Tommy gets to a genuine relationship, and of course he ruins
it. In a
delicate orchestration of tenderness and sexual tension the opening up
of his soul leads to the opening up of his fly, and his last chance at
redemption ends with him getting chased by an enraged man with a
baseball bat.

It takes an extraordinary degree of dramatic integrity, meticulous
detail, and triumphant irony to redeem such a loser, and Buscemi -- as
writer, director, and actor -- is equal to the task. Although alter ego

Tommy is left bereft and staring blankly at the bar, for Steve Buscemi
Trees Lounge marks the start of a richly promising filmmaking career.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

28 Days 2000

Starring Sandra Bullock, Dominic West

To appreciate 28 Days, it's best to be thankful that director Betty
Thomas hasn't forced Sandra Bullock into a remake of Clean and Sober.
Instead Thomas has balanced her comedic sensibility (evident in Dr.
Dolittle and Private Parts) with the seriousness of alcoholism and
substance
abuse, and she succeeds without compromising the gravity of the subject

matter. Some critics have scoffed at the movie's breezy, formulaic
portrait of 27-year-old boozer and pill-popper Gwen Cummings (Bullock),
but
this smooth-running star vehicle does for Bullock what Erin Brockovich
did for Julia Roberts, focusing her appeal in a substantial role
without taxing the limits of her talent. It's no wonder that Susannah
Grant
(who wrote both films) was one of the hottest new screenwriters of
1999.
She writes "Hollywood Lite" without insulting anyone's intelligence.

As played by Bullock, Gwen is an alcoholic in denial whose latest
bender with boozer boyfriend Jasper (Dominic West) ruins the wedding of
her
sister (Elizabeth Perkins) and lands her in a month-long rehab program
with the requisite gang of struggling drunks and junkies. Newcomer Alan

Tudyk steals his scenes as a gay German rehabber who might've dropped
in from a Berlin performance-art exhibit, and Steve Buscemi aptly
conveys the weary commitment of a counselor who's seen it all. Thomas
has
surrounded Bullock with a sharp ensemble, and the addition of
singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III (as a kind of Greek chorus
crooner) is
sublimely inspired.

Certainly no surprises here -- the warring sisters will reconcile, and
at least one rehabber will fail to recover -- but there's ample
pleasure to be found in Bullock's finely tuned performance, and in
Thomas's
inclusion of flashbacks and tangents that add depth and laughter in
just
the right dosage.



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++




Under the Influence 1986

Starring Andy Griffith, Season Hubley, Paul Provenza, Keanu Reeves,
Dana Andersen

This fine film features one of Keanu Reeves first performances. Who
would have guessed he would have become such a big star at the time
this
film came out. Griffith is compelling as Noah a long time alcoholic
with
a long suffering family. His wife basically closes her eyes and denies
everything, one of his son's runs away and becomes a comedian joking
about his dysfunctional family, his daughters become suicidal and his
son
is an alcoholic too. This isn't a happy bunch by any means, but this
film delivers a powerful message about alcoholism and its effect on a
family. Its gritty, unsentimental and pulls no punches. Next to Murder
In
Coweta County, I think this is Andy's most chilling performance. He
definitely doesn't play the sheriff from Mayberry here.

AND

Under the Influence is a TV movie about an alcoholic, scripted by
recovered alcoholic Joyce Rebeta-Burdett. Andy Griffith plays the head
of an
outwardly respectable New England family. Griffith drinks heavily, but
the rest of the family sweeps his addiction under the rug. When
Griffith lands in the hospital, he must come to grips with his illness
-- and
the rest of the family must stop lying to each other and to themselves.

Under the Influence is remarkable not only for the intelligent,
unsensational handling of its subject, must also for Andy Griffith's
convincing portrayal of a New Englander. ~ Hal Erickson

AND

Andy Griffith (Matlock) plays an alcoholic who denies his addiction and

drives his wife and two of his four kids into their own battle with
substance abuse. After he suffers a heart attack, the whole family is
forced to face the reality of their dysfunctional lives. Griffith,
Joyce
Van Patten, Season Hubley, Dana Andersen and Keanu Reeves are excellent

as the self-destructive family. Sharply directed by Thomas Carter
(Miami
Vice), this TV movie offers a sobering portrait of a middle-class
family in crisis. An important social issue drama done with style and
intelligence.



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Under The Volcano 1984

Starring Albert Finney and Jacqueline Bisset

Spying this title on a store shelf, one would hope that the mesmerizing

Albert Finney, who appeared in John Houston's 1984 film version, had
done the narration honors. Who else could muster and sustain the
sweaty,
poetic intensity befitting this extraordinary, beautifully written,
teeth-gnashing novel? Set in Mexico on the eve of WWII, the story tells
of
a man in extremis, an alcoholic consul bursting with regret, longing,
resentment and remorse, whose climactic moment rapidly approaches. Nick

Ullett is no Finney, but he comes satisfyingly close. His energy fails
him at times; he has difficulty negotiating some of the straggling
phrases, but, otherwise, he acquits himself with distinction,
particularly
in conveying the subtext and atmosphere.

AND

Against a background of war breaking out in Europe and the Mexican
fiesta Day of Death, we are taken through one day in the life of
Geoffrey
Firmin, a British consul living in alcoholic disrepair and obscurity in

a small southern Mexican town in 1939. The Consul's self-destructive
behavior, perhaps a metaphor for a menaced civilization, is a source of

perplexity and sadness to his nomadic, idealistic half-brother, Hugh,
and his ex-wife, Yvonne, who has returned with hopes of healing
Geoffrey
and their broken marriage.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vital Signs 1986

Starring Edward Asner, Gary Cole

Two women try to rid their doctor husbands, father and son, of
dependencies on alcohol and drugs.

AND

Vital Signs stars Ed Asner and Gary Cole as father and son, both
prominent surgeons. Asner's skills have diminished as his alcoholism
increases. Cole returns to his home town to straighten his dad out.
What no one
knows is that Cole himself is a substance abuser, addicted to morphine.

After several near-disasters and squabbling denials, father and son
make a mutual pact to wean themselves away from their addictions --
with
tragic results. Vital Signs is a better than average "affliction of the

week" TV movie.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Voice in the Mirror. 1958

Starring Richard Egan and Julie London

An artist takes to drink after the death of his daughter. Resists
interventions
by wife and doctor. Finds the strength he needs to stay on the wagon
with
the help of a fellow alcoholic - Male AA-Like person.

and

Richard Egan and Julie London are so realistic together, and Arthur
O'Connell merely devastating in this excellent depiction of the
struggles
of an American alcoholic. The pressures are realistically depicted, and

the struggles vividly felt. The excellent performances never hit a
false note.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

W.C. Fields (Jan. 29, 1880 - December 25, 1946) –

Numerous Movies - 1915 to 1942

Comment (sic.) by Glenn C

These are movie classics from the grand old period. They're still a lot
of fun
to watch today. It was the great era of Mae West, Edgar Bergen and
Charlie
McCarthy, and those other old classics.

Fields (who actually was an alcoholic) played an extremely cynical and
crotchety alcoholic in a lot of the movies in which he appeared.

He died of a stomach hemorrhage. A friend visited him in the hospital
shortly
before his death, and discovered, to his surprise, that Fields was
reading the
Bible. Since Fields had always been an atheist, he asked him what he
was
doing that for, and Fields replied, "I'm checking for loopholes."

A typical Fields line: "Twas a woman who drove me to drink. I never had
the
courtesy to thank her." Another one was: "Whilst traveling through the
Andes
Mountains, we lost our corkscrew. Had to live on food and water for
several
days!"

For those of us who are alcoholics, we can see what is actually going
on, and
it really isn't funny at all. But movie audiences at that time regarded
him as a
comic figure at whom they could laugh heartily, without even a twinge
of
uneasiness. And that in itself is a commentary on that era of American
history,
and the way people thought about alcoholism and drunkenness.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When A Man Loves A Woman 1994

Starring: Meg Ryan, Andy Garcia, Ellen Burstyn

The previews for When a Man Loves a Woman do this film an injustice.
Heavy on poorly-edited melodramatic sequences, they give little inkling

of the level of emotional honesty attained. Luis Mandoki's film
succeeds
not because it tackles alcoholism, but because it faces up to the
trauma that eats away at the lives of the non-alcoholics

in the family. One failing of the script is that it assumes an unlikely

level of ignorance from its audience. Alcoholism is such a pervasive
social problem that it's hard to accept that anyone likely to see When
a
Man Loves a Woman wouldn't have a better understanding of the disease
than the movie gives them credit for. After all, everything from high
school health classes to Oprah have, at one point or another, addressed

the issue. Unlike AIDS, alcoholism is not a new disease that the public

needs to be educated about.

When a Man Loves a Woman centers on a seemingly-happily married couple.

Michael Green (Andy Garcia) and his wife Alice (Meg Ryan) have, at
first glance, the perfect relationship. But take a peek beneath the
veneer,
and there are problems. Alice is a habitual drinker, and her periods of

sobriety are getting fewer and fewer. Meanwhile, Michael's duties as an

airline pilot take him away from home for weeks at a time, keeping him
ignorant of the extent of his wife's problem. Completing the family
unit are Jess (Tina Marjorino), Alice's daughter by another man whom
Michael has adopted as his own, and Casey (Mae Whitman), the
four-year-old
child of the Greens. The presence of these children, and their
importance to the development of the story, is what elevates When a Man
Loves a
Woman. As potent as some of the scenes between Michael and Alice are,
those featuring Jess or Casey invariably have greater impact. It helps
that both young actresses are believable.

Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia were probably given the lead roles more
because of box office appeal than an ability to bring superior depth to
their
characters. Surprisingly, while neither turns in an exceptional
performance, they are both solid, and each has a few scenes in which
they
shine.

The ending is too facile, and When a Man Loves a Woman may take longer
than necessary to arrive at its resolution. There are moments
throughout when the script is apt to strike a raw nerve with some, as
is often
the case when a "real" issue is probed with any degree of sincerity.
Whatever else it may do, this film does not play it safe, and the risks
it
takes keep the audience engaged by the drama.

When a Man Loves a Woman is about pain. This is not an original topic
for a movie -- especially one about alcoholism -- but the script does a

good enough job establishing the dynamics of the Green family that we
never doubt that the story deserves to be told. The film's poignancy is

its strength, even as occasional didactic tendencies are its weakness.
In balance, the former by far outweighs the latter, making this a
worthwhile picture.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

NO MENTION OF ALCOHOLISM IN THE REVIEWS

The following five movies have also been recommended by one or more
members as a movie about alcoholism, but in the available reviews, such
words as alcoholism, recovery and aa are not used.

Life of the Party

On Thin Ice

Sideways

Straight Out of Brooklyn

The Verdict



The Shining

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


With thanks to Billy K for compiling and Glenn C for addtions

God bless
Dave

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