Winner of the Oscar for best screenplay (also Wilders first oscar for best screenplay)Lost Weekend is one of the most powerful movies of all time. It has not dated at all and its importance has not faded. It is the ultimate example of how the hollywood system of the forties traded realism and then placed a hokum ending that just doesn't ring true, but even with this fault the screenplay is almost perfect, if only they wrote more films like this today, the emotional impact of leaving las vegas is nothing compared to the punch packed into this classic piece of moviemaking and screenwriting, read this and see Billy at his best.