Blake Edwards - Days of Wine and Roses (1962)

Days of Wine and Roses is a film directed by Blake Edwards with a screenplay by JP Miller adapted from his own critically acclaimed 1958 teleplay for Playhouse 90 of the same name. The movie was produced by Martin Manulis with Henry Mancini music, and features Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick, Charles Bickford and Jack Klugman. The film depicts the insidious nature of addiction in modern life, following the downward spiral of two average Americans who succumb to alcoholism and attempt to deal with their problem.




At an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, advertising executive Joe Clay (Jack Lemmon), in flashback, tells the story of his deteriorating life. Joe is a former social drinker who turns alcoholic due to pressures at work. He meets his future wife Kirsten Arnesen (Lee Remick) at a party, and they both become full-blown alcoholics. He forces her to take a good, harsh look in the mirror: "I walked by the 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." The film is known for its memorable portrayal of a ravaged boozer, especially in these two scenes: - Joe's crazy and frenzied smash up of the contents of the greenhouse. - his collapse in a violent hospital ward, terrifyingly brutal and realistic.




Miller's teleplay for Playhouse 90, also titled Days of Wine and Roses, had received favorable critical attention and was nominated for an Emmy in the category "Best Writing of a Single Dramatic Program - One Hour or Longer." Manulis, a Playhouse 90 producer, decided the material was ideal for a groundbreaking movie. Some critics observed that the movie lacked the impact of the original television production. In an article written for DVD Journal, critic D.K. Holm noted numerous changes that altered the original considerably when the material was filmed. He cites as an example the hiring of Jack Lemmon. With his participation "little remained of the founding teleplay, except for actor Charles Bickford reprising his role." The film's Northern California locations included San Francisco, Albany and the Golden Gate Fields racetrack. The Oscar-winning song had music by Henry Mancini and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. 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. Edwards used the theme of alcohol abuse often in his films, including: 10 (1979), Blind Date (1987), and Skin Deep (1989). Both Lemmon and Remick sought help from Alcoholics Anonymous long after they had completed the film. 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.




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Basada en el film de televisión “Days of Wine and Roses” (1958), de John Frankenheimer, se rueda en escenarios naturales de San Francisco y alrededores y en los platós de Warner Studios. Nominada a 5 Oscar, gana uno, a la mejor canción. La acción dramática tiene lugar en San Francisco y alrededores, y brevemente en Houston, a lo largo de unos 6 años. Joe Clay (Lemmon), hijo de un actor y una cantante, de los que está distanciado, trabaja como jefe de relaciones públicas de una empresa importante. Su trabajo le obliga a organizar fiestas, con compañía femenina y abundante consumo de alcohol, para ejecutivos de la casa y de empresas relacionadas con ella como clientes o proveedores. A causa de una confusión conoce a Kirsten Arnesen (Remick), secretaria de un directivo de la casa, hija de una familia de origen noruego, educada en el rigorismo luterano. Poco después se casan y tienen una hija, Debbie. Él es simpático, campechano, de trato agradable, solitario, diligente y aficionado en exceso a la bebida. Ella es guapa, atractiva, cautelosa, abstemia y aficionada al chocolate. Vive sola en San Francisco, tras dejar la casa del padre, Ellis (Bickford), viudo, callado, serio y rigorista, que explota un vivero de flores en San Mateo. El film suma romance, drama y algunos apuntes documentalistas. La obra, décimo largometraje de Blake Edwards, construye un análisis sincero y detallado del alcoholismo y sus efectos devastadores sobre las personas. Es éste un tema recurrente en la filmografía del realizador. Apunta los posibles factores causales: relaciones familiares problemáticas, falta de cariño de los padres, educación estricta, predisposición congénita, personalidad frágil, fuerte presión social de la cultura de la resignación, etc. Explica las consecuencias: abandono de las responsabilidades familiares, degradación física, malos tratos, intentos vanos de recuperación, soledad, delirios, etc. Lo que más interesa al autor no son los episodios que jalonan la vida del alcohólico, sino la exploración global de su imparable proceso de autodestrucción. El guión presenta a unos personajes bien desarrollados psicológicamente. Explica los procesos con coherencia y verosimilitud. Mantiene un nivel alto de tensión dramática, que se despliega en un crescendo administrado con habilidad y mesura. Se expresa en términos sobrios y austeros, con renuncia a grandes efectismos. Hace uso en varias ocasiones de referencias documentalistas. La dilatada extensión temporal del relato obliga a realizar saltos de tiempo, que se identifican con suficiente claridad.



Screenwriter/Guión: J.P. Miller
Composer/Música: Henry Mancini
Cinematographer/Fotografía: Philip H. Lathrop (B&W)
Cast/Reparto: Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick, Charles Bickford, Jack Klugman, Alan Hewitt, Tom Palmer, Jack Albertson, Debbie Megowan