Jennifer O'Dell Books

at the time of the making of this film debbie mc
gowan was my best friend. i never saw the movie but know enough about it by reading the book. i wasn't allowed to see the movie. i still haven't seen it . even though i have met the actors in real life. both jack lemmon and lee remmick were really alcoholic in real life. debbie and i were not treated so well by our parents. anyway i sure would like to see her again. they always choose redheads for parts, she was really lucky. .i am anxious to rent or buy the film and finally see it.it will probably bring back a lot of memories of being 7 again. they took a long time to finally destribute this film. it's not like today .sometimes produciton took 3 years.Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River and Other Academy Award Winners

Until The Days of Wine and Roses, Jack Lemmon was known by moviegoers as one of the great comic actors creating three of the greatest movie comedies of the late 50's and early 60's - Mister Roberts, Some Like it Hot and The Apartment. Director Blake Edwards was known for his brilliant comedies including Operation Petticoat and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

But when the two got together it was pure drama. Add to this, Lee Remick in her first mainstream starring role.

The Days of Wine and Roses was one of the first films to take on social alcoholism. Joe Clay is an up and coming public relations man in the early 60's when public relations meant getting party girls and drinking the client under the table. At one of these events he meets the straight laced Kirsten. He offends her by assuming she was one of the party girls. But there is something about him that she finds disarming.

Soon they are married and she is pulled into his world of social drinking. But it is worse for her because this was the era of stay at home mother. So she has no outlet and becomes dependant on alcohol to fill her drab day.

They both hit rock bottom. This scene is very scary. But it shows that not only do you have to hit rock bottom but also be ready to start climbing back up. (By the way, when you think they hit rock bottom is not rock bottom! They still have far to go!)

Until this film, most films on alcoholism are about one alcoholic and the girlfriend or spouse that try to save them. This film is more realistic than any before as both main characters slide into the abyss and only have themselves to get out.

Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick are both stunning and deserved their Oscar nominations. This was a turning point in both careers. Lemmon would easily slip from comedy to drama the rest of his career. While Remick would scorch both the big and little screen until her untimely death.

Also, this would be Edward's crowning achievement. He would create great comedies in the future but would never find another drama to surpass this.

And let's not forget Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer's Oscar winning song.

Cousin Larry and I saw this blueprint of how not to live. Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick become alcoholics and separate after having a child. Lemmon sobers up. Remick does not. I had a drinking problem in my 20s. I should have given this film more thought. Lemmon was a great actor, the average businessman struggling to make it in the city, funny and tragic at the same time. The title was taken from a poem by Ernest Dowson. "Vitae Summa Brevis" laments the brevity of life: "They are not long, the days of wine and roses. Out of a misty dream our path emerges for awhile, then closes within a dream."

This movie is right on the money - the best movie about alcoholism and recovery that I've ever seen. While Alcoholics Anonymous does maintain anonymity in mainstream media, I seem to recall that the General Service Offices of AA provided some consultation for this movie. It's the real deal. It is not a pink cloud story by any means - but it does show how people who have hit rock bottom, and can be completely honest about the mess they've made of their lives, can get better. And it's not always easy to get better. Having to let go of a loved one who can hurt or even ruin your recovery is awful, but often, it's the only way. The movie doesn't pull its punches in delivering that message.

Forget the fact that it's in B&W this film is one of the best ever made.
It's portrayal of the gradual slip into alcoholism of the main characters is brilliantly delt with. The slip is sensitively portrayed and a lesson to all. Forget the melodrama of the greenhouse search - shown in the film - a similar crisis awaits all heavy drinkers.

I have Jack's film "The Apartment" as my No1 film ever, this is No2.

at the time of the making of this film debbie mc
gowan was my best friend. i never saw the movie but know enough about it by reading the book. i wasn't allowed to see the movie. i still haven't seen it . even though i have met the actors in real life. both jack lemmon and lee remmick were really alcoholic in real life. debbie and i were not treated so well by our parents. anyway i sure would like to see her again. they always choose redheads for parts, she was really lucky. .i am anxious to rent or buy the film and finally see it.it will probably bring back a lot of memories of being 7 again. they took a long time to finally destribute this film. it's not like today .sometimes produciton took 3 years.Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River and Other Academy Award Winners

Until The Days of Wine and Roses, Jack Lemmon was known by moviegoers as one of the great comic actors creating three of the greatest movie comedies of the late 50's and early 60's - Mister Roberts, Some Like it Hot and The Apartment. Director Blake Edwards was known for his brilliant comedies including Operation Petticoat and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

But when the two got together it was pure drama. Add to this, Lee Remick in her first mainstream starring role.

The Days of Wine and Roses was one of the first films to take on social alcoholism. Joe Clay is an up and coming public relations man in the early 60's when public relations meant getting party girls and drinking the client under the table. At one of these events he meets the straight laced Kirsten. He offends her by assuming she was one of the party girls. But there is something about him that she finds disarming.

Soon they are married and she is pulled into his world of social drinking. But it is worse for her because this was the era of stay at home mother. So she has no outlet and becomes dependant on alcohol to fill her drab day.

They both hit rock bottom. This scene is very scary. But it shows that not only do you have to hit rock bottom but also be ready to start climbing back up. (By the way, when you think they hit rock bottom is not rock bottom! They still have far to go!)

Until this film, most films on alcoholism are about one alcoholic and the girlfriend or spouse that try to save them. This film is more realistic than any before as both main characters slide into the abyss and only have themselves to get out.

Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick are both stunning and deserved their Oscar nominations. This was a turning point in both careers. Lemmon would easily slip from comedy to drama the rest of his career. While Remick would scorch both the big and little screen until her untimely death.

Also, this would be Edward's crowning achievement. He would create great comedies in the future but would never find another drama to surpass this.

And let's not forget Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer's Oscar winning song.

Cousin Larry and I saw this blueprint of how not to live. Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick become alcoholics and separate after having a child. Lemmon sobers up. Remick does not. I had a drinking problem in my 20s. I should have given this film more thought. Lemmon was a great actor, the average businessman struggling to make it in the city, funny and tragic at the same time. The title was taken from a poem by Ernest Dowson. "Vitae Summa Brevis" laments the brevity of life: "They are not long, the days of wine and roses. Out of a misty dream our path emerges for awhile, then closes within a dream."

This movie is right on the money - the best movie about alcoholism and recovery that I've ever seen. While Alcoholics Anonymous does maintain anonymity in mainstream media, I seem to recall that the General Service Offices of AA provided some consultation for this movie. It's the real deal. It is not a pink cloud story by any means - but it does show how people who have hit rock bottom, and can be completely honest about the mess they've made of their lives, can get better. And it's not always easy to get better. Having to let go of a loved one who can hurt or even ruin your recovery is awful, but often, it's the only way. The movie doesn't pull its punches in delivering that message.

Forget the fact that it's in B&W this film is one of the best ever made.
It's portrayal of the gradual slip into alcoholism of the main characters is brilliantly delt with. The slip is sensitively portrayed and a lesson to all. Forget the melodrama of the greenhouse search - shown in the film - a similar crisis awaits all heavy drinkers.

I have Jack's film "The Apartment" as my No1 film ever, this is No2.