There are many reasons to watch this unique drama. First, you expect drama, but the film opens with pure comedy, just like any film in which Jack Lemmon appears. Then J. P. Miller (the writer) starts pouring romantic elements into your glass, and before you realise it, you suddenly understand that the story is more serious than you thought. And finally, the film ends with a rare resolution—something you probably hoped would never happen.
Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick in Days of Wine and Roses
Days of Wine and Roses, directed by Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther, …), tells the story of a public relations manager named Joe Clay (Jack Lemmon), who meets a beautiful and proud secretary named Kirsten (Lee Remick) and quickly marries her—even before the film allows you to invest in their romantic relationship.
But the real story begins when Joe introduces Kirsten to his closest friend: alcohol! While their daughter Debbie is growing up, they quickly turn from two moderate individuals into two alcoholics. Life becomes even harder when Joe is sent out of town due to his poor performance at work, and Kirsten, while drunk, accidentally sets their apartment on fire and nearly kills herself and their daughter Debbie.
One day, Joe, who goes to a bar near his home in Union Square to drink, suddenly sees his reflection in the glass and is shocked. He returns home and tells Kirsten what he saw: “…I saw myself, I saw my reflection in the window… and for a moment I thought, who is this miserable beggar? It was me! It was I.
Look at me. I’m a messed-up person… look! You’re messed up, too. Look at yourself. Look at us. Come on, look at us! Do you see? Two miserable people!”
As you watch Days of Wine and Roses, the story becomes heavier every minute, the characters change drastically over time, and overall, the pace of the film increases. In fact, the brilliant and devoted performances of the two main actors, and their honesty in portraying their roles, place you in a position where you unexpectedly sympathize with them, worry about their problems, and most importantly, worry about their love.
The importance of this project for its filmmakers was so great that Edwards decided, to preserve the quality and coherence of the story, to shoot the scenes in the exact order in which they appear in the script, which, due to increased costs and production time, is the worst possible way to make a film. Jack Lemmon, in a coordinated plan, immediately travelled to Europe after filming ended to prevent any changes to the storyline that the studio might have requested.
But the personalization of this film for the actors and filmmakers does not stop here. In fact, Days of Wine and Roses affected the personal lives of its artists so deeply that it took a year after the end of filming for the director—and even longer for the actors—to give up alcohol and gradually return to their normal lives.
I will never forget Jack Lemmon’s face when he appeared in the film’s teaser to invite the audience to watch it (something he did only once in his 50-year career). He was not Jack Lemmon. He was Joe Clay—a severe alcoholic, a worried husband, and a selfish lover.
At the end of the film, Joe decides to overcome his addiction with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and especially a persistent volunteer named Jim Hungerford (Jack Klugman). Hungerford warns Joe that he must quit alcohol—even if it means losing his wife. A difficult decision for Joe, who was the cause of his innocent wife’s alcoholism.
During the filming of a complex scene, Edwards called for a lunch break, then signalled to Lemmon and Remick and asked them to accompany him. Lemmon recalls in an interview: “One of my favourite moments in my entire career was the first time I heard the song Days of Wine and Roses.”
They, along with composer Henry Mancini and lyricist Johnny Mercer, entered an empty room next to the set. “…and Hank (Mancini) played the first chord, and Johnny began to sing, ‘The days…’” At that moment, Jack Lemmon breaks down and begins to cry. In the interview, he notes that even after forty years, he is still emotionally affected by that moment.
Ultimately, the song Days of Wine and Roses won Mancini and Mercer the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 35th Academy Awards in 1963.
Days of Wine and Roses is not an easy film, but it is certainly an essential drama of our time. It is worth taking the time, sitting down, and allowing the artists of this work to amaze you with their sacrifice in creating a lasting piece.
