Days Of Wine And Roses (1962)

Set in San Francisco, a public relations executive (Jack Lemmon) meets a young secretary (Lee Remick), they fall in love and get married. However, he drinks excessively and she is a teetotaler until he introduces her to alcohol. It isn't long before they are full blown alcoholics and their lives spiral down to its lowest depths. Based on the 1958 teleplay by JP Miller (who adapted his TV play for the screen) and directed by Blake Edwards (BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S). Miller's acclaimed teleplay with Cliff Robertson and Piper Laurie in the leads ran an hour long and Miller has expanded his original script to two hours which allows the movie to go into more detail. Despite studio pressure to give the movie a "happy" ending, Edwards stuck to his guns and kept the downbeat ending. Lemmon and Remick give exemplary performances and their final scene together is heartbreaking. It remains, perhaps, the most compelling film about alcoholism made to date (at least that I've seen). With Charles Bickford (repeating his role from the 1958 teleplay), Jack Klugman and Maxine Stuart.