1800
Pacific Avenue. Detail: Distinctive masonry makes the building
at 1800 Pacific Avenue easy to recognize. |
Jack Lemmon and
Lee Remick progress from social drinkers living in a nice apartment at
1800 Pacific Avenue in Pacific Heights to gin soaked sots with nothing
more to lose in Blake Edwards' 1962 drama Days
of Wine and Roses. Lemmon is a public relations executive who meets
Remick, his client's secretary, at the St.
Francis Yacht Club. The big screen treatment of themes familiar to
contemporary television audiences stands the test of time due to great
performances and an ending that's neither pat nor overly optimistic. The
Alcoholics Anonymous message is carried in the proper context of the story
and without the pedantic, pamphlet-like tone often taken by films about
alcoholism or alcoholics. City locations create a genuine sense of place
that fosters the film's social realism. Edwards' Experiment
in Terror, which also stars Remick, was released the same year.
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about Days of Wine and Roses |