Posts Tagged ‘new start’

Almost a half-century after it was released, Days of Wine and Roses, starring Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick, is still considered one of the film community’s most realistic depictions of addiction. And perhaps the most harrowing moment in this study of a couple’s downward spiral from middle-class success to alcoholic nightmare is what’s known as the greenhouse scene. Lemmon’s character, Joe Clay, has hidden a flask among his father-in-law’s prized plants, and in a desperate frenzy, destroys the greenhouse trying to find it.

Lemmon was nominated for an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a host of other awards for his riveting portrayal of Clay, especially in the pivotal greenhouse scene. But what most filmgoers didn’t realize was that the famous scene was a retake. In the original, Lemmon gave what he believed was the best performance of his career. But there was a glitch and the footage was lost. He had to find a way to summon that powerful, gut-wrenching emotion a second time.

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