Billy Wilder's tragic film on alcoholism won him an Oscar, earned its star Ray Milland one, and took Best Picture to boot. Milland's masterful performance is riveting as the lead character, a man who loves to drink and gradually descends into the depths of alcoholism. He always means to quit, but never quite can, for reasons we understand and relate to, and it's simply heartrending to see the bottle take out the blessings of his life, one by one. The film's haunting black and white cinematography (this is one that simply could not have been done right in color) punctuate its story.