In the following article, the product of on-going research into the representation of drinking and alcoholism in French cinema, the writer first assesses the relevance to this particular field of the study of cinema. He goes on to present the social setting for consumption of the main kinds of liquor shown on the screen, and attempts to determine the existence of certain types of person more driven than others to drink to excess, and whether there are social and psychological situations more conducive to overindulgence.