Excellent, riveting story. I watched it on DVD (not having been alive to see the theatrical run) and did not pause once for refreshments or breaks. If a movie can captivate you start to finish, immersing you to the extent that you do not want to break the spell, then it is excellent film-making.
I believe it is misclassified. Mildred Pierce did not really strike me as Film Noir. That may be because I went into it expecting Film Noir and, while some of the genre elements are present, it really never stayed in that territory. Mildred Pierce is very much a simple character study, almost a biopic. It starts and ends addressing a murder, and Mildred's flashbacks occur while she's at the police station, but that's pretty much the extent of the Film Noir influence.
Instead the movie focuses on who Mildred is and how she became that way. At the time of the murder she is an accomplished and successful businesswoman. She did not start out that way and the movie traces her life path at a steady and interesting pace.
Joan Crawford is well, she's Joan Crawford in the title role. The only flaw I can find in the movie is that Joan has difficulty expressing vulnerability. She looks so imperious and so strong that it is sometimes tricky to accept that her character is so downtrodden. One cannot completely excuse Joan for this either as, even when Mildred is a single mom of two daughters, desperately broke, she still wears clothes that look far above her particular station. This was always a signature quirk of Crawford's where she was loathe to appear in public looking anything less than the glamorous movie star and, likewise, did not want to appear unattractive in her movies. Compare this to Bette Davis or more recently Charlize Theron (in "Monster"), two actresses who happily "uglied" themselves for certain roles.
That is a rather negative tangent though and I should state that this aspect of Joan's presentation of Mildred was, to me, a minor flaw. Overall she was solid throughout, demonstrating quiet dignity when faced with challenges, unwanted advances and even heartbreak. Her two moments of rage were presented in an authentic contrast. So, Crawford delighted this viewer and I cannot imagine anyone else in the role.
The supporting cast was excellent as well. Jack Carson (one of my favorite character actors) shined as the wolfish friend who really treated her better than either husband. Zachary Scott was so authentic as the lazy, formerly rich hanger-on both in acting and appearance that he was almost a caricature. Eve Arden's role was smaller but it contained plenty of her famous sarcastic wit. Bruce Bennett was the weak link in the cast but, to his defense, his character of Bert didn't really have much to do other than be a catalyst for Mildred's success in the early part, and then a mildly sympathetic shoulder in the later.
The best performance possibly goes to Ann Blyth as the hateful daughter Veda. Blyth played Veda as porcelain, untouchable and wholly uncompassionate. Veda barely bothered to hide her contempt from her love-blind mother and feigned sadness or remorse when the situation demanded it. She was unapologetic to the end. A fascinating portrayal.
Highly recommended if you have an opportunity to see it. Like a novel, the movie is best viewed in an otherwise quiet, dark environment so that it can be afforded full focus.
I believe it is misclassified. Mildred Pierce did not really strike me as Film Noir. That may be because I went into it expecting Film Noir and, while some of the genre elements are present, it really never stayed in that territory. Mildred Pierce is very much a simple character study, almost a biopic. It starts and ends addressing a murder, and Mildred's flashbacks occur while she's at the police station, but that's pretty much the extent of the Film Noir influence.
Instead the movie focuses on who Mildred is and how she became that way. At the time of the murder she is an accomplished and successful businesswoman. She did not start out that way and the movie traces her life path at a steady and interesting pace.
Joan Crawford is well, she's Joan Crawford in the title role. The only flaw I can find in the movie is that Joan has difficulty expressing vulnerability. She looks so imperious and so strong that it is sometimes tricky to accept that her character is so downtrodden. One cannot completely excuse Joan for this either as, even when Mildred is a single mom of two daughters, desperately broke, she still wears clothes that look far above her particular station. This was always a signature quirk of Crawford's where she was loathe to appear in public looking anything less than the glamorous movie star and, likewise, did not want to appear unattractive in her movies. Compare this to Bette Davis or more recently Charlize Theron (in "Monster"), two actresses who happily "uglied" themselves for certain roles.
That is a rather negative tangent though and I should state that this aspect of Joan's presentation of Mildred was, to me, a minor flaw. Overall she was solid throughout, demonstrating quiet dignity when faced with challenges, unwanted advances and even heartbreak. Her two moments of rage were presented in an authentic contrast. So, Crawford delighted this viewer and I cannot imagine anyone else in the role.
The supporting cast was excellent as well. Jack Carson (one of my favorite character actors) shined as the wolfish friend who really treated her better than either husband. Zachary Scott was so authentic as the lazy, formerly rich hanger-on both in acting and appearance that he was almost a caricature. Eve Arden's role was smaller but it contained plenty of her famous sarcastic wit. Bruce Bennett was the weak link in the cast but, to his defense, his character of Bert didn't really have much to do other than be a catalyst for Mildred's success in the early part, and then a mildly sympathetic shoulder in the later.
The best performance possibly goes to Ann Blyth as the hateful daughter Veda. Blyth played Veda as porcelain, untouchable and wholly uncompassionate. Veda barely bothered to hide her contempt from her love-blind mother and feigned sadness or remorse when the situation demanded it. She was unapologetic to the end. A fascinating portrayal.
Highly recommended if you have an opportunity to see it. Like a novel, the movie is best viewed in an otherwise quiet, dark environment so that it can be afforded full focus.