User Reviews

With those broad shoulders, those wall-to-wall eyebrows, that steely look on her face, and wrapped in those expensive clothes, the inimitable Joan Crawford exudes glamour and resolve as famed Mildred Pierce, housewife turned businesswoman, in this Michael Curtiz-directed film, part mystery, part melodrama.

The film's story, told in flashbacks, begins with mystery, and it is helped along by terrific B&W lighting. Most of the rest of the story is sheer melodrama, with talky dialogue that erupts from confrontations between various characters. The most important confrontations occur between Mildred and her ungrateful, scheming daughter Veda, who requires tons of money to be happy. As the story moves along, Mildred buys and successfully operates a restaurant, but it's not enough to win approval from her odious daughter. Mildred's love for Veda is deep. But Mildred, we learn, is also a take-charge woman who won't take any guff from anyone, at least from caddy suitors or prospective in-laws.

It's a great story. And in addition to the topnotch cinematography, the film has great production design, costumes, and editing. We're also treated to some pleasantly nostalgic music from the 1940s. Crawford gets good support performances from Ann Blyth, Eve Arden, and Jack Carson. I also liked Butterfly McQueen, the little lady with the high-pitched voice who plays Mildred's maid.

I suspect this film would have been worthy of praise, even with someone else playing the title character; the film is that good. But no other actress would have had the stage presence of the impressive Joan Crawford. It's mostly because of her that "Mildred Pierce" will be remembered and loved, for generations to come. It's also partly because of "Mildred Pierce" that Joan Crawford will be admired as a Hollywood legend, for generations to come.

Joan Crawford, one of the world's great movie stars, truly shines in "Mildred Pierce", a tense, prickly film noir full of suspense and drama!

Joan is Mildred, a hard working pie and chicken maven who becomes a successful restuaranteur. Ann Blyth is superb as her nasty daughter Veda, who stoops to every level to get what she wants. Eve Arden and Jack Carson are unstoppable as Mildred's friends. "Mildred Pierce" was directed by the famed Michael Curtiz, best known for his work in "Casablanca". But it is my opinion that his best work is "Mildred Pierce". The lighting, the costumes, the sets, and most importantly, the writing all help this gem of a film become a true classic.

Joan won an Oscar for her breathtaking performance, but the tour de force powerhouse in "Mildred Pierce" was Ann Blyth. Black hearted Veda was the lynch pin of this movie, and Blyth's portrayal made Veda seem all too real and frightening. Nominated for an Oscar, she should have won.

Don't miss this timeless nail-biter

Joan Crawford won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the title character in this 1945 offering by Warner Brothers. Ms. Crawford was in her prime then and members of my generation, who remember her in films such as 1968's Berserk and 1970's Trog, are sometimes surprised to learn how attractive and talented she was in her heyday. The mean-spirited commentary of her life which we have been subjected to since her death in 1977 notwithstanding, still there was a certain hard edge to her personality which shown through in her screen roles. That she was able to win filmdom's greatest prize by playing a willing victim and vulnerable woman is perhaps the greatest tribute to her abilities as an artist. At any rate, she was the star of this film noir classic, a story that holds up well after 57 years. Mildred Pierce was an ordinary housewife of the era. No skills, relied on her husband for sustenance and leadership and was crushed when he ditched her for another woman. Her daughters were her whole life, doting unhealthily on Veda, the older one, especially (a very young Ann Blyth, herself nominated for Best Supporting Actress for this film). But, Veda was a schemer, conniver and social climber from the word go and it was ultimately her actions which brought an interesting human interest story to a thunderous climax. The story fascinates as we see Crawford, through iron will and determination, become an independent, successful business woman even as she makes tragic error after tragic error in her personal life. Mildred Pierce really is a rare animal, as it truly is more of a human interest story than any other in the film noir genre. The cast is great: Jack Carson, outstanding as Mildred's lifelong friend and would-be suitor, Bruce Bennett as Mildred's nice but weak-willed husband, Zachary Scott as the caddish successor to Bruce Bennett for Mildred's affections, and Eve Arden (still another nomination for Best Supporting Actress) in one of her trademark roles as a no nonsense gal pal. In Mildred Pierce, we have murder, love, misguided love, love not reciprocated, jealousy, misunderstanding, and good intentions/bad results. Could it be this film is so intriguing because we see in our own lives one or more of these very human conditions?

Joan Crawford's tour-de-force as a self-sacrificing mother is a real stunner. Directed by Michael Curtiz, and based on James M.Cain's steamy novel, "Mildred Pierce" is a slick stylish sudser that ranks among the best.

After a decade-long streak at MGM, Crawford, made her way over to Warner Bros. It was a brilliant move as Crawford won an Oscar (as Mildred) and ended up back on top.

As the title character, Crawford brings a sense of steely determination and guts. As a devoted housewife, Mildred puts the needs of her family first. So when her husband (Bruce Bennett) begins a sleazy affair with a woman down the street, Mildred kicks him out and starts life anew. Nothing - not even one daughter's death and another daughter's selfishness - stops Mildred from working her way to the top. She goes from waitress in a greasy diner to the wealthy owner of a successful restaurant chain. But despite her achievements, Mildred must contend with a slimy lover (Zachary Scott) and her increasingly vile and spoiled daughter, Veda (Ann Blyth). All the drama comes to a rousing climax, which culminates in a physical altercation between brat and mom.

Crawford's gut-wrenchingly sympathetic performance draws you in, and the sparks that she and the wonderful Blyth create are unforgettable. Also, a playful Eve Arden as Mildred's pal, spouts off some terrific dialogue.

"Mildred Pierce" is an exceptional piece of work that uses some of the finest elements of classic cinema. The story moves along at a sleek pace, and thanks to the writers, "Mildred" never sinks in the froth of its own soapiness. A powerful, emotional cinematic experience.

Six shots fired and a man falls down dead. Shortly thereafter, we meet a desperate Mildred Pierce who walks along the streets of the night. After a policeman prevented her from jumping into the river, she ends up at a bar where an old acquaintance flirts uncontrollably. They go to her house on the beach, from Mildred suddenly quickly departs. It turns out that it was in this house that the man was shot and soon the police on the spot. During interrogation begins the story of what led up to that fateful night. Mildred tells how she differs from her husband, working upward as a business woman and how she is willing to do absolutely everything to their already spoiled daughter Veda.

Mildred Pierce literally sparkles. Director Michael Curtiz, probably best known for Casablanca, knows how to get the luxurious feel of a grand noir drama. Elegant small transitions, meticulous and dramatic lighting applications, all in classic Hollywood manner, where nothing is left to chance.

The dialog is fabulous. Mildred's right hand Ida is so cool, with the hatching of witty one-liners. Even the ever-swarming Wally Fay is constantly exciting to listen to.

The story in itself is exciting, where you always know roughly how it will end, but not why or what role some of the characters will play. The characters are the driving force. It's about Mildred's efforts to give their daughters the life she had wanted, although it also means she does not listen to what they really want. Then there is a former spouse who is living his new life in the periphery, the friend who is helpful, but not without being sure to reap the rewards of Mildred's success and even a new one that might not be what he appears to be.

Crawford got a well-deserved Oscar for this film.

I saw this film on a college campus in an auditorium built in the 1930's. It was over twenty years ago, yet I can still feel the emotion and experience of seeing a Joan Crawford movie for the first time. This film was, and still is, one of the best on many levels. The film noir connection is evident. The supporting players, Jack Carson, Eve Arden, and Ann Blyth, among others, were perfect. Joan's portrayal of the mother who had to work in a restaurant was real. Blyth was the ultimate bitchy daughter and deserved the Oscar as supporting actress.I learned later of Crawfords huge comeback with this film, and not knowing her successes previously, it made perfect sense. She really had it. It's a shame that Faye Dunaway couldn't project this part of Crawford's life and career.

The characterization of film noire is applied to certain films that touch on the grittier, more cynical aspects of life. This genre is typified as having lead roles played by strong, solemn male characters, in this respect, Mildred Pierce is an exception. In all other ways Mildred Pierce follows the model for a great film noire. The main character encounters both success and crushing emotional hardships, which the viewer gets to see the effects of. The supporting characters do a wonderful job depicting deceit in action, and each individual character contributes moving specific parts of the film along. The film ends with somewhat of an untied knot, and the viewer could certainly learn to love Mildred as the epitome of a "tragic hero". The film starts with a mystery and works it's way backwards, and as you can assume the viewer imagines he/she knows what is going on, when clearly the writer has us at his whims. Great acting. Great tragedy. Great film noire.

The story that unfolds in Mildred Pierce is complicated and dark, and at its darkest, is a chilling portrait of a mother so devoted to her children (well, child, really) that she would go to any and all lengths for them. Although some of the situations and scenes suffer from the passage of time (the modern audience in the cinema, myself included, couldn't help laughing at some of the more ludicrous things said/done), the film as a whole worked, mostly on the strength of the performances.

Joan Crawford won her only Oscar for her role, and it was well-deserved--she held the film together with a confident performance that ranged from charming and sassy, to desperate and almost frightening. The final scenes of the film, especially, captured Mildred at her most pathetic, and Crawford looked utterly despondent in the telephone scene. Ann Blyth is utterly convincing as the spoilt, deeply disturbed Veda, narcissistic and unrelentingly manipulative of her mother. And the best supporting performance had to come from Eve Arden, who played Mildred's friend Ida--Arden saunters across the screen, stealing scenes left and right, before disappearing from view again. She was excellent!

The film is well worth the watch--not brilliant, but definitely very good. I also like the story-telling technique and the direction (the director made quite clever and frequent use of shadows and mirrors), and it's good that the darkness and melodrama was frequently mitigated by the well-written dialogue. 8/10.

"Mildred Pierce" is a strange mix of women's picture and film noir. In typical noir fashion, the film begins with a murder and flashes back to the events that led up to it. It also has the standard issue noir look; veteran director Michael Curtiz knew his way around a movie set, and gives his film a moody, shadowy look perfectly at home among the "Maltese Falcon's" and "Double Indemnity's" of the decade. But the story is pure melodrama, full of motherly suffering and gauzy swoonings. If you crossed Douglas Sirk with Raymond Chandler, you might get something like this.

Joan Crawford is wonderful in the title role, and the movie clearly exists to showcase the talents of its star. Ann Blyth is nearly demonic as Mildred's spoiled-brat daughter, Veda. And Eve Arden plays the only kind of character she was ever allowed to play, that of the acerbic, wise-cracking best friend. The men in the film are nearly an afterthought, interesting seeing as this movie came out during WWII. This is yet another of those films from the same time period that offered a hypothetical warning about what would happen to the homefront if women carried on in the roles traditionally reserved for men. Mildred enters the world of business but gets slapped down the moment she becomes successful. Feminist film theorists love this movie; in fact, I saw it in a feminist film class.

Grade: A-

Mildred Pierce is directed by Michael Curtiz and adapted from the James M. Cain novel by Ranald MacDougall, William Faulkner and Catherine Turney. It stars Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Bruce Bennett and Eve Arden. Music is by Max Steiner and the cinematographer is Ernest Haller. It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards and won just the one for Crawford in the Best Actress category.

Plot finds Crawford as Mildred Pierce, a devoted Mother of two girls who struggles to not only make her marriage work, but to also keep her eldest daughter, Veda (Blyth), in the luxurious life she demands. Murder, treachery and heartache is about to dog the Pierce family.

This is of course the film that is often remembered for being the film that saved Joan Crawford's career. After being dumped by MGM, and tagged with being box office poison, Crawford, it seemed, was destined to be the latest visitor to the acting scrap heap. But Jerry Wald over at Warner Brothers had other ideas. The part of Mildred had been offered to some of the big hitting ladies on the Warner studio lot, Stanwyck, Davies and Sheridan are just three of the names known to have shied away from the role. The feeling was that playing a woman with a mid-teen daughter was a no go for the age proud ladies. But Crawford, just entering her forties, took the role on, and in spite of initial protestations from director Curtiz, gave a terrific performance that landed her the coveted golden statuette and prolonged her film career for another 25 years.

Blending the psychological aspects of the woman's picture with the physical edges of film noir, "Mildred Pierce" is something of a unique picture. Very popular on release (it was a box office smash), it was thought that Cain's source novel wouldn't transfer well to the screen. Credit then to the writers for managing to create such an intriguing and watchable piece. True, they have had to tone down aspects from the book, and even added incidents and changed characters, but the essence is right and the timing couldn't have been more perfect for such a story. As film noir was becoming a telling style of film making, the pic also coincided with the later stages of WWII - a time when the role of the Woman, either in the service or at home, was under scrutiny. One of the great things about the film, and the performance of Crawford, is that it cobbles together many character strands of the 40s woman - in life and in film noir. She's a Suzy homemaker type, asked to be mother and wife, yet driven to be a business woman because she feels she's lacking in the necessary family home department. Where the film gets its noir flecks from is that Mildred may also be a murderer, a femme fatale, a woman whose every decision spells trouble. It's as if the makers (not just here but many others at the time) are saying that a woman's place is in the home, doing homely family stuff. Intriguing for sure, not necessarily in good taste, but an added spice into the melodramatic cooking pot that already contains greed and obsession.

Told with a flashback structure, the film is smoothly directed by the versatile Curtiz. But both he and Crawford are aided considerably across the board, not least by a truly great "Bitch" performance from Blyth. Veda is at one detestable, spoilt and mean, the daughter from hell, a status-seeking brat whose love comes at enormous cost to those who dare to get close to her. Blyth revels in it and her play off with Crawford is one of the film's major strengths. The support cast of Scott, Carson, Arden and Bennett are excellent value, while Steiner's music is unobtrusive and able to shift freely with the narrative twists. Finally it's left to Hallers photography to capture the feel and mood of the unfolding story. Shifting from sunny suburbia one moment to shadowy expressionistic bleakness the next, the photographer of such notable film's like "Gone With the Wind" and "Rebel Without a Cause", is integral to the moody excellence of "Mildred Pierce".

A murder mystery flanked by asides of class distinction, bad parenting, dubious sexual leanings and pure greed. Yep, "Mildred Pierce" is no ordinary movie - and hooray for that. 8.5/10

Competent rendition of James M. Cain's novel and well screen-written by Ronald MacDougall . Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford) is a tiring housewife living with his husband and two daughters . After her cheating husband (Bruce Bennett) leaves her, she turned waitress proving can become successful and independent businesswomen . As she begins waiting at tables into a restaurant and progresses creating a dinner chain . But she can't win the approval of her spoiled and ungrateful daughter(Ann Blyth) who is competing for infatuation with the same man and the mother loses her control . Tension run high as everything unravels until an exciting ending .

Thiis is a hard-boiled drama with touches of film Noir. It is packed with suspense , emotions , murder , intrigue , and is pretty entertaining . Top main cast with a splendid Joan Crawford whose acting in the title role won an Academy Award for best actress . Furthermore , a strong support cast as Zachary Scott , Jack Carson and Eve Arden who won Oscar nomination as likable friend . Fine cinematography in black and white with lights and darks by Ernest Haller , who along with Nicholas Musuraca and John Alton are the main artists of the classic photography that illuminates the Noir cinema. Excellent and tense score by the maestro Max Steiner fitting perfectly to intrigue and melodrama .Also shown in horrible computer colored version but is necessary avoid it .The motion picture is stunningly directed by Michael Curtiz . He is an expert in strictly American film Noir genre and in drama as proved in ¨Bright Leaf , Flaming Road , Passage Marseille¨ and of course ¨Casablanca¨ . Rating : Good , above average . Worthwhile watching .

James M Cain's novel 'Mildred Pierce' was much tougher, dirtier, violent and cynical than the gorgeously mounted movie it became, but the film still manages to maintain enough of the flavor of the book to be interesting. The portrait of working class life in Southern California works well, as does the depiction of a marriage that breaks down because of disappointment and resentment rather than anything melodramatic. Within its first hour MILDRED PIERCE captures something anxious about American life and marriages and families that is more true than most of what movies had shown up to that time, and it would prove to be even more so in the postwar world to come. The movie actually becomes more false and synthetic as it moves into Mildred's rise in life, but by then the plot and characters have taken hold.

And so has the film's increasingly bleak look at what women can expect when they live and work alone in a man's world, beset by men who want to exploit them, sexually and otherwise. This too, though softened from the book, would have seemed refreshingly frank to many of viewers at that time.

What raises the film to the level of classic is the first class work from every professional in every department. Joan Crawford is not much more expressive here than she was in her later MGM pictures, but this character suits her limited talents so well that she seems better than in almost anything else she did. All her Warners pictures used her more effectively than MGM usually managed to do, perhaps because in them she is invariably exploited, abused, maligned, even tortured. The bad behavior her Warners characters inspire in others is so extreme that she doesn't need to be. These plots do what Adrian's sometimes garish clothes did for her at MGM: they give her a personality, make her seem more interesting than she really was, and they make her sympathetic despite her essential coldness. Crawford gets able support from Ann Blyth, Eve Arden (as comedy relief; she is almost appearing in another movie entirely), Zachary Scott and especially Jack Carson, dead-on as a sweaty hustler and low rent lothario, bringing nuance to what could have been a one-note portrayal. Bruce Bennett isn't really a good actor in the role of Mildred's first husband, but he's perfectly cast -- he looks like an Okie from one of Dorothea Lange's photographs who went west to 'make it' and never did.

And as has been frequently mentioned here, Ernest Haller's cinematography (especially in the brilliant prints now being shown on cable) is consistently evocative and beautiful. So many of his shots live in the memory: in the scene where a mink wearing, gun wielding Mildred comes upon Monte and Vida kissing, the image is an almost primal one of betrayal and glamor -- the way their profiles are in darkness, the way Ann Blyth arches back against the bar, the hard, dim glitter of lame and the billows of tulle from her gown. The way Vida tumbles forward into almost blinding lamplight while Monte's face hardens behind her -- these are the kinds of wonderful images the best old films regularly delivered. Also excellent is Anton Grot's art direction, opulent but still managing to help create the particular SoCal atmosphere of this picture. And as usual, Max Steiner's score is effective, but as an earlier poster noted, he recycled a couple of motifs from his Oscar-winning score to NOW, VOYAGER. And director Michael Curtiz must be praised for keeping everything in perfect balance. This is one of the most admired '40s pictures and well worth a look.

I love this movie. Joan Crawford gives a stunning performance as Mildred, and I have never seen anyone with those eyes! I saw this with my mum on video when I was young, and I thought Joan was the most beautiful woman in the world! Color film could never give her such transcendent perfection. Butterfly McQueen, the maid Lottie, stole my heart as well; her sweet yet practical manner makes her an unforgettable asset to this film. You can't help but love her. Veda is a perfect nasty, her frozen beauty matching her frozen heart. I always thought that the penniless playboy looked like one of Tex Avery's Wolves! Watch "Red Hot Riding Hood" to see what I mean! It's a crying shame this movie only got one measly award. Even if you don't like Noir or older films, this one you can make an exception for. The sight of Joan in that incredible fur hat with THOSE EYES makes this more than just another movie.

What a great movie this is even on my (I think) 4th viewing. Joan Crawford excels in the title role as does co-star Ann Blythe who normally played sickly sweet heroines. Here she is the manipulative narcissistic daughter. The tension builds throughout this movie, the script is excellent and all the minor roles are cast and played beautifully. Eve Arden is wonderful as the second banana, she is dry, droll, witty and jaded and gets this across so well and is a wonderful counterfoil to Joan's intense mothering. The ending is very satisfying and feels exactly right. Why don't they make them like this anymore. a 9 out of 10.

Joan Crawford plays the title role, a mother who will do anything for her selfish daughter Veda, played by Ann Blyth. Mildred even goes into business, becoming a successful restaurant owner, but Veda is still ungrateful even as her mother has provided her opportunities in society.

Jack Carson plays Wally Fay, a man Mildred manipulates; Zachary Scott is Monte Beragon, another who gets involved in a tragic love triangle of sorts with Crawford's and Blyth's characters. Eve Arden plays Ida Corwin, a friend of Mildred's who later becomes one of her employees, that gets to say some great sassy lines including "Personally, Veda's convinced me that alligators have the right idea. They eat their young."

Eventually, the daughter gets herself in deep trouble and the mother's sacrifice is made even greater. Directed by Michael Curtiz, and based on the James M. Cain novel with a screenplay by Ranald MacDougall, this essential drama also features Bruce Bennett, Lee Patrick, Veda Ann Borg, and Butterfly McQueen (uncredited).

Joan Crawford's Academy Award winning Best Actress performance on her first (!) of three nominations. Also Supporting Actress Oscar nominations for Arden (her only!) and Blyth (her only as well). The film, its B&W Cinematography, and MacDougall's (his only) screenplay were also nominated. Added to the National Film Registry in 1996.

Zachary Scott (Monte) is shot dead at the beginning of the film and the police make arrests. His wife Joan Crawford (Mildred) is one of those arrested and relates her story in flashback to Inspector Moroni Olsen (Peterson) but Olsen is playing a cat-and-mouse game with his interview technique in order to catch the killer.

I liked this film. It has nice sets and a good story. You spend time double guessing where the story will go and sometimes you get it right. Sometimes you don't. The cast are all good portraying their characters how they need to be with the exception of the ridiculous comedy maid Butterfly McQueen (Lottie). She loses the film a mark and should have been completely deleted from the film. What an annoying voice!

The film has a lesson for all - don't spoil your children. If you think they are turning into daughter Ann Blyth (Veda) kick them out immediately and cease communication. It's the only way.

Typically overheated vehicle for Joan Crawford, a comeback movie for her at the time, one she lobbied hard for, eventually winning the Best Actress Oscar. James M. Cain's novel about a penniless single mother who works to make herself a success, losing control of her daughter in the process, was ripe opportunity for any actress to emote; Crawford takes the role over-the-top with rigid relish, shoulder-pads intact. She doesn't quite carve out an original characterization here, instead offering us another portrait in the Joan Crawford gallery (which is intriguing nonetheless). One can almost sense her go-for-broke determination, which certainly propels the movie through its standard soap clichés. Director Michael Curtiz gives the picture a rich, film-noir feel, Eve Arden is wonderful in a small part but, ultimately, this is just a notch or two above superficial melodrama. **1/2 from ****

Joan Crawford won her only award for the title role here, but her performance wasn't anything outstanding in my view. Indeed, while I found MILDRED PIERCE to be well photographed and directed, it never appealed to me on a personal level. I have nothing against "chick flicks" as a general rule or anything, but this one was really more of a woman's film about how a strong-willed housewife can divorce her husband, regain her individuality in this dog-eat-dog world of ours, and then set out to be a successful businesswoman all on her own. That's great for Ms. Pierce, but it didn't make for very interesting viewing for me. I did enjoy the confrontation scene when Crawford matches wits with her spoiled rotten daughter, but that couldn't make up for the way Crawford allowed the kid to walk all over her during the course of the rest of the movie. ** out of ****