Mildred Pierce (Keepcase)
by Michael Curtiz
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ann Blyth, Eve Arden, Jack Carson, Joan Crawford, Zachary ScottDirector: Michael Curtiz
Brand: Warner Brothers
Cinematographer: Ernest Haller
Producer: Jack L. Warner
Producer: Jerry Wald
Writer: Catherine Turney
Writer: James M. Cain
Writer: Ranald MacDougall
Writer: William Faulkner
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 111 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-14
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- What Veda wants, her mother Mildred Pierce provides. Even if Mildred must end her middle-class marriage, climb atop the male-dominated business world and marry a wealthy man she doesn't love. "I'll do anything," Mildred says in explaining her love for her daughter. But does anything include murder?Just when you think you got this nominee for five other Oscarsincluding Best Picture figured out, alo
Movie Reviews of Mildred Pierce (Keepcase)
Movie Review: A scorching soap of a film noir...
Summary: 4 Stars
Best known for bringing Joan Crawford to an Oscar win, `Mildred Pierce' is a nice slice of contemporary crime noir heaven complete with slick performances, witty dialog and subtle yet engaging direction. It pretty much has everything that one could ask for from a film of this genre, despite the fact that it pretty short of believable. It's beyond entertaining and certainly one of the more satisfying films of the 40's.
The film opens with a gunshot and a dead body and a murder investigation that leads to quite a discovery.
Crawford plays Mildred, a devoted mother of two who throws out her prideful husband Bert and slums it as a waitress in order to provide for her doting daughter Kay and her spoiled brat of a daughter Veda. She eventually makes good on her savvy business sense and unwavering determination and opens a chain of successful restaurants that launch her into wealth; wealth that her daughter and new husband Monte are all to eager to squander.
Crawford is serviceable as Mildred, although I must say that I found her to be the films weakest link, performance wise. She doesn't do anything wrong, but she also doesn't do anything remarkable here either. I have yet to find Crawford stunning, but supposedly she was so I guess I have more to watch from her. I don't understand the Oscar win, but I'm not mad at it. Jack Carson was perhaps my favorite performance here. He really understood the style of the 40's film noir, and his enthusiastic and often suggestive delivery really complimented the direction of the film. He just captured my attention from beginning to end. Eve Arden has a few scenes, but she uses them to the full; chewing scenery left and right with a solid mix of wit and charm. Zachary Scott is full of seductive charms, but he also brushes each frame with that snooty presence that screams "SCOUNDREL".
Ann Blyth is a revelation as Veda. She completely makes a character that I absolutely loathe someone I desired to see in every scene. Veda will probably go down for me as one of the most unlikable and despise-worthy characters in the history of cinema and yet she was utterly delicious thanks to Blyth.
Despite the fact that I wanted to ring her neck, I couldn't help but smile every time she walked into view.
I wished that the script had been fleshed out a little more, for there is a very large story to tell here and it isn't told (at times) in the best way. It can feel rather rushed in areas as we jet across Mildred's life in large chunks. I am intrigued that they are turning this into a television mini-series (with the beloved Kate Winslet no less) and really feel that taking their time and expanding on this film will really create something wonderful, for there is so much here that is merely touched upon that will make for scrumptious viewing.
With style, grace and edge, `Mildred Pierce' is most definitely a film I'd recommend to anyone wanting a nice taste of the 40's.
Summary of Mildred Pierce (Keepcase)
What Veda wants, her mother Mildred Pierce provides. Even if Mildred must end her middle-class marriage, climb atop the male-dominated business world and marry a wealthy man she doesn't love. "I'll do anything," Mildred says in explaining her love for her daughter. But does anything include murder? Just when you think you got this nominee for five other Oscarsincluding Best Picture figured out, along comes a shocking twist ending! Director: Michael Curtiz Starring: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Ann BlythFor a full dose of pure, unfiltered Joan Crawford, look no further than this slab of scorching film noir. Crawford is in her element as the heroine of James M. Cain's pulp-fiction classic, a ditched wife and mother who is forced to become a waitress. On the strength of Crawford's steely willpower (and maybe those intimidating wide-wing shoulder pads), she constructs an empire of eateries, only to be disappointed by her rotten daughter (Ann Blyth) and a ferret-faced new husband (Zachary Scott). Director Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) whips up a storm of atmosphere, and the script is a series of tartly written exchanges. The best lines go to perennial wisecracker Eve Arden, as Crawford's acid-tongued pal--she earned her only Oscar nomination for the role. Commenting on the ungrateful daughter, Arden says, "Alligators have the right idea. They eat their young." Crawford herself took home the best actress Oscar, and the film was a triumphant personal comeback: her longtime studio MGM had released her from her contract before Mildred Pierce came along. Is this great acting? (Pauline Kael called it "heavy breathing.") Whatever Joan Crawford is doing in this movie, it's movie presence at its most formidable. --Robert Horton
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