Mildred Pierce
Reviewer: Tim Isaac
Issue 74 February 2006
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Film noir with a lady’s touch.
The Lowdown: After divorcing her cheating husband, Mildred Pierce wants to make a success of her life, but nothing is good enough for her spoiled daughter Veda. Mildred does everything she can to give Veda the luxuries she demands, even marrying a man she doesn’t love, but is murder a step too far?
Review: Having first found fame at the end of the silent era, Joan Crawford’s star was slipping fast by the mid 1940s. Not only did Mildred Pierce put her back on top, but also won her an Oscar. In some ways it’s a strange movie, part melodramatic ‘women’s film’ and part film noir. Despite it female lead, Mildred Pierce still has a rather male outlook, with the sense that Mildred’s lot in life isn’t just the result of weak men and an evil daughter, but also because she just can’t stop having those pesky feminine emotions.
Ann Blyth plays Mildred’s daughter Veda, who has to be one of the coldest and most unpleasant characters in cinema history. Veda will barely do anything for herself, but has no trouble in manipulating and demanding that other people make her life luxurious. Admittedly Mildred is a bit dim in not just accepting that her kid is completely psychotic, but she’s a woman you see and can’t help her motherly urges, no matter what that entails. The film’s outlook would never pass muster in this post-feminist era, but was surprisingly forward looking at the time.
The disc also includes a fascinating 90-minute biographical documentary on Crawford, which is required viewing for fans. It ensures that this DVD of a truly fantastic film is worth £16 of anyone’s money.
FILM: 8
EXTRAS: 7
Disc Info:
Starring: Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Butterfly McQueen
Certificate: PG
Director: Michael Curtiz
Distributor: Warner
Original Release: 1945
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Mono)
Visuals: 4:3 Fullscreen
Running Time: 110 mins
Price: £15.99
Special Features:
Scene Selection
‘Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star’ Documentary
