Directed by:
Michael CurtizCinematography:
Ernest HallerComposer:
Max SteinerCast:
Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Ann Blyth, Bruce Bennett, Lee Patrick, Moroni Olsen, Veda Ann Borg, Jo Ann Marlowe, George Tobias (more)VOD (3)
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Melodrama casts noirish shadows in this portrait of maternal sacrifice from the Hollywood master Michael Curtiz. Its iconic performance by Joan Crawford as Mildred, a single mother hell-bent on freeing her children from the stigma of economic hardship, solidified Crawford's career comeback and gave the actor her only Oscar. But as Mildred pulls herself up by the bootstraps, first as an unflappable waitress and eventually as the well-heeled owner of a successful restaurant chain, the ingratitude of her materialistic firstborn (a diabolical Ann Blyth) becomes a venomous serpent's tooth, setting in motion an endless cycle of desperate overtures and heartless recriminations. Recasting James M. Cain rich psychological novel as a murder mystery, this bitter cocktail of blind parental love and all-American ambition is both unremittingly hard-boiled and sumptuously emotional. (Criterion)
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Starring the captivating Joan Crawford, who may not be the symbol of a Hollywood beauty like her enormous rival Bette Davis, but that doesn't change the fact that watching her as the main character is simply worth it. An unbelievable actress. Yes, the story has its weaknesses, but the way it is portrayed by the actors compensates for some moments on its own.
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Mildred Pierce in this original version is absolutely crazy. The whole narrative is quite different from what Cain's book offers us. The crime framework shifts the whole anabasis around Mildred and her business into a different genre, it lacks the emphasis on the Great Depression, and the direction of the daughters is also different, and so is the finale. Joan Crawford is in her element, wearing outrageous costumes in that edgy 40s silhouette and sprinkling stardust around her even though she's only wearing a kitchen apron. I like all the changes, so typical of Hollywood at the time, and I'm equally glad that HBO mini brought an almost literal adaptation for a change years later. Here, no stone is left unturned and few aspire to win the audience's sympathy, while the novel offers characters of far greater color. However, one cannot be separated from the other; the novel, the film, and the series form a rare package of excellent experiences.
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