Review of Mildred Pierce (1945) by Jennifer B — 15 Feb 2010

"Mildred Pierce" (1945) is a fantastic movie. It starts with a bang, a man falling to his death and saying his final word, "Mildred." Joan plays Mildred, a working class mom who starts her own business and becomes a success all to provide for her daughter Veda, the most ungrateful child in cinema history.

Mildred , like many a parent, would do anything for her child. But would she commit murder. My mom picked this movie up for me and told me I'd love it, and she was right. The film was nominated fotr Best Picture of the Year but didn't win.

But Crawford did win the coveted Best Actress Oscar and she is fantastic in it. Joan, to me, was always a little overthe top, but here she is utter perfection. This classic Warner Brothers release has a fantastic cast including Eve Arden and Ann Blyth (Best Sup.

Actress nominations), Jack Carson, Zachery Scott,and Bruce Bennett. This is one of those "They don't make 'em like that anymore' movies and would make a fine addition to any serious film collectors library.

It was written by James M.Cain, the writer of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and directed by the great Michael Curtiz. Trivia Bit: If you've seen "Mommie Dearest"and believe it, Joan faked being sick the night of the Oscars because she was afraid she would lose, but had reporters waiting by her door, to get her acceptance speech from her bedside.

Don't miss this one because it has Joan's finest performance and proves what a wonderful but underrated actorJack Carson was. r.