Review of Mildred Pierce (1945) by Blake P — 17 Aug 2011

A must-see! Mildred Pierce (Crawford) is being questioned by the police after they find her husband (Scott) dead, in her house. As she explains the events leading up to the fact, we find out that throughout her life as a mother, her oldest daughter Veda (Blyth) has ruled it, and Mildred had tried to impress her.

But Veda has remained ungrateful until finally they are estranged. Still, this murder brings them back together. Who murdered this guy? Mildred or Veda? "Mildred Pierce" has been known to not only be Joan Crawfords best movie, but her huge comeback.

From 1939 to 1944, Crawford had been named box office poison, which had really damaged her career. By the time this movie was in production, people had thought of her as a has-been and her career was pretty much over.

At the point of casting, nobody wanted the role because the character Mildred Pierce had a teenage daughter and was over 40, and all of the leading actresses were too vain to accept that they were finally past the young love interest phase.

So, the final two ended up being Barbara Stanwyck and Crawford. Curtiz chose Joan (though was leery at first), which was a great decision-- they not only worked great together, but they made many more movies as a team.

Curtiz direction is absolutely flawless here-- he blends film noir and soap opera great, and keeps a balance between the two. And the fact that he had so many great actors at his aid helped a lot too.

Joan of course is excellent (a lot better than Kate Winslet in my opinion), but Ann Blyth is really a standout. Blyth was only 17 at the time, and in fact, did get nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

I'm sure she really wowed both the audiences and critics, because this really one of the best movie villains I've seen. She delivers her brutal lines with ice, and does not overact or seem unrealistic even once.

Blyth almost upstages Crawford, that's how good she is. "Mildred Pierce" is a super film, and is a must-watch in my book.