MILDRED PIERCE
I ENJOY ANY JOAN CRAWFORD MOVIES AND THIS ONE IS A GOOD ONE. WELL DONE!

Joan At Her Best!
Good to have this movie in my collection. One of the quintessential Joan Crawford movies. A must have! Acting is superb all the way around, especially Crawford, Blythe, Arden, Scott, and Carson.

True Classic
True Joan Crawford classic. I ordered this movie after seeing "Mommie Dearest", which I would also recommend.This movie won Joan Crawford an academy award and while I suspect (although I do not profess to be an expert by any means) that it was awarded more for her longevity in the business rather than for a specific stellar performance, this movie does not disappoint. It has a very interesting story line, particularly in light of the "Mommie Dearest" shadow on her relationship with her own adopted daughter. In the end I would call it a true glimpse of the previous generations' "chick flick".

A Masterpiece
Mildred Pierce features the best performance of Joan Crawford's career and it bagged her the Oscar for Best Actress in the process.

She stars as the title character, the doting Mother of two spoiled daughters, the young Kay and the vicious, money hungry Veda.

After Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford) finds out that her husband (Bruce Bennett) has been unfaithful, the pair seperate and ultimately divorce. She is left completely dependent on herself and as a result, has to get a job waitressing to help pay the bills.

Veda - played brilliantly by Ann Blyth, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress - soon becomes sick of the family's hard times and demands that her Mother provide her daughters with a better life. Mildred then seeks advice about opening up her own restaurant from realtor Wally Fay (Jack Carson) who introduces her to Monte Beragon (Zachary Scott), a property owner.

The film begins with Beragon's murder which Mildred admits to immediately and then progresses as she tells her story from the beginning. However, as she relates the events to the police, several different things seem suspect. Is Mildred lying, and if she is, will the truth come out in the end?

An excellent film noir from the Golden Age of cinema, the film was nominated for six Oscars - including Best Picture - and was directed by Michael Curtiz, the director of Casablanca. Joan Crawford is astounding as a desperate woman willing to do anything to protect her ungrateful children. The supporting cast are also on top form and the film is a joy to look at, beautifully photographed and fully restored.

A Love Story with a Moral
It is night along the coast. Shots are heard, a man falls to the floor. A car drives away. A woman stands on a pier until a policeman talks to her. Then a man meets her and offers a free drink. They talk about the past, then return to the beach house. Wally's talk tells about his character. Wally finds a man's body, Mildred has left. The police arrive to find Wally leaving the house. When Mildred returns home she finds the police waiting to take her in for questioning about the dead man. A detective takes all the pieces about a murder, puts them together, finds out the motive for the murder, then arrests a suspect. [No scientific investigation at all? Not even a paraffin test? When they find the first likely suspect the investigation ends. But better investigatory techniques are coming from advances in criminalistics.]

The film shows Mildred's past life with her first husband Burt Pierce. He is out of work. Mildred is devoted to her two daughters. Her married life breaks up over their difficulties. Burt's friend Wally comes over and invites himself in. Would Wally pull a cheap trick? Mildred's oldest daughter has expensive tastes. [Where did that come from?] Mildred learns it is hard to get a job without experience. But she finds a job as a waitress and does real good. At home she baked pies for the restaurant. Daughter Veda is a spoiled rotten snob. Mildred hopes to open her own restaurant, and finds a suitable property. Her business plan convinces Mr. Beragon to sell the house.

Mildred works hard to make her restaurant a success. She applies for a liquor license. Her life seems to be improving. Beragon is a wealthy heir who has an empty life. Then her youngest daughter catches pneumonia, a fatal disease before antibiotics. Mildred's hard work and management made her restaurant a big success, with other locations. The story now jumps to the murder investigation. The police have learned more about Mildred's activities that night. Wally Faye warned Mildred about Beragon - he is a parasite. Veda has been borrowing money from Mildred's employees. The character of Monte Beragon is revealed by his actions.

Mrs. Forester, Ted's mother, objects to Veda's romance with Ted. Veda has married Ted! But now Veda wants to end this marriage - for $10,000. Mildred learns about the horrible character of Veda and throws her out of her house. Mildred takes a vacation in Mexico [no reason given]. Mildred finds out that Veda is a singer at Wally Faye's bar; she has a new life. Monte Beragon is down to selling off the family mansion. [Is this a comment on his character?] Monte will make a deal for a marriage to Mildred. Will Mildred do anything for Veda? Soon Mildred's creditors are demanding payment, and she finds out how she was betrayed. [No surprise here?] The ending has a shocking surprise that follows logically from the actions viewed previously.

There are morals to this story. Beware of the wealthy and their bad habits. Do not neglect your family so they get into trouble. The most important is to know when to cut your losses and avoid bad choices. Mildred should not have ripped up that $10,000 check, or gotten involved with sleazy Monte Beragon. [Does this story remind you of what you might see on the "Jerry Springer Show"?] Was this a sad story? Or a satire on human error?