Director: Michael Curtiz
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Top Billed Actors: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott
Won 1 Oscar:
Best Actress - Joan Crawford
Nominated for 5 more:
Best Motion Picture - Warner Bros.
Best Supporting Actress - Eve Arden
Best Supporting Actress - Anne Blyth
Best Screenplay - Ranald MacDougall
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White - Ernest Haller
Plot: A murder is committed and a narrated flashback catches us up to see who did it while a mother's commitment is put to the ultimate test.
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Top Billed Actors: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott
Won 1 Oscar:
Best Actress - Joan Crawford
Nominated for 5 more:
Best Motion Picture - Warner Bros.
Best Supporting Actress - Eve Arden
Best Supporting Actress - Anne Blyth
Best Screenplay - Ranald MacDougall
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White - Ernest Haller
Plot: A murder is committed and a narrated flashback catches us up to see who did it while a mother's commitment is put to the ultimate test.
We've seen the quintessential romance, musical, and adventure films from Michael Curtiz so it's not surprising to see him leaving a mark in the film noir genre with Mildred Pierce (1945). Known more for the starring role by one Joan Crawford, who we haven't seen since Grand Hotel (1932), this will be the last Best Picture nominee directed by the Oscar-winner. But again, this is Crawford's vehicle and that's where the trivia is found. After a series of flops for MGM, Crawford needed to sign somewhere else. The role of Mildred Pierce wasn't desired among most of the star actresses due to the stigma attached to being a mother of a teenager. Crawford lobbied for the part, however, knowing it would be the role of a lifetime. Curtiz was skeptical to hire her due to her reputation but a rare screen test from an already-established star changed his mind. The two clashed on set but it's hard to argue with the end result, Crawford winning her first and only Oscar. She feigned ill the night of the ceremony thinking her name wouldn't be called so when she won, she had an impromptu press conference at her home.
And boy, was that Oscar deserving. Crawford is absolutely phenomenal here. She is able to maintain a reserved disposition yet still managed an undercurrent of seething resentment. There are plenty of moments where she could have gone full blown crazy disciplinarian or downtrodden lover, but she reigns it in and keeps us guessing how she would react next. Her daughter, played by sixteen-year-old Ann Blyth, is also excellent as the snobbish, spoiled brat. The scene that comes to physicality is hard for both of these characters and the pair of actresses plays it to perfection. Now, with the success of Double Indemnity (1944) and the film noir genre as a whole, a few changes were made to the screenplay. The addition of a murder and connecting the dots in flashback is straight out of that movie and it makes this one equally as interesting. The theme of doing anything for your child no matter the circumstance is shown in a beautifully horrific way given the elitist attitude of Blyth's Veda. Veda's words nearly had me in tears and to see Mildred continue to pour her love into her future touched my heart, even with these melodramatic extremes.
Although I do like the overall narrative of the murder and flashbacks to come to an explanation, I always find it silly when it transitions back to the person telling the story. Did Mildred really tell an hour-long tale to the police detective? The early moments of these flashbacks telestrate a bit too much as well. I will say that it took me a bit longer to piece together the ending but there were many moments that I could see happen from the details emphasized three scenes prior, mostly relating to what happens to certain family members and love interests. Because of this, the mystery aspect of the murder became dull over the course of the film, but that's not necessarily a bad thing as the onus is placed on the psychology of Mildred, which I take it was the true intentions of the James Cain novel. I am a bit mixed on the cinematography as well. There are many breathtaking shots, especially when it's simply Crawford's face in shadows, but there are moments in which the camera pushes in and the shadow from the physical camera is visible. I didn't expect that from the esteemed Ernest Haller.
Overall, the lengths a mother would go proves to be the perfect catalyst to showcase the return of Joan Crawford's immense talent. Her rapport with teen-aged villain Ann Blyth is a defining piece of this classic film noir. Although I'm mixed on the cinematography and some of the blatant foreshadowing in the screenplay, these are still two elements that tell an engaging story that rewards an astute viewer in the conclusion.
My Score: 8/10
And boy, was that Oscar deserving. Crawford is absolutely phenomenal here. She is able to maintain a reserved disposition yet still managed an undercurrent of seething resentment. There are plenty of moments where she could have gone full blown crazy disciplinarian or downtrodden lover, but she reigns it in and keeps us guessing how she would react next. Her daughter, played by sixteen-year-old Ann Blyth, is also excellent as the snobbish, spoiled brat. The scene that comes to physicality is hard for both of these characters and the pair of actresses plays it to perfection. Now, with the success of Double Indemnity (1944) and the film noir genre as a whole, a few changes were made to the screenplay. The addition of a murder and connecting the dots in flashback is straight out of that movie and it makes this one equally as interesting. The theme of doing anything for your child no matter the circumstance is shown in a beautifully horrific way given the elitist attitude of Blyth's Veda. Veda's words nearly had me in tears and to see Mildred continue to pour her love into her future touched my heart, even with these melodramatic extremes.
Although I do like the overall narrative of the murder and flashbacks to come to an explanation, I always find it silly when it transitions back to the person telling the story. Did Mildred really tell an hour-long tale to the police detective? The early moments of these flashbacks telestrate a bit too much as well. I will say that it took me a bit longer to piece together the ending but there were many moments that I could see happen from the details emphasized three scenes prior, mostly relating to what happens to certain family members and love interests. Because of this, the mystery aspect of the murder became dull over the course of the film, but that's not necessarily a bad thing as the onus is placed on the psychology of Mildred, which I take it was the true intentions of the James Cain novel. I am a bit mixed on the cinematography as well. There are many breathtaking shots, especially when it's simply Crawford's face in shadows, but there are moments in which the camera pushes in and the shadow from the physical camera is visible. I didn't expect that from the esteemed Ernest Haller.
Overall, the lengths a mother would go proves to be the perfect catalyst to showcase the return of Joan Crawford's immense talent. Her rapport with teen-aged villain Ann Blyth is a defining piece of this classic film noir. Although I'm mixed on the cinematography and some of the blatant foreshadowing in the screenplay, these are still two elements that tell an engaging story that rewards an astute viewer in the conclusion.
My Score: 8/10