Approaching 40, Crawford fought for the meaty role that other actresses shied away from. She was only thirteen years older than Blyth but once you are the mother of a teen, you can’t go back to leading lady roles. Fifteen years later Sophia Loren would thwart conventional wisdom with Two Women. Director Michael Curtiz wasn’t keen to work with the notoriously difficult Crawford, and they did butt heads, but would eventually learn to work together.
An unconventional noir, but it has all the elements. Crime, ambiguity, expressionist cinematography, a tight, biting script, and a femme fatale, though we are not initially certain who. But the story is told entirely from Mildred’s point of view. Not a hard bitten detective with a checkered past, but a wife and mother who bakes pies and strives to provide for her daughter.
It’s always nice to see Rydell High’s Eve Arden in a sizable role. Jack Carson made for a wonderfully slimy womanizer. I don’t recall his character from the few other films I’ve seen him in, but I’ll be sure to take notice next time. Seventeen year old Blyth was excellent as the petulant Veda, earning her an Oscar nom.
If I have any criticism of Mildred Pierce is that it felt a little long and talky through the middle, but that may say more about me than the movie. Script, story, and acting, it is solid all the way through. It earned Joan her only Oscar and did for her career what she hoped. And with that, I have reviewed my 700th film. AMRU 4.
“Personally, Veda's convinced me that alligators have the right idea. They eat their young.”
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