 "A scorching soap of a film noir..." | 2009-11-03 |
| - Reviewed By User: ANCOMAI0I7LVG |
Best known for bringing Joan Crawford to an Oscar win, `Mildred Pierce' is a nice slice of contemporary crime noir heaven complete with slick performances, witty dialog and subtle yet engaging direction. It pretty much has everything that one could ask for from a film of this genre, despite the fact that it pretty short of believable. It's beyond entertaining and certainly one of the more satisfying films of the 40's.
The film opens with a gunshot and a dead body and a murder investigation that leads to quite a discovery.
Crawford plays Mildred, a devoted mother of two who throws out her prideful husband Bert and slums it as a waitress in order to provide for her doting daughter Kay and her spoiled brat of a daughter Veda. She eventually makes good on her savvy business sense and unwavering determination and opens a chain of successful restaurants that launch her into wealth; wealth that her daughter and new husband Monte are all to eager to squander.
Crawford is serviceable as Mildred, although I must say that I found her to be the films weakest link, performance wise. She doesn't do anything wrong, but she also doesn't do anything remarkable here either. I have yet to find Crawford stunning, but supposedly she was so I guess I have more to watch from her. I don't understand the Oscar win, but I'm not mad at it. Jack Carson was perhaps my favorite performance here. He really understood the style of the 40's film noir, and his enthusiastic and often suggestive delivery really complimented the direction of the film. He just captured my attention from beginning to end. Eve Arden has a few scenes, but she uses them to the full; chewing scenery left and right with a solid mix of wit and charm. Zachary Scott is full of seductive charms, but he also brushes each frame with that snooty presence that screams "SCOUNDREL".
Ann Blyth is a revelation as Veda. She completely makes a character that I absolutely loathe someone I desired to see in every scene. Veda will probably go down for me as one of the most unlikable and despise-worthy characters in the history of cinema and yet she was utterly delicious thanks to Blyth.
Despite the fact that I wanted to ring her neck, I couldn't help but smile every time she walked into view.
I wished that the script had been fleshed out a little more, for there is a very large story to tell here and it isn't told (at times) in the best way. It can feel rather rushed in areas as we jet across Mildred's life in large chunks. I am intrigued that they are turning this into a television mini-series (with the beloved Kate Winslet no less) and really feel that taking their time and expanding on this film will really create something wonderful, for there is so much here that is merely touched upon that will make for scrumptious viewing.
With style, grace and edge, `Mildred Pierce' is most definitely a film I'd recommend to anyone wanting a nice taste of the 40's. |
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| "book is better" | 2009-06-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2PMVCUX6VG27D |
| I was disappointed that the movie was so different from the book, but the people who watched it with me liked the outcome of the movie better than the book. |
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 "great find!" | 2009-05-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A25UWZ4VNVUAVJ |
| i ordered this great movie and it came quickly. it was just as described and i would recommend this seller to anyone. |
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| "Interesting Characters" | 2009-03-23 |
| - Reviewed By ccthemovieman |
This gets high points for the fine acting, memorable characters and successful melding pf a film noir with a soap opera. The movie is very interesting all the way through but if stupid and/or annoying characters get to you, then don't bother with this because there are some big-time fools in this film who are guaranteed to raise your blood pressure!
There are six major characters in this film. Three people are totally despicable, one is nice and sensible, and two are somewhere in the middle.
Eve Arden, who provides the humor and common sense consistently. For those Baby Boomers who remember her as TV''s "Our Miss Brooks," that's what she is here: same voice, same wise cracks.
Ann Blyth, the "Daughter from Hell," plays one of the worst spoiled kids in the history of film. Zachary Scott, ,as Mildred's second husband, a slimy, gold-bricking bum who has absolutely no morals. Jack Carson is the way-too-horny slob and ruthless businessman/lawyer .
The lead character, Mildred Pierce, played by Joan Crawford, is a hard-working, good businesswomen and very devoted mother. Her bad characteristics include having absolutely no sense of judgment on how to raise kids or what a marriage is all about. Finally, Bruce Bennett, as Mildred's first husband, has common sense regarding the kids, shows forgiveness and loyalty at the end, but cheats on his wife to begin with and walks out.
Yeah, as you can see above, it's soapy for a film noir......but it features interesting characters. It's nice to see that the DVD sports s a beautiful transfer: a sharp picture with good contrasts.
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| "A title character you won't soon forget" | 2009-01-22 |
| - Reviewed By joepauljr |
With its self-sacrificing mother character who works her fingers to the bone for an ungrateful child, "Mildred Pierce" is in many ways the quintessential 1940's "women's picture" I thought it would be. But I happily discovered that it's a bang-up, tough, and pretty stylish film noir, too, complete with murder mystery. And it's all based on a classic James M. Cain novel, another happy discovery.
The guns, gowns, and shadows of "Mildred Pierce" look great in this sharp Warner Brothers DVD, which is also packed with a variety of interesting extra features. These include a terrific collection of trailers of other classic Joan Crawford films, as well as a generous documentary on Ms. Crawford's career, that- at almost an hour and a half in length- is like getting a whole second feature on the DVD.
If you enjoy discovering or re-discovering (I did the former in this case) classic Hollywood films on DVD, you can't go wrong with "Mildred Pierce". |
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| "The great Joan Crawford!" | 2008-12-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3MVWMG910X6JP |
| I enjoyed watching this while staying in on a cold Saturday afternoon. Joan Crawford isn't usually in the mousey role, but she pulled it off just fine in this movie. |
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