Mildred Pierce

Joan Crawford nabbed a well-earned Oscar in her comeback performance in the title role of this 1945 film noir classic from Michael Curtiz, based on the novel by James M. Cain. Mildred is mommy dearest in the nicest sense to her material girl daughter Veda (Ann Blyth), especially after her middle-class marriage breaks up and she's forced to take a job as a waitress to keep Veda in accessories. Pulling herself up by her own apron strings, Mildred not only learns the business of being a restaurateur, she becomes one, eventually opening a chain of eateries bearing her name. Unfortunately (as anyone with a teenager well knows), as Veda grows up, so does her budget, leading to both financial strain for Mildred and unwelcome attention from her competitors. "I'll do anything," says Mildred in reference to her basic maternal instincts, and since the film is mostly told in flashback, I'm not revealing anything by saying that that "anything" may well include murder--the film opens with a man being shot in Mildred's house and our steely-eyed semi-heroine being taken in for questioning. Besides boasting wonderfully atmospheric cinematography by Ernest Haller and a lush score by Max Steiner, Mildred Pierce also features great supporting performances from Eve Arden and Jack Carson. On the technical side, Warner's DVD release is aces all around, from it's crisp, sharply contrasted digital transfer and Dolby Digital mono sound, to it's excellent, worth-the-price-of-admission-by-itself, all-new Turner Classic Movies 87-minute documentary Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star, narrated by Anjelica Huston, and featuring Cliff Robertson, Liz Smith and a still sniping, sour grapes Christina Crawford. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Feb. 21, 2017—Criterion, 111 min., not rated, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1945's Mildred Pierce features a great transfer and an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include the 2002 documentary “Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star” (88 min.), a new interview with critics Molly Haskell and Robert Polito (24 min.), a 2002 Q&A with costar Ann Blyth by film historian Eddie Muller (24 min.), a 1970 excerpt featuring Crawford on The David Frost Show (16 min.), a 1969 Today show segment featuring novelist James M. Cain (11 min.), a trailer, and an essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith. Bottom line: this Hollywood Golden Age classic sparkles on Blu-ray.]