Cinematic Favorites: "Mildred Pierce" (1945)

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"Get out Veda....get out before I kill you!"

- Mildred

You'll never believe it, but its the one year anniversary (6/25/09) since I first saw my favorite Mildred Pierce. It's the classic 1945 film noir that's most remembered for the casting of and the performance by Joan Crawford in the title role of the working class mother who climbs the business latter to provide for her ungrateful daughter, Veda. Its a film that "worked for me" every minute as I first saw it, and continues to do so. It's a movie that displays superior flimmaking in every sense; the rich, elegantly crafted narrative, the brilliant performances, the music, the perfectly noir-ish cinematography, and the superb, understated direction by Michael Curtiz - they all combine to form a real cinematic treat.

But what makes Mildred Pierce standout among the other noir pictures of the '40s (when these genre was hugely popular)? Something about it certainly does of course; maybe its the themes, the fact that it had real merit matched by b.o. success, or maybe because it holds up over the years. Now, I understand that some of the events in this film can show its age over the years, but the true underlying morals, motivations and actions are timeless. I think that a big part of the film's appeal and greatness comes from the simple fact that all of the working parts involved, both big and small, all clicked together and flow beautifully - an achievement not every film can say it accomplished. Oh no. Hardly any film in this day and age is flawless so its always a delight to see that things were done oh so right back in the Golden Age.

The story/narrative is much like any other film noir at the time, but here (thanks to a sharp and intelligent script) there is something a little different happening before our eyes. Everything is set up and introduced in a puzzle-like formation and as we go along we put the pieces together (mostly scenes and situations that are non sequential). It builds up like clock-work, really. Then when you step back and see everything you might discover something you had missed. This concept seriously does work here because the film's narrative -- while complex and and stuffed with all sorts of goodies -- never becomes this overwrought, soapy mess you would think going into it. This is thanks to Curtiz's direction which is delightfully paced and never skips over any essential details of the story. He keeps things so fresh and lively that when I watched the film again, after many times, it felt like the first time, and because he never gets indulgent/stuffy with the material at hand.

Onto the performances, the film is carried on Joan Crawford's (heavily padded!) shoulders and she is truly the driving force that keeps the film rolling. She aptly crafts a full, complete character and conveys each of Mildred's facets with ease and understanding. Her undeniable, mega star power comes into full effect here, but she doesn't simply rely on that. Instead, she shows us a real woman who's strength, intelligence, and dedication slowly emerge and grow as she builds her life to give her ungrateful daughter anything she desires. She shows the eternal conflict Mildred continually faces between the warm, affectionate mother and the ethics of doing what is right. Mildred may be tangled up with some seriously heavy hitters and some ball-busting situations, but Crawford maintains simplicity for her character without ever going too light. Mildred is many things to many people; mother, wife, object of lust, best friend, business lady, etc. and that she holds a firm, emotional grip on two key register's (vulnerable and tough) throughout is something amazing, and thoroughly Oscar-worthy of course.

As her wicked and beyond spoiled daughter Veda, Ann Blyth is captivating in her role. She gives a performance that is just a bit more complex than Crawford's, and but just as essential. It's Blyth's work that gives the movie its entirely effective noir-ish feel, and the provides Mildred Pierce with its true villianess. She calibrates her characterization to fit the mold of the film's ideas of greed, power, sexual politics, murder and a few other surprises come along the way. Blyth allows Veda's every action and word to slip both ways, provides subtle nuances, and brings dark shades to the role. She's completely, convincingly mean and its fun to watch. Not in any "campy" kind of way, but because she's good at it. Her energy and fire with Crawford is just exciting to watch, and she never looks back.

In the kind of role she was always known for, Eve Arden is just delightful as Mildred's gal pal Ida. She's the kind of friend anyone would love to have, the kind that always has your back. While Arden's role might appear to be an underwritten, flat character who's only used as mere comic relief in all of the dramaticness, she turns something really great out of what she's given. First of all, she's a hoot; her wise-cracks are perfectly timed and delivered with great results. But there's something beyond that, however, as Arden plays a bigger part with the movie, by anchoring the proceedings in a subtle yet powerful way - almost like another favored performance of mine. She's the one character who we can look to for identification and stability within all of the craziness happening and her light comedic touch is a welcoming presence. She gives texture to the role and she adds layers to the character using her own understanding of Ida, that the script doesn't supply. In fact, she not only gives depth to her character, but to the whole overall film. Her wise-cracks and witty observations express doubt/thought in (Mildred's myriad of connections/relationships) to not only her surrounding characters, but directly to the audience and lets them in on what's really to befall everyone.

The performances by Zachary Scott, Jack Carson, Bruce Bennett are all top notch as well as the unfairly uncredited Butterfly McQueen as Mildred's ditzball maid.

Ernest Holler's rich cinematography captures the very essence of film noir and the contrasting of light and the images he captures are all incredibly crisp and clear that I had to check to make sure I was seeing correctly - it was that perfect. But the visuals brought together with Max Steiner's excellent scoring create a treat for both senses.

Mildred Pierce is simply a perfect film, which takes what we think it is, and transends it to something greater and deeper.

What do you think of the film, though?