Mildred Pierce

Veda, does a new house mean so much to you that you would trade me for it?

Mildred Pierce is directed by Michael Curtiz and adapted from the James M. Cain novel by Ranald MacDougall, William Faulkner and Catherine Turney. It stars Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Bruce Bennett and Eve Arden. Music is by Max Steiner and the cinematographer is Ernest Haller. It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards and won just the one for Crawford in the Best Actress category.

Plot finds Crawford as Mildred Pierce, a devoted Mother of two girls who struggles to not only make her marriage work, but to also keep her eldest daughter, Veda (Blyth), in the luxurious life she demands. Murder, treachery and heartache is about to dog the Pie...

Saw this recently on the big screen at the BFI in London. Joan Crawford is simply stunning as a drab housewife, deserted by her useless husband, who starts off working in a restaurant kitchen as she strives for success and to be able to give her spoilt daughter the best that money can buy. Ann Blyth is wonderfully horrid as the daughter and Zachary Scott completes the trio of principals as the parasitical second husband. Mike Curtiz directs this superbly - particularly as the film heads to it's climax; the screenplay and the score also lend copiously to the overall effect of this deservedly Oscar-winning story. It's just great!