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Written by: Ranald MacDougall (screen play), James M. Cain (novel), William Faulkner, Margaret Gruen, Albert Maltz, Louise Randall Pierson, Catherine Turney, Margaret Buell Wilder, Thames Williamson (contract writer, uncredited)
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Ann Blyth, Bruce Bennett
Rated: Approved [PG-13]
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Plot
A hard-working mother inches towards disaster as she divorces her husband and starts a successful restaurant business to support her spoiled daughter.
Verdict
It's melodramatic, built on a child that believes she should be treated like royalty. Mildred suffers to provide that to her daughter for no real reason other than to give this a plot. No one ever tells the kid no. Mildred would do anything for her daughter and that proves to be a downfall for both of them.
It depends.
Review
This starts with a bang. Monte (Zachary Scott) is shot by an unseen assailant, uttering the name Mildred. Later that night Mildred (Joan Crawford) takes another man, Wally (Jack Carson), back to the house where the body is. It's clear she's trying to frame him as the cops soon appear just after she leaves.
Mildred is called to the station. Wally doesn't tell the cops what happened or that he was there with Mildred, and the cops think Mildred's ex-husband Bert (Bruce Bennett) is the culprit as he has motive. Mildred is adamant he didn't. What's her angle? It seems she killed her husband Monte with his indication that it was her while she tries to frame Wally. It can't be that easy.
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| Joan Crawford plays Mildred Pierce |
Mildred begins telling the cops her past in an effort to exonerate Bert. Years ago they divorced. Mildred began working at a diner to support her self and her children. Her oldest daughter Veda (Ann Blyth) is ashamed of her mother and spoiled. Veda wants to live an affluent life while Mildred is barely scraping by. By hustling at the diner and baking pies in her free time, Mildred manages to save enough to start her own restaurant.
She buys a building from the affluent Monte Beragon and they start a relationship, though it seems like convenience more than love. It provides Mildred and her daughters with a mansion, but surely Mildred didn't marry just so Veda could live in a mansion. While Mildred spends most of her time at the restaurant and building more, Monte spends a lot of time with Veda. Mildred notices that.
Veda marries a rich man, but that's annulled though not before Veda manages to get a check out of it. She rails against her mom, stating she's desperate and willing to do anything to leave middle class behind.
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| Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth play Mildred Pierce, Veda Pierce |
Mildred tried to give her daughter everything and it's never enough. Veda still wants more and spurns everyone in that pursuit. No one is hurt more than her mother. Mildred marries Monte seemingly in the hope that it will catapult her into wealthy circles and maybe Veda will come back. While Veda's happy to live in a mansion, she still harbors a lot of disdain for her mother. I get trying to provide for your kid, but this is wild. Why does Veda think she should live as a queen? I never understood the why. Mildred doesn't seem to overly spoil her. The plot needs this setup fully explained for the rest of the story.
While Monte used to be wealthy, that money is going fast. He negotiated a share of Mildred's restaurant for the marriage and he's selling his shares. Mildred is looking at selling her stake to support Monte and her daughter. I figured there had to be a twist to the first scene. It can't be so cut and dry, and by the end of the movie what actually happened is revealed.
The premise is that Mildred will do anything for her kids, but what's not explained is why Veda demands so much. Mildred never balks, sacrificing everything to make Veda happy. I could see the divorce being the start to their fraught relationship, but there would have to be a fight between them along the way about how ridiculous Veda is. A tragedy could push them farther apart with Mildred then willing to sacrifice anything to bring Veda back. Without these answers, the story is a bit thin.
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