Stunning photography—cinematography—
along with an ingenious twist in the script, turned James M. Cain’s novel of Mildred Pierce, into a visual masterpiece. Unlike his other novels that were later made into the films Double Indemnity (1944), and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) which are noir stories even on the page, Mildred Pierce was not written as such. It’s more a character study of a woman who indomitably struggles against privation, and whose Achilles’ heel is her greatest passion, her daughter. In the hands of the Warner Bros. studio, this story, rather than a weepy so-called “woman’s picture” becomes first class noir. Largely, this is due to the cinematography—and a newly invented murder plot.
--- From Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.
You know this coming Sunday is Mother's Day when Turner Classic Movies includes Mildred Pierce (1945) in the lineup. That infamous mother-daughter duo played by Joan Crawford and Ann Blyth will start their scene-stealing at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Ann and Zachary Scott play out a famous scene in the striking lobby card above.
I received a phone call from Janet during her first year at Sheridan College. It was lunch hour and she and a bunch of the first years had a question for me. "What was the movie with the daughter?" I paused a second before saying "Mildred Pierce". "Mildred Pierce", I heart her shout and the echo of "Yes! That's it!" came over the phone.
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah, the one "with the daughter". No doubt, MILDRED PIERCE. What a hoot!
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