Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

JohnHowardReid SYNOPSIS: An ambitious woman spoils her 14-year-old daughter and becomes involved in murder and blackmail.NOTES: Nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture (lost to The Lost Weekend), Best Actress (won!), Best Supporting Actress - Eve Arden, Best Supporting Actress - Ann Blyth (lost to Anne Revere for National Velvet), Best Adapted Screenplay (lost to The Lost Weekend), Best Cinematography (lost to The Picture of Dorian Gray). Joan Crawford also won the National Board of Review award for Best Actress. Curtiz accepted the Oscar on Crawford's behalf as she was home in bed with flu.Despite Crawford's Academy triumph, Mildred Pierce was not highly regarded by most contemporary critics. But the film (assisted by clever publicity using the tag line "Don't tell anyone what she did!") was an instant success, grossing over $5 million in domestic rentals alone.Uncredited script contributions were made by William Faulkner and Louise Randall Pierson. Other writers involved were Albert Maltz and Margaret Gruen. For a full account of this uncredited work (of which Mrs. Pierson's was the most significant) consult the screenplay edited by Albert J. La Valley, published by The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, 1980.COMMENT: Mildred Pierce rivets the attention right from its dramatic opening when Scott plunges into the camera. The whole film is beautifully photographed - the lighting, the compositions, the camera angles. The drive and pace of the direction, the skilful use of sound effects, the atmos¬pheric music score, the impressive sets, but above all the performances command attention. Crawford no doubt deserved her Oscar, but it is a part she could have played standing on her head. It is Carson, Bennett, Scott and Blyth that really impress, particularly Carson who makes the most of his dialogue and gives perhaps the best dramatic performance of his career. Scott tends to make his character a little too charming so that his climactic murder comes as a bit of a shock. And there are other glaring holes in the script too, though basically it was an ingenious idea to place a bitter, realistic examination of a materialistic society within the framework of a murder mystery - and it also gives Moroni Olsen the opportunity to shine as an unconventionally jovial detective. Production values are superlative.

Davis P Mildred Pierce (1945) is one of American cinemas biggest classics. One of old Hollywood's most famous stars, Joan Crawford, plays the lead. And I must say that Crawford plays her starring role very well. Ann Blythe plays her ungrateful morally inept daughter. Crawfords character, Mildred Pierce, spends her life trying to please her greedy selfish daughter Veda, and eventually this all comes to a sudden tragic end. The movie is acted well, it's written well, and it's got a nice twist in the plot. Crawford plays the role with a certain determination, she is strong at times but then weak whenever her daughter Veda is involved. And I adore how Blythe plays Veda, her daughter. Blythe plays her with an unbelievably brutal attitude, greediness and pure selfishness is what makes up her entire being. And when her mother gets fed up with her, she begs and promises to change, then Of course the rotten girl continues on. I suggest this classic drama. 8/10 for Mildred Pierce.

Lee Eisenberg Joan Crawford won an Oscar for her portrayal of a mother whose determination to make a better life for her daughter leads to disastrous outcomes. Whereas Crawford is now known as abusive towards her children, "Mildred Pierce" casts her as a caring individual, while her daughter is the brutal one. Michael Curtiz's adaptation of James M. Cain's novel creates a truly noir setting. None of the characters can truly get called a "good" or "bad" person, even though plenty of them do questionable things.Without a doubt, the bulk of the credit has to go to Crawford. Her facial expressions are enough to chill you. Good performances also come from the rest of the cast, but Michael Curtiz's - of "Casablanca" fame - direction merits praise. The camera angles, lighting, and overall pace of the movie create one of the most intense movies that you'll ever see. I don't know what James M. Cain - of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" fame - thought of this adaptation, but I recommend it.As for movies about Joan Crawford, "Mommie Dearest" has a trashy reputation, but I took it seriously. I understand that Ryan Murphy has produced an upcoming miniseries about the production of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?", starring Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis. This sounds good. In the mean time, definitely see "Mildred Pierce" (I still haven't seen Todd Haynes's 2011 miniseries starring Kate Winslet).

Ricc0 Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest movies ever made, Curtiz's "Mildred Pierce" is more than a film about the life story of a hard working woman and the mysterious murder occurring in her house. It is a study of the human psychology.. the needs and desires.. and an approach to how people differentiate between illusion and reality and whether it is really valid!"Mildred pierce" is a film noir told through flashbacks with a voice-over narration from the protagonist, where she is telling her life story to the detective investigating in the murder of her second husband. An attractive housewife separates from her first husband due to disagreements related mainly to the raising of their two daughters. Mildred's Life then starts to take a different shape with all the struggles and sufferings, only to find that her hardest challenge is her older daughter Veda with her greedy, mean, and spoiled manners; all of which lead to destruction.The plot and its protagonist Mildred Pierce reminded me of "Gone with the Wind". The film though is more cynical and the characters are in a way or another two-faced.. The acting was great and that helped a lot in introducing the complicated characters and deep dialogue successfully (3 actresses were nominated for Oscars with a win for Joan Crawford in addition to Best Writing nomination). The incredible execution of the film intended to make it gloomy and succeeded.. it is dark, deeply shaded, mysterious, and "deceptive".. wonderful cinematography (also nominated). And the directing.. well it was masterful.What I love about this movie is the way Curtiz introduced its meanings and allegories. Starting with the opening scene, Curtiz shows us Monte (the second husband) being murdered without showing us the murderer. Going through Mildred's story the bits and bits of her life build up for us the image of the killer. The mystery (of life?) carries within it great illusions. In one scene, Mildred goes into a room to search for a bathing suit and Monte follows.. it is then revealed, as Mildred moves closer, that the initial shot was for a reflection of the mirror and for a moment there Mildred is facing herself in the mirror. A similar scene (of a mirror shot) is when Monte is embracing Mildred (do we perceive things in life as they are? are we even honest to ourselves? our feelings.. affections..). Remarkably in the same scene, Monte mentions the sound of his beating heart to Mildred.. after a while the "love scene" ends with Mildred telling Monte to stop the record "from beating" (the sound then - or his feelings I should say are artificial and his words deceptive).Note that in a scene on the beach, Curtiz plays with the light. It is the only "shiny" scene in the film without the contrasts where Mildred is seen happy with her lover Monte (before he becomes her husband).. Curtiz is being artistic and stylish.Curtiz then presents for us the human psyche at-most.. a devotion of a mother that in itself carries the seeds of destruction.. The strengths and motives that turn into weaknesses.. the desire to be wanted that makes someone try to buy the love of another (is "love" ever unconditional or does it always come from a need).. loyalty and betrayal.. the dark humor coming out through memorable words.. and the two faced characters. A beauty.. and a must-see classic.. Mildred Pierce.