Mildred Pierce /
Mildred Pierce is a woman who will do anything to satisfy the demands of her spoiled daughter Veda, including divorce, opening her own business, and possibly murder.
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| Other Authors / Creators: | Curtiz, Michael, 1886-1962. Mildred Pierce. Wald, Jerry, 1911-1962. MacDougall, Ranald. Crawford, Joan, 1908-1977. Carson, Jack, 1910-1963. Scott, Zachary, 1914-1965. Blyth, Ann, 1928- Arden, Eve, 1908-1990. Bennett, Bruce, 1906-2007. Cain, James M. 1892-1977. |
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| Other Corporate Authors / Creators: | Warner Bros. Pictures (1969- ) Warner Home Video (Firm) Turner Entertainment Co. |
| Format: | DVD |
| Language: | English |
| Language notes: | Closed-captioned; optional subtitles in French or Spanish. |
| Imprint: | Burbank, CA : Warner Home Video : Turner Entertainment Co., [2003] |
| Subjects: | |
| Other title: | Joan Crawford: the ultimate movie star. |
| Summary: | Mildred Pierce is a woman who will do anything to satisfy the demands of her spoiled daughter Veda, including divorce, opening her own business, and possibly murder. Joan Crawford won an Academy Award for her bravura portrayal of the titular heroine in Mildred Pierce. The original James M. Cain novel concerns a wife and mother who works her way to financial security to provide a rosy future for her beloved daughter, but encounters difficulties and tragedies along the way. Ranald McDougall's screenplay tones down the sexual content, enhancing its film noir value by adding a sordid murder. The film opens with oily lounge lizard Monte Beragon (Zachary Scott) being pumped full of bullets. Croaking out the name "Mildred", he collapses and dies. Both the police and the audience are led to believe that the murderer is chain-restaurant entrepreneur Mildred Pierce (Crawford), who takes the time to relate some of her sordid history. As the flashback begins, we see Mildred unhappily married to philandering Bert Pierce (Bruce Bennett). She divorces him, keeping custody of her two beloved daughters, Veda (Ann Blyth) and Kay (Jo Anne Marlowe). To keep oldest daughter Veda in comparative luxury, Mildred ends up taking a waitressing position at a local restaurant. With the help of slimy real estate agent Wally Fay (Jack Carson), she eventually buys her own establishment, which grows into a chain of restaurants throughout Southern California. Meanwhile, Mildred smothers Veda in affection and creature comforts. She goes so far as to enter into a loveless marriage with the wealthy Monty Beragon in order to improve her social standing; Beragon repays the favor by living the life of a layabout playboy, much to Mildred's dismay -- and possible financial ruin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi |
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| Item Description: | Special features on side B include a documentary, Joan Crawford: the ultimate movie star and a Joan Crawford trailer gallery. Based on the novel by James M. Cain. Originally released as a motion picture in 1945. |
| Physical Description: | 1 videodisc (approximately 111 min.) : sound, black and white ; 4 3/4 in. |
| System Details: | DVD, Dolby digital mono. |
| Credits: | Director of photography, Ernest Haller ; editor, David Weisbart ; art director, Anton Grot ; music, Max Steiner. |
| Cast: | Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Ann Blyth, Eve Arden, Bruce Bennett. |
| ISBN: | 079077559X |