CONNECTION TO PREVIOUS ENTRY: Ann Blyth
SOURCE: Personal Collection, Criterion Blu ray
STARRING: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott
CO-STARS: Eve Arden, Ann Blyth, Bruce Bennett
DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz
COMPOSER: Max Steiner
STUDIO: Warner Brothers
SUMMARY: The film starts with the murder of Monte Beragon (Scott), the husband of Mildred Pierce (Crawford). The police are called and find the body. They also find Mildred attempting to drown herself and bring her down to the station for questioning. As the police talk with Mildred, they announce that they’ve determined that her ex-husband, Bert Pierce (Bennett) is the killer. She protests, stating that he’s “too kind and gentle” to have committed such a heinous act. This scene segues into Mildred telling her life story and what led to this moment. She explains that a few years ago, she was a housewife in Glendale, CA raising her two daughters, Veda (Blyth) and Kay. Known for being a good baker, Mildred baked and sold pies to supplement the family income. Bert is real estate partners with lawyer Wally Fay (Carson) and loses his job when the business starts to dwindle. When he arrives home to give Mildred the news, they end up fighting over money and Mildred’s constant catering to oldest daughter Veda, whose tastes are outpacing the family budget.
Bert and Mildred end up splitting up and he moves out. Needing to support her children, Mildred ends up getting a job as a waitress. She excels at her work and decides to open her own “Mildred’s” restaurant. She purchases a vacant building from Monte, a playboy whose diminishing fortune is rapidly outpacing his spending. Monte and Mildred begin to have an affair. Veda is smitten with Monte as both share an equal desire to live the high life without having to work. With the help of her former boss and new manager Ida (Arden), Mildred’s restaurant is a huge success and she’s able to open a half a dozen new locations. Tragedy strikes in Mildred’s life which strengthens her resolve to provide Veda with all that she wants, so that she doesn’t leave. Despite looking down on her mother’s occupation, Veda is not too good to reap the benefits of Mildred’s hard work. As the film progresses, she gets more and more brazen in her desire for wealth and material possessions–until she finally gets herself into a jam, that even Mildred can’t fix.
FAVORITE PART(S):
1) I love this movie. I love every minute of it. It is my favorite film noir. The main reason I love this movie is Veda. I do love a good villain and Veda is an excellent villain. There are no depths too low for Veda to sink to if it means getting more money or more material possessions. Veda Pierce is my queen.
2) The complete hypocrisy of Veda and Monte, arguably the film’s other villain, but perhaps not as bad compared to Veda. Veda and Monte are too good to ever earn money through work that they perceive as beneath them (i.e., restaurant work, or any work involving serving the general public), but they aren’t too proud to accept money that was earned as the result of someone else performing that work.
3) Monte’s hilarious burn towards Veda when she says that she thought he loved her and he says there’s no way he’d be in love with a “rotten tramp” like her. LOL.
4) Ida and Wally’s relationship. They are hysterical and I wish there had been an Ida/Wally buddy film spin-off.
5) Speaking of spin-offs, I would have loved one to see what happened to Veda after the film ends.
6) Both of the slapping scenes. Mildred slapping Veda, then Veda slapping Mildred. They are amazing and I love them.
7) Mildred completely losing her mind and selling Monte a 1/3 of her share of Mildred’s Inc. just to get him to agree to marry her in an effort to woo Veda back into her life. Mildred, what are you doing? Thank goodness Wally was there to save her business.
BEST QUOTE(S):
IDA (to WALLY who is staring at her): Leave something on me! I might catch cold.
VEDA (to MILDRED): With this money I can get away from you. From you and your chickens and your pies and your kitchens and everything that smells of grease. I can get away from this shack with its cheap furniture. And this town and its dollar days, and its women who wear uniforms and its men that wear overalls. ***YIKES! Frankly, I would have told her to just leave.***
IDA: Personally, Veda’s convinced me that alligators have the right idea. They eat their young.
MONTE: Oh I wish I could get that interested in work.
IDA: You were probably frightened by a callus at an early age!
VEDA: That’s what I like about you, Ida. You’re so delightfully provincial.
IDA: And I like you, too!
VEDA (to MILDRED): It’s your fault I am the way I am! Help me!
VEDA: You told me over and over again that you loved me!
MONTE: Did I? I must have been drinking.
VEDA: Monte! Listen to me!
MONTE: Look. You don’t really think I could be in love with a rotten little tramp like you, do you?
***LOL HYSTERICAL!! You get her, Monte!***