Mildred Pierce is just an amazing movie. To me, it's one of the movies that define the 1940s. The cinematography is dark and mesmerizing, and the whole story being told in flashback is very engaging. I can't think of another film noir at the time like it. What makes this movie so great is the characters. This is one of the best casts I've ever seen in a movie. The characters are so well written, so different, and so complex, that the emotions just leap off the screen. There are a lot of great characters, but the best performances come from Joan Crawford and Eve Arden. Eve Arden is amazing as Mildred Pierce's greedy daughter. She's such a horrible person, but that's what makes her so interesting. Joan Crawford is great as the title character, giving possibly the greatest female performance of all time. She's intelligent, she's hard working, she's loving, she makes her own decisions, and that's a breath of fresh air. She's a strong female character, but she doesn't come off like she's trying to prove something to men. That's a problem a lot writers have to this day; not being able to make a strong female character. Either they're horribly stereotyped, or they're only strong to prove a point to men. It's very rare to see a strong female lead that's just doing what she does naturally. I think the best thing about this movie is the relationships the characters all share. Like I said earlier, the characters are all very complex, and their on screen relationships feel all too real. You really get to know these characters, and you know where each of them is coming from. Some of them are kind of terrible people, but you understand why. In the end, Joan Crawford defends her horrible daughter, and you wonder why; but then you realize if you were in her position, and you had the same experiences as her, you'd do the same. It really is one of the greatest set of characters of all time, and great characters make a great movie.
Review of Mildred Pierce
