Mildred Pierce 

Divorced single mom Mildred Pierce decides to open a restaurant business, which tears at the already-strained relationship with her ambitious elder daughter, Veda.

Stars:

Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce, Evan Rachel Wood

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 25 wins & 42 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Kate Winslet	...	Mildred Pierce 5 episodes, 2011
Brían F. O'Byrne	...	Bert Pierce 5 episodes, 2011
Melissa Leo	...	Lucy Gessler 5 episodes, 2011
James Le Gros	...	Wally Burgan 5 episodes, 2011
Mare Winningham	...	Ida Corwin 5 episodes, 2011
Marin Ireland	...	Letty 5 episodes, 2011
Murphy Guyer	...	Mr. Pierce 5 episodes, 2011
Guy Pearce	...	Monty Beragon 5 episodes, 2011
Diane Kagan	...	Mrs. Pierce 4 episodes, 2011
Christopher Koron	...	Archie 4 episodes, 2011
Morgan Turner	...	Veda Pierce 4 episodes, 2011
Halley Feiffer	...	Arline 3 episodes, 2011
Hope Davis	...	Mrs. Forrester 3 episodes, 2011
Miriam Shor	...	Anna 3 episodes, 2011
Robb Webb	...	Radio Announcer 3 episodes, 2011
Margaret Hall	...	Mrs. Floyd 3 episodes, 2011
Quinn McColgan	...	Ray Pierce 3 episodes, 2011
Erwin Falcon	...	Pancho 3 episodes, 2011
Elvy Yost	...	Sigrid 3 episodes, 2011
Laura Esterman	...	Mrs. Kramer 3 episodes, 2011
Till Schauder	...	Hans 3 episodes, 2011
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Veda Pierce 2 episodes, 2011
Evan Thompson	...	Man with a Cap 2 episodes, 2011
Brenda Wehle	...	Mrs. Turner 2 episodes, 2011
Ronald Guttman	...	Carlo Treviso 2 episodes, 2011
Kenneth Jennings	...	Small Man 2 episodes, 2011
Todd Aubrey Davis	...	Houseman 2 episodes, 2011
Tommy Nelson	...	Newsboy 2 episodes, 2011
MacKenzie Meehan	...	Cashier 2 episodes, 2011
Remy Auberjonois	...	Starched Collar Man 2 episodes, 2011
Matthew Foster	...	Starched Collar Man 2 episodes, 2011
Marceline Hugot	...	Table Two Woman 2 episodes, 2011
Rocco Sisto	...	Mr. Rossi 2 episodes, 2011
Kaili Vernoff	...	Table Two Woman 2 episodes, 2011
Annette Arnold	...	Waitress Annette 2 episodes, 2011
Laura Rosenthal	...	Waitress Doris 2 episodes, 2011
Mark Margolis	...	Mr. Chris 2 episodes, 2011
Darlene Violette	...	Waitress Darlene 2 episodes, 2011
Orlagh Cassidy	...	Woman 1 2 episodes, 2011
Emily Cass McDonnell	...	Woman 2 2 episodes, 2011
Scott Robertson	...	Mr. Rand 2 episodes, 2011
Bradley Mott	...	Mr. Rice 2 episodes, 2011
Mary Bacon	...	Young Mother 2 episodes, 2011
Bob McClure	...	Businessman 2 episodes, 2011
Sam Kitchin	...	Customer 2 episodes, 2011
Rachel Darden Bennett	...	Shirley 2 episodes, 2011
Lena Dunham	...	Nurse 1 2 episodes, 2011
Peter McRobbie	...	Dr. Gale 2 episodes, 2011
Susan Millard	...	Nurse 2 2 episodes, 2011
Max Brand	...	Orderly 2 episodes, 2011
Victor Slezak	...	Dr. Collins 2 episodes, 2011
Margaret Reed	...	Maggie Biederhof 2 episodes, 2011
Paul Pilcz	...	Tommy 2 episodes, 2011
Leslie Lyles	...	Mrs. Jaeckel 2 episodes, 2011
Maitely Weismann	...	Mrs. Levinson 2 episodes, 2011

Storyline

Glendale, California, 1931: Mildred Pierce, a young mother with a talent for baking, is left a "grass widow" after throwing her husband, Bert, out of the house. Forced to hunt for work to support herself and her two young daughters, 11-year-old Veda and seven-year-old Ray, Mildred visits an employment agency, only to encounter job opportunities she feels are beneath her. Amidst her job search, she receives dating advice from her friend and neighbor, Lucy Gessler, and begins an unexpected affair with an ex-business partner of her husband's, Wally Burgan. When Mildred receives a call from the agency regarding an opening as a housekeeper to a wealthy socialite, she reluctantly agrees to meet with her. After cutting the acerbic interview short, Mildred seeks refuge at a local diner, Cristofor's Café, where fate, and a waitress named Ida, will play a role in shaping her future.

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Plot Keywords:

mother daughter relationship | glendale california | california | restaurant | auteur tv | 

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Taglines:

Having It All Would Cost Her Everything.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 March 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mildred Pierce

Filming Locations:

Blauvelt, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Killer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

336 min (total run time)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

Evan Rachel Wood is 12 years younger than Kate Winslet, who plays her mother.

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.12 (2011)

User Reviews

The finest in dramatic art, wonderful and moving

I was already a Kate Winslet fan, but this performance has put her on a very short list of those who I have ever been so moved, so filled with respect and admiration.

From the moment we first meet her skillfully making pies (old school like grandma) we see a woman who inspires respect. Her troubled marriage becomes apparent right off, but it's not the unreasonable, irrational type of modern day failed marriage relationship. They come to a mutual understanding that they are not happy married to each other, recognizing their own faults and personality differences that are not making for a happy marriage. He leaves her for another woman and while shocking to her, Mildred's inner strength gives you the feeling she'll find a way to manage, although at the most challenging time imaginable - depression era California! We watch as Mildred works hard to keep her 2 daughters cared for while trying to keep herself from falling into understandable depression.

I'll leave the rest for when the series finishes, but I have never seen better acting than in this series, and a large part of that is KW. I believe her performance brings this series to a level it would not have achieved without her. Of course I must credit the directing, writing, and the story itself, for all are wonderful. I could not imagine any fan of dramatic film not liking this series.