Miniseries Mildred Pierce

Adapted from James M. Cain's 1941 novel of the same name, It is about the titular heroine (Kate Winslet), a divorcée during the Great Depression struggling to establish a restaurant business while yearning for the respect of her narcissistic daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). The miniseries also features Guy Pearce and Melissa Leo. It is the second adaptation of the novel, after the 1945 film noir produced by Warner Bros. and starring Joan Crawford. Carter Burwell wrote the original score for the miniseries.

Mildred Pierce
Promotional poster
Genre	Drama
Based on	Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain
Screenplay by	Todd Haynes Jon Raymond
Directed by	Todd Haynes
Starring	Kate Winslet Guy Pearce Evan Rachel Wood Melissa Leo
Music by	Carter Burwell
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	5
Production
Producers	Todd Haynes Christine Vachon John Wells Pamela Koffler Ilene S. Landress
Cinematography	Edward Lachman
Editor	Affonso Gonçalves
Running time	58–79 minutes
Production companies	HBO MGM Television Killer Films John Wells Productions
Budget	$20 million
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	March 27 (2011-03-27) – April 10, 2011 (2011-04-10)

Mildred Pierce aired on HBO from March 27 to April 10, 2011, consisting of five episodes. It received a limited audience but gained positive reviews, especially for the performances. At the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, the series was nominated for nine awards and won two: Outstanding Lead Actress for Winslet and Outstanding Supporting Actor for Pearce.

Mildred Pierce depicts an overprotective, self-sacrificing mother during the Great Depression who finds herself separated from her husband, opening a restaurant of her own and falling in love with a man, all the while trying to earn her spoiled, narcissistic elder daughter's love and respect.

• Kate Winslet as Mildred Pierce
• Guy Pearce as Monty Beragon
• Evan Rachel Wood as Veda Pierce (Dilber Yunus and Sumi Jo as her singing "voice")
• Miriam Shor as Anna
• Melissa Leo as Lucy Gessler
• Morgan Turner as Young Veda Pierce
• James LeGros as Wally Burgan
• Brían F. O'Byrne as Bert Pierce
• Mare Winningham as Ida Corwin
• Hope Davis as Mrs. Forrester
• Quinn McColgan as Moire "Ray" Pierce
• Waltrudis Buck as Mrs. Temple

Parts of the miniseries were filmed in three New York locations: Peekskill, Point Lookout and Merrick.

 

Mildred Pierce received generally favorable reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 81% based on reviews from 58 critics, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Loyal to its source material to a fault, Mildred Pierce compensates for its familiarity with elaborate production values and a knockout lead performance." At Metacritic, the miniseries has a weighted average score of 69, based on 28 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". In a WBEZ podcast on the best theatrical films of 2011, critic Jonathan Rosenbaum used the series as an example of television work that was on par with the year's best movies, calling it Haynes' best work to date. Salon.com called it a "quiet, heartbreaking masterpiece", while The New York Times reviewer, Alessandra Stanley, commented that while the miniseries was "loyally, unwaveringly true to James M. Cain's 1941 novel", it did not "make the most of the mythic clash of mother, lover and ungrateful child", and was "not nearly as satisfying as the 1945 film noir".

Novelist Stephen King, reviewing Mildred Pierce for The Daily Beast and Newsweek, praised the acting of Winslet, Pearce and Wood, and admired the show's attention to detail and structure, but complained that the five-hour adaptation was "too damn long". He finishes with, "Winslet’s Mildred is a genuine star turn. How Joan Crawford would have loathed her."

The series was shown out of competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival in 2011.

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