Mildred Pierce

Joan Crawford is at her best in Michael Curtiz’s noir melodrama about a waitress-turned-restaurateur discovering the cost of success.

  • Director

    Michael Curtiz

  • With

    Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Ann Blyth

  • USA 1945. 111min

  • Digital 4K

Adapted from James M. Cain’s novel, Curtiz’s pacy mix of melodrama and film noir begins with a murder before flashing back to show how the titular protagonist’s progress from single-mother waitress to successful restaurateur comes at a cost, thanks to fickle men and a brattish daughter. Crawford, perfectly cast, won an Oscar, while Ernest Haller’s camerawork and Anton Grot’s sets are likewise elegant and expressive.