The heavy buzzing sound of an airplane departing from Chicago with Amsterdam as its designated destination served as the location for my screening.  The lights were out and people were sleeping, as I carefully placed the headphones over my ears and turned on my laptop to view this historical film-noir.  The opening credits emerging across the sand dunes while washed away by the waves of the ocean brought me the notion of life’s cyclical pattern.  Maybe it serves the theme of a mother’s nurturing care and idea for parental responsibility, or just tries to enhance the mysterious concept that surrounds film noir.  Anyway, the opening scene shows two brief night shots of an isolated luxury beach house with a third scene of a man falling over by a gun shot in the chest.  Undoubtedly, the opening smacks the audience with suspense from the first minute, as the perpetrator tosses the gun on top of the rapidly dying man.

[Deductive Spoilers Ahead]

In a coastal town not far from the luxurious beach house, a woman, who the audience eventually will identify as Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford), stands by the railing of pier while teary-eyed staring down in the water.  She steps up on the edge, preparing herself for a plunge when a police office slams the railing with his club.  Stunned out of her miserable moment she stops, as the police officer asks her, “What’s on your mind, lady?”  She brushes him off by asking him to leave her alone.  Instead, the police officer provides a simplistic answer of responsibility and the consequences of her actions.  Yet, it is within this basic idea, which the films gem rests.

When Mildred’s first plan did not succeed, she attempts a second, by bringing the old friend and owner of a bar Wally Fay (Jack Carson) to the same beach house with the murdered man from a couple of scenes ago.  They have a long friendship that stem from his affectionate care and interest in her, which has soured over some business deals.  Due to the circumstances, hastily Mildred acts, as if she changed her mind about Wally and invites him to her beach house.  It is not the kind of invitation that was common in the thirty’s, as she is married.  Yet, in some way, Mildred attempts to pin the murder on Wally.  However, things do not run as planned, as the police later picks her up.  From this moment on, things are getting even more complicated, which forces her to tell the true story about the murder.

Through Mildred’s voice-over, a flash back retells a lengthy tale starting from when she was a housewife.  Mildred goes into detail to share how her husband was laid-off, how and why she spoiled her daughters, and her husbands philandering.  She also shares how she became a successful businesswoman, and how her success continued to grow.  Besides the success, Mildred also tells of her misfortunes such as losing both of her daughters.  It is within the story of her daughters where the poignant tragedy emerges, as she shares with the Chief Inspector how she neglected and spoiled them.  It is a guilt-ridden tale that sobs out Mildred’s mouth; however, the audience cannot help to empathize with her while also seeing how she feels guilty.

How damaging affection can actually be if not properly managed emerges through Mildred’s relationship to her oldest daughter Veda (Ann Blyth).  Mildred’s sense of responsibility seems overwhelming, as she always attempts to provide for Veda.  In the process, Veda gets a skewed sense of reality; as she always is sheltered by her mother and never gets to test her own wings.  Mildred is naturally to blame for Veda’s blemishes.  However, the child also needs to learn the responsibility of ones own actions as an adult, which is a lesson that Mildred learns in a most profound manner.

Mildred Pierce, as a film, employs a brilliant adapted narrative that encourages the audience to contemplate the actions of the main character.  It also allows the viewer to contemplate on personal improvement while it provides a fascinatingly dark thriller.  The camerawork and the mise-en-scene help bring out the oppressive and shadowy elements of film noir, which compels the story to feel even more intriguing.  On top of this, the cast performs radiantly with Joan Crawford and Ann Blyth providing dazzling performances.  Michael Curtiz’s direction pulls it all together into a stunningly captivating story that keeps the audience in suspense and questioning the choices of Mildred Pierce.

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