The 2011 version of "Mildred Pierce" by HBO Pictures is very different from the Oscar-winning 1945 film with Joan Crawford....so different that I recommend you see them both. And, if you can, see it on HBO Max soon, as it's ALSO posted along with the original movie version. Seeing both would be well worth your time.
So why are there two very different versions? Well, parts of James M. Cain's novel simply were not acceptable for the Production Code that Hollywood was forced to adhere to in 1945. So, Mildred's various sexual affairs were completely omitted from the first movie and the ending was changed to punish evil, as the Code would not allow wrongdoers to get away scot-free! But the Cain novel did allow for this darker, less 'nice' ending...and making the film over five and a half hours long worked for me very well. Some might find it a bit slow but I certainly didn't.
As for the plot, I'll only briefly describe it. Mildred's husband was been cheating on her and she's had enough...telling him to leave. But it's during the Depression and she has two daughters to care for an no income. So, without any other options, she looks for work and finds it in a greasy spoon. This is nothing to be ashamed of...work is work. But her eldest daughter, Veda, is a snobby little jerk and so Mildred tries to hide this job from her kids...as working as a waitress was somehow a bad thing! This is foreboding, for as the story progresses, although Mildred eventually is able to create a fantastic living by opening up her own restaurants, Veda demands money and support from her mother...while also having contempt for her as well. In short, Veda is a complete narcissist and Mildred is an enabling piece of soggy toast. How all this works out in this sweeping drama is for you to find out for yourself.
The acting, direction and script were all first rate and I might have even scored this one a 10 save for one glaring plot problem late in the film. The contemptable Veda, now about age 18-20, storms out of her mother's home and after only 2-3 months, is a singing sensation as an opera star. Now, considering Veda NEVER sang before this and never trained her voice, such a rages to riches success story simply defies common sense. I know Mr. Cain was a trained opera singer, so I can see why he included this plot, but you can't go from being a non-singer to an opera star in 2-3 months....it's just not logical. Still, you can look past this and see how exquisite the film is otherwise. Well made and well worth your time.
By the way, as a trained psychotherapist, I did find the very Freudian imagery and themes in this mini-series VERY interesting...and it's something lacking in the 1945 film.
So why are there two very different versions? Well, parts of James M. Cain's novel simply were not acceptable for the Production Code that Hollywood was forced to adhere to in 1945. So, Mildred's various sexual affairs were completely omitted from the first movie and the ending was changed to punish evil, as the Code would not allow wrongdoers to get away scot-free! But the Cain novel did allow for this darker, less 'nice' ending...and making the film over five and a half hours long worked for me very well. Some might find it a bit slow but I certainly didn't.
As for the plot, I'll only briefly describe it. Mildred's husband was been cheating on her and she's had enough...telling him to leave. But it's during the Depression and she has two daughters to care for an no income. So, without any other options, she looks for work and finds it in a greasy spoon. This is nothing to be ashamed of...work is work. But her eldest daughter, Veda, is a snobby little jerk and so Mildred tries to hide this job from her kids...as working as a waitress was somehow a bad thing! This is foreboding, for as the story progresses, although Mildred eventually is able to create a fantastic living by opening up her own restaurants, Veda demands money and support from her mother...while also having contempt for her as well. In short, Veda is a complete narcissist and Mildred is an enabling piece of soggy toast. How all this works out in this sweeping drama is for you to find out for yourself.
The acting, direction and script were all first rate and I might have even scored this one a 10 save for one glaring plot problem late in the film. The contemptable Veda, now about age 18-20, storms out of her mother's home and after only 2-3 months, is a singing sensation as an opera star. Now, considering Veda NEVER sang before this and never trained her voice, such a rages to riches success story simply defies common sense. I know Mr. Cain was a trained opera singer, so I can see why he included this plot, but you can't go from being a non-singer to an opera star in 2-3 months....it's just not logical. Still, you can look past this and see how exquisite the film is otherwise. Well made and well worth your time.
By the way, as a trained psychotherapist, I did find the very Freudian imagery and themes in this mini-series VERY interesting...and it's something lacking in the 1945 film.