[LastFilmIWatched]MildredPierce(1945)

Title:MildredPierceYear:1945Country:USALanguage:EnglishGenre:Crime,Drama,Film-NoirDirector:MichaelCurtizWriter:RanaldMacDougallbasedonthenovelofJamesM.CainMusic:MaxSteinerCinematography:ErnestHallerCast:JoanCrawfordJackCarsonZacharyScottAnnBlythBruceBennettEveArdenButterflyMcQueenMoroniOlsenJoAnnMarloweLeePatrickVedaAnnBorgRating:6.9/10JoanCrawford’sOscar-crowningstarvehicle,directedbyMichaelCurtiz,theOscar-winnerfromCASABLANCA(1942),basedonanovelfromJamesM.Cainandcentersonthecheckeredlifeofourtitularheroine,atwice-marriedwoman,amotheroftwo,anentrepreneurstartsherrestaurantbusinessexnihilo.Ostensiblybeginswithamurderinthewitchinghour,thelastwordofthevictimMonteBeragon(Scott),whomwelaterwouldknowisMildred’ssecondhusband,isanexclamatory“Mildred!”,togetherwithMildred’ssuicidalimpulseandsequentiallytriestoframeWallyFay(Carson),anoldfriend(whopersistentlymakesromanticadvancestoher,twiceaweek),asthekiller,handilyinscribesMildred’snameontheoffender’sseatinviewer’smind,thenduringthepoliceinterrogation,thenarrative’smainconstituentsarebigchunksofflashbacktoldentirelyandchronicallythroughMildred’sangle,notunlikeBillyWilder’sDOUBLEINDEMNITY(1944),Cain’shard-boiledfemme-fataletall-tale.Technicallyspeaking,leavingoutthemurderscene(undertheshadesofstrikingchiaroscuroandatmosphericsuspense),thisfilmhasbarelyanychromosomeoffilm-noirinitsveinandMildred,isanythingbutafemme-fatale,what’sonofferingis,firstly,aspiritedstoryofamodernwoman’sliberationfromherdomesticstereotype,followingbyaharrowingmelodrama.Mildredisatoughgal,whenshefirsthusbandBertPierce(Bennett)hasanaffairandloseshisjob,shehasnohesitationtopulltheplugoftheirmarriageandtakesitonherselftoraisingtheirtwodaughtersVeda(Blyth)andKay(Marlowe),startingfromamenialjobasawaitress.But,MildredhasherAchille’sheel,itisVeda,whoiscoddledbyherunconditionally,whichalsocausestheriftofherfirstmarriage(andsecondaswell),aratherdiscontentflavourinhindsight,isthatwedon’tgetthemotivationbehindherindulgenceofVedafromthewordgootherthanherowncharacteristicfoibles(whichisfurtherfacilitatedbymawkishlytakingKayoutoftheentirepicture,pneumoniafailstotakethebadseed),whichinsinuatesthatMildredisawfullybadatbeingamother,nowonecanseethepicture:awomancanactivelyseekdivorce,independenceandbecomethebread-makerforherchildren,shealsocanhaveasuccessfulcareer(howeverconvenienttheprocessseemsaccordingtothefilm),butshecannothaveeverything,shemusthasherclayoffeet,andthatfallsupontoanotherwoman,heryoung,angel-facedteenagedaughterportrayedasapetulant,callous,stuck-upingrate,whoseutterresentmenttowardshermotheralsoleavesnoelucidation,thus,theonlyrationaleissheispureevil.That’swhyitisverydifficulttooverlookitsmisogynousundertowintoday’sview,acurseMildredeventuallybreaksattheendbutthesadisticapproachisartisticallyunsavory,asidelinedepictionofEveArden’ssharp-tonguedIda,awomanmanintendstoignorebecauseofherlackinsexappealalsocomesoffasafleaintheear.Ofcourse,menaren’tbetterineveryaspectinCain’scynicalconception,wilyandlecherousasWally,decadentandobnoxiousasMonte,primandinadequateasBurt,ondifferentscales,theyarescourgesofMildred’sfixtoo,butsomegetsthecomeuppance,somejustdoesn’t.Ms.Crawfordgivesagenuinelypulsatingperformancenotwithstanding,evenerrsonthesideofoperatics,butthefine-linebetweengoodandgreatforanactressofherstatusisthat,intheendoftheday,shecannotaffordtocompletelyde-glamorizeherselfforthesakeofhercharacter,Mildreddoesn’tneedtobesexeduporgussiedup,sheisoverall,amorehead-headedtype,butMs.Crawfordneedsthat,attheageof39,sheneedstoreinforceherglamournotjustbyheractingbent,butherusualobjectifiedsexualallureaswell,whichaccordingtomylights,herownvanityandinsecuritycurtailsthevirtuosityofawell-renderedcharacterisation.BlythandArdenarebothOscar-nominated,theformerbanksonameatyrolereekofinsidiousperversenessandthelatterisarapier-likewise-cracker,onlyMildredneverlistenstoher.ZacharyScott,ontheotherhand,combinesascintillatingveneerofalluringurbanity,ranksnobberyanddepravity,onecannotreallybegrudgewhythosetwowomenofdisparatenaturewouldbothfalluponhissophisticatedspells(howevermomentarytheyare),butthat’sthecruxofMILDREDPIERCE,itappearsmoreconvincinginelicitingtheunabashedrottennessfrommenfolk,butlesssoinitspetticoatdiscord,whichactuallyisthenexusoftheentiretear-jerkingenterprise,howeverscrumptiousitmaypandertoourseyes.parallelcomparisons:SUDDENFEAR(1952)7.1/10;CASABLANCA(1942)8.9/10;DOUBLEINDEMNITY(1944)8.2/10本文版权归作者他他所有，任何形式转载请联系作者。