larcam1
All the actors did a great job. The 1930's scenery was great. However, (there's always an "however") It was a 2 hour story that took 5 hours to tell. By the time the 5th episode started I had lost interest in the characters and really didn't care about the outcome.I don't know what the director had in mind, but there were far too may facial shots of Mildred Pierce with this sad and bewildered look on her face. The camera slowly panned forever on scenes with no one in them.It was not entertaining at all. The original studio version with Joan Crawford was corny, but at least it was over in 2 hours.Don't waste your time on this one.I give it a 3 rating because the actors were so good, but nothing else worked.
blanche-2
Classic film fans know well the 1945 "Mildred Pierce" that won an Oscar for its star, Joan Crawford, providing her the comeback vehicle after being fired by MGM.Due to censorship restrictions, the film's story deviated somewhat from the book and, because Crawford was the star, the focus was kept on her, rather than enlarging the story to include Veda's career. Also, several of the characters were combined or omitted.This version, starring Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce, Melissa Leo, Mare Winningham, Brian O'Byrne, and Evan Rachel Ward sticks to the James Cain novel, with dialogue actually lifted from it.The five-part drama still tells the story of Mildred and her obsession with her class-conscious, cold, spoiled, brat daughter Veda and the destruction this obsession costs the hard-working Mildred.As is usual with HBO, the production values are fantastic, perfect in setting the atmosphere of the '40s and the mood of the story. The top-notch acting adds to it, and while there may not have been enough story for the time allotted, it's still excellent, particularly if you have read the novel and/or seen the film.I can't imagine two actresses more different from one another than Kate Winslet and Joan Crawford, and the differences are highlighted here to interesting effect. Crawford played Mildred as strong yet vulnerable; it's an overt performance, as were all of her performances. Her Mildred lets Veda and Monty get away with taking advantage of her. Winslet's Mildred is more insecure, and her strength is inner in that she's a survivor. Her Mildred doesn't seem to realize that Veda and Monty are taking her for a ride, and she comes off like a sap. A sympathetic sap, but a sap nonetheless. In a way, it makes her reaction (taken from the book) when she does realize it all the more powerful.Guy Pearce sounds like Zachary Scott in the film, and he's marvelous with just the right touch of sleaze. As Bert, Mildred's ex-husband, Brian O'Byrne, who was the star of Doubt on Broadway, is excellent. Both Evan Rachel Wood and Morgan Turner (Veda as a child) were wonderful showing Veda's detached, frosty personality. It was episode 3 before I realized that Ida was played the remarkable Mare Winningham, who brightens every film she does. Melissa Leo was wasted as Lucy, but good nonetheless. And a special nod to Leslie Lyles, who played the woman in the employment office - she was a perfect '40s character.The rest of this review is for people interested in the singing in the film.Since James Cain was an aspiring opera singer at one time and the son of an opera singer, opera sometimes enters into his stories, as it does here. Some of the operatic selections for Veda here fit the story, particularly Der Holle Rache (mother-daughter), the Bell Song (luring men with one's voice), and the Casta Diva from Norma. As in the book, she's a coloratura soprano, which her teacher tells Mildred is rare. Not really. The rarest voices in opera are the bass, the heldentenor, and true dramatic sopranos and true dramatic mezzos. I say "true" because often their roles are sung by spintos or even big lyrics.In the HBO film, Veda has an odd repertoire which includes La Mamma Morta, a lyric spinto or dramatic soprano aria -- chosen because it fits Veda's feelings and personality. For instance, the aria contains the line "Porto sventura a chi bene mi vuole! (Evil to those who love me well!) Truer words were never sung. In her concert at the Hollywood Bowl, she sings from Barber of Seville, today sung by a mezzo, but probably back then, a coloratura, and her radio aria is Je Suis Titania, also a coloratura aria.The vocal experts for the 2011 version did not want Veda singing Casta Diva since it is an incorrect choice for a) a young singer and b) her voice, but due to the fact that it's about a love triangle, it was chosen. Sumi Jo, whose recordings dubbed Turner, obviously had never sung Casta Diva, so a recording by Edita Guberova was used instead.Evan Rachel Wood was criticized for lacking correct expression and being too concerned with the lip-synching. I'd like to see the person who made that comment lip synch in Italian and German.
Richard Harris (Norway1)
I picked this up as a "blind buy" because I love all the actors involved and enjoy a good period picture. This seemed right up my alley. Hell no. The story petered along at molasses pace with the final hour being the most painful to watch. The story really went nowhere. Thinking this is about Mildred Pierce is only half true - and the last two parts are mainly about her oldest daughter, payed by Even Rachel Wood.Guy Pearce is terrific. Winslet uses the same accent she mastered in Revolutionary Road but this character is much more boring. If we are supposed to be rooting for Mildred, I can't figure out why. All I wanted was for something interesting to happen at some point in the film. The most exciting event takes place in the last 10 minutes and then it stops just short of making it interesting. I would recommend watching The Reader or Revolutionary Road instead of this. Or for Guy Pearce, watch the Proposition or Memento. Evan Rachel Wood was great in Thirteen, and okay in the Wrestler. Not so impressive in anything else.Sorry. I really wanted to like this but have to be honest. It really sucked.
