'Mildred Pierce' Director: Michael Curtiz (1945) Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Melodrama casts noirish shadows in this portrait of maternal sacrifice. Joan Crawford’s iconic performance as Mildred, a single mother hell-bent on freeing her children from the stigma of economic hardship, solidified Crawford’s career comeback and gave the actor her only Oscar. But as Mildred pulls herself up by her bootstraps, first as an unflappable waitress and eventually as the well-heeled owner of a successful restaurant chain, the ingratitude of her materialistic firstborn (a diabolical Ann Blyth) becomes a venomous serpent’s tooth, setting in motion an endless cycle of desperate overtures and heartless recriminations. Recasting James M. Cain’s rich psychological novel as a murder mystery, this bitter cocktail of blind parental love and all-American ambition is both unremittingly hard-boiled and sumptuously emotional. Special features include:- Conversation with critics Molly Haskell and Robert Polito- Excerpt from a 1970 episode of The David Frost Show featuring actor Joan Crawford- Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star, a 2002 feature-length documentary- Q&A with actor Ann Blyth from 2006, presented by filmmaker Marc Huestis and conducted by film historian Eddie Muller- Segment from a 1969 episode of the Today show featuring Mildred Pierce novelist James M. Cain- Essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith
