Mildred Pierce is a gloomy yet captivating murder mystery. The story line leads up to the crime scene presented in the opening scenes. The drama explores the unsound relationship between a helpless mother and an unappreciative daughter. Both of their obnoxious personalities add to the insanity of this melodrama. Multiple flashbacks and weary shadows are responsible for keeping its viewers intrigued throughout the movie. The society back after World War II was based on ethics and the economy.
This movie reenacts the lives many women led during this time as a result of the war. Woman would take on the independent roles of their husbands, while they were away defending their country. Many would have to find ways to earn a living on their own. The film makers do an exceptional job of portraying the emotional, social, and economic demolition. Joan Crawford plays the amazing leading role of a mother whom is the head of the household after the divorce from her husband. After becoming a restaurant owner, she decides she wants to relay her success to her daughter, Veda.
She doesn’t want her daughter to be kept from having the opportunities she lacked as a girl. She is willing to do anything for the daughter that she believes has shown her so much light. She will protect her daughter even if it means hurting herself and others. Mildred becomes involved with playboy Monte B eragon, whom she later decides to marry to fulfill her daughter’s happiness. Mildred is not aware of the fact of the sexual relationship her daughter and Monte share. Secretly, Monte explains to Veda that he can’t be involved with her anymore because she is too young.
The Essay on The American Dream Mildred Family Life
... the old songs... ." (2. 3. 137). In Mildred Pierce, Veda, the daughter of Bert and Mildred, is a little different. At the beginning, ... protecting her daughter and her daughter can't be helped at this point and is caught and taken to jail. All that Mildred had ... other fancy things. Veda presents this in the following lines: "Monte had shown me the finer things in life... ." There are ...
He tells her, “Never take the mistress if you can have the maid.” Veda, being extremely upset by the rejection, informs her mother of the relationship between them. She decides the only way to relieve the pain he has caused the both of them is to shoot him. After she shoots him, the police immediately show up at their doorstep with questions concerning the murder. Mildred places the blame upon Wally Burden, former lover of Veda.
As mentioned earlier, Mildred is a mother who will go to the extremes in order to save her daughter from not being able to live a happy life. Overall Mildred Pierce is one of those confusing movies, that will leave you upset with the way it ends. After seeing the movie, most viewers will agree that the plot line is unrealistic. Some of the scenes are irrelevant, making it seem to drag out at certain points throughout the movie.
Many of the characters work as night club singers. It’s as if the director of the movie wanted to show the viewers that the character playing Veda could sing as well as act. The movie is also very predictable in the sense that it follows the path of many soap operas. The characters carelessness and absurdities almost lay out the plot for you. You can foresee through the flashbacks that someone will be killed dramatically. After the mother covers up for her daughters murderous act, the cops are still convinced that Veda committed the crime.
After Veda’s prosecution, Mildred’s first husband meets her at the police station. The entire movie is not pieced together well. The ending is a great example of this. When Mildred and her first husband are leaving they witness many women scrubbing the floors, intended to represent woman’s role in society. This scene is very degrading and contradicting to the beginning portrayal of women.
