Mildred Pierce (miniseries)

Mildred Pierce

Official poster of the miniseries released by HBO.
Genre Drama
Based on Mildred Pierce
by James M. Cain
Screenplay by Todd Haynes
Jon Raymond
Directed by Todd Haynes
Starring Kate Winslet
Guy Pearce
Evan Rachel Wood
Melissa Leo
Theme music composer Carter Burwell
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of episodes 5
Production
Producer(s) Todd Haynes
Christine Vachon
John Wells
Pamela Koffler
Ilene S. Landress
Cinematography Edward Lachman
Editor(s) Affonso Gonçalves
Running time 336 minutes
Budget $20 million
Release
Original network HBO
Original release March 27 (2011-03-27) – April 10, 2011 (2011-04-10)
External links
Website www.hbo.com/mildred-pierce

Mildred Pierce is a five-part miniseries that first aired on HBO on March 27, 2011. Adapted from James M. Cain's 1941 novel of the same name,[1] it was directed by Todd Haynes, and starred Kate Winslet in the title role, alongside Guy Pearce, Evan Rachel Wood and Melissa Leo.[1] Carter Burwell wrote the original score for the miniseries.

It is the second adaptation of the novel, after the 1945 film noir produced by Warner Bros. and starring Joan Crawford.

Synopsis

Mildred Pierce depicts an overprotective, self-sacrificing mother during the Great Depression who finds herself separated from her husband, opening a restaurant of her own and falling in love with a man, all the while trying to earn her spoiled, narcissistic elder daughter's love and respect.

Cast

Filming

Parts of the miniseries were filmed in three New York locations: Peekskill, Point Lookout and Merrick.[2]

Reception

Mildred Pierce received generally favorable reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film currently holds an average score of 69, based on 28 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[3] In a WBEZ podcast on the best theatrical films of 2011, critic Jonathan Rosenbaum used the series as an example of television work that was on par with the year's best movies, calling it Haynes' best work to date.[4] Salon.com called it a "quiet, heartbreaking masterpiece",[5] while The New York Times reviewer, Alessandra Stanley, commented that while the miniseries was "loyally, unwaveringly true to James M. Cain's 1941 novel", it did not "make the most of the mythic clash of mother, lover and ungrateful child", and was "not nearly as satisfying as the 1945 film noir".[6]

Novelist Stephen King, reviewing Mildred Pierce for The Daily Beast and Newsweek, praised the acting of Winslet, Pearce and Wood, and admired the show's attention to detail and structure,[7] but complained that the five-hour adaptation was "too damn long".[7] He finishes with, "Winslet’s Mildred is a genuine star turn. How Joan Crawford would have loathed her."[7]

The series was shown out of competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival in 2011.[8]

Ratings

Episode(s) Date Viewers
Part One and Part Two March 27, 2011 1.270 million[9]
Part Three April 3, 2011 0.987 million[10]
Part Four and Part Five April 10, 2011 0.964 million[11]

Awards and nominations

Award Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Outcome
Primetime Emmy Awards[12]
Outstanding Miniseries or Movie Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler, John Wells, Todd Haynes, and Ilene S. Landress Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Kate Winslet Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Guy Pearce Won
Brían F. O'Byrne Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Evan Rachel Wood Nominated
Melissa Leo Nominated
Mare Winningham Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special Todd Haynes Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special Todd Haynes and Jonathan Raymond Nominated
Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie Mark Friedberg, Peter Rogness, and Ellen Christiansen Won
Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special Laura Rosenthal Won
Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie Ed Lachman for "Part Five" Nominated
Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special Ann Roth and Michelle Matland for "Part Two" Nominated
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or Movie Jerry DeCarlo and Jerry Popolis Nominated
Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries or Movie (Non-Prosthetic) Patricia Regan and Linda Melazzo Nominated
Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score) Carter Burwell for "Part Five" Won
Outstanding Main Title Theme Music Carter Burwell Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie Camilla Toniolo for "Part Four" Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special Thomas O'Neil Younkman, Brian Dunlop, Tony Martinez, Ellen Heuer, and Eliza Paley for "Part Five" Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or Movie A. Josh Reinhardt, Leslie Shatz, Bobby Johanson, and Drew Kunin for "Part Five" Nominated
Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Lesley Robson-Foster, John Bair, Renuka Ballal, Nathan Meier, Constance Conrad, Marci Ichimura, Josephine Noh, Aaron Raff, and Scott Winston for "Part Five" Nominated
Golden Globe Awards[13] Best Miniseries or Television Film Nominated
Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Kate Winslet Won
Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film Guy Pearce Nominated
Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film Evan Rachel Wood Nominated
Satellite Awards[14] Best Television Film Won
Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Kate Winslet Won
Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film Guy Pearce Nominated
Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film Evan Rachel Wood Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards[15] Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Guy Pearce Nominated
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Kate Winslet Won

References

  1. 1 2 "About the Show". HBO.com. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  2. "The Show". PointHistorical.org. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  3. "Mildred Pierce". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  4. "Call-in: The best and worst of the year in global film". WBEZ91.5. WBEZ. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  5. "'Mildred Pierce' is a quiet, heartbreaking masterpiece". Salon.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
  6. Stanley, Alessandra (March 24, 2011). "Television Review: Mildred Pierce". TV.NYTimes.com. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 "Stephen King Reviews HBO's 'Mildred Pierce'". The Daily Beast. March 20, 2011. p. 1. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  8. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/photos-e6frf9bo-1226126240982?page=25
  9. Gorman, Bill (March 29, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Army Wives' Takes The Crown; 'Breakout Kings', Rises; 'Shameless' Finale Steady + Much More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  10. Seidman, Robert (April 5, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Ax Men,' 'Chopped,' 'Army Wives', Kardashians Lead Night; + 'The Killing,' 'The Borgias,' 'Breakout Kings + Much More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  11. Gorman, Bill (April 12, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Army Wives', 'The Killing' Steady; 'Breakout Kings' Falls; Plus 'Human Planet,' 'Khloe & Lamar,' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  12. "Mildred Pierce". Emmys.com. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  13. "Mildred Pierce". GoldenGlobes.org. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  14. "Mildred Pierce". PressAcademy.com. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  15. "The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". SAGAwards.org. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
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