Mildred Pierce

When i started this blog, it was not my intention to talk about TV series, however i was so taken by one particular miniseries that i thought it heresy not to talk about it. Mildred Pierce is a costume drama set during the great depression, about a working mother who opens a restaurant in California. Despite being slow and rather long (the whole 5 part series is over 5 hours long) Mildred Pierce is a fascinating look at a period about which until recently i knew relatively little.

The series relies heavily on the performance of its lead, in particular the thespian taking on the juggernaut of a title role, Kate Winslet, winner of and emmy and a golden globe for her performance. The two supporting actors, Guy Pierce and Evan Rachel Wood also give compelling performances, and were each nominated for emmys and golden globes. The series is adapted from an american novel by James M Cain, which was originally adapted into a 1945 film with Joan Crawford, the film veered far from the source material, and added a murder mystery plot, this version is much closer to the book, and is in fact a scene for scene and virtually verbatim adaptation of the source material.

The series is worth a see, this is most certainly not a rave review, as the series is overly long and at times very slow, however it is a poignant look at the 1930's and is supported by a confident performance by its lead; Kate Winslet Rating B+