Mildred Pierce (1945)

Melodrama casts noirish shadows in this portrait of maternal sacrifice from the Hollywood master Michael Curtiz. Its iconic performance by Joan Crawford (Johnny Guitar) 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 the 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 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:SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrackNew conversation about Mildred Pierce with critics Molly Haskell and Robert PolitoExcerpt from a 1970 episode of The David Frost Show featuring actor Joan CrawfordJoan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star, a 2002 feature-length documentary on Crawford's life and careerQ&A with actor Ann Blyth from 2002, conducted by film historian Eddie MullerSegment from a 1969 episode of the Today show featuring novelist James M. CainTrailerPlus: An essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith