Mildred Pierce

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

This 1945 film, directed by Michael Curtiz (who helmed Casablanca) and based on the novel by James M. Cain, paints a pretty cynical picture of the relationships between men and women, and mothers and daughters. The movie shows an American society that offers a slim chance of happiness for females in their roles as wives or mothers.

The opening title sequence shows waves of water crashing on a beach. The image suggests turbulence and the loss of things as they are washed away. It is evening as a beach house comes into view, the darkness of the time of day adding to the gloom permeating the scene. The story starts with the shooting of a man who, as he dies, says, “Mildred,” implying she may be his killer. A car with a woman drives away from the house. Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford in an Oscar winning performance) walking on a boardwalk dressed formally in furs. But, her monetary success is not strong enough to overcome the sadness in her face. The action taking place in the border area between the land and the ocean is reminiscent of the setting in Touch of Evil, which shows people living on the edge of prescribed civilized activity, ready to cross over the boundaries of acceptable behavior. To emphasize this point, a policeman, a person who enforces laws, confronts Mildred as she holds onto a rail, looking distraught, appearing as if she is contemplating suicide.

She walks to a restaurant, owned by Wally Fay (Jack Carson), who invites her in for a drink. He tells her not to be angry about what happened earlier concerning the selling of her business. She tells him his whiskey is lousy, and she has something better to drink at the beach house, where the killing took place. He has been hitting on her since they were younger so Wally takes her invitation as a chance for him to become intimate with Mildred. His enthusiasm is fueled because Mildred tells him that her husband, Monte Beragon (Zachary Scott), is not at the house. Monte’s body is on the floor near a sofa, but it is hidden from the Wally’s view.

We get an immediate insight into Wally’s personality, which is selfish and boastful, as he says he can talk his way out of anything, likes the sound of his own voice, and eventually always gets what he wants. When it comes to business matters, he is ruthless, saying,  “I see an angle, I start cutting myself a piece of throat. It’s an instinct.” After years of rejection, he wonders why she invited him to be alone with her this night. He starts to become physical with her, but she deliberately breaks her shot glass, and says she must change her stained clothes. She then runs out and leaves him there. He eventually goes through the house looking for her. There is a camera shot upward of him ascending a spiral staircase, which implies that there is a twisted scheme taking place. In fact, Mildred has locked Wally inside the house. He knocks over a lamp and finds Monte’s body. He breaks a window to get out, but the police come by and apprehend him. He says for a second time, “I’m so smart it’s a disease,” but this time the phrase is ironic, because he has been set up.

Mildred takes a cab to her luxurious home. Her daughter, Veda (Ann Blyth) is there, as well as are the police, who tell Mildred that her husband has been murdered. At the police station, we see Mildred’s friend Ida Corwin (Eve Arden). Ida’s character gets most of the witty lines in the script, and Arden delivers them with a deep voiced sharpness. Here, she tells the cop who grabs her arm to watch it because, “I bruise easy.” After seeing other people she knows, including Wally, showing up at the police department she says, “What is this, a class reunion?” Mildred’s ex-husband Bert Pierce (Bruce Bennett) appears, too. There is an extended pause as the camera gives us an inclusive shot showing how Mildred is surrounded by men in the office who control her situation. She is not allowed to speak until a detective says to her, “Now you can talk.” Men are in power here. Inspector Peterson (Moroni Olsen) who is heading the investigation tells Mildred that she is in the clear because they have the killer. They bring in Bert, which surprises her, and she suggests that the killer might be Wally. Peterson points out that Wally had no motive. The gun belongs to Bert, and he has not denied committing the crime. Mildred, still trying to exonerate Bert, says he is good and kind, but the inspector then asks, if that is the case, why did she divorce him? Her response is that she was wrong, and it has taken four years for her to realize her mistake. If that is the case, then her conclusion indicates that everything that happens to a woman who does not follow the female role model template assigned to her will lead to no good. In order to explain what led up to that night, her story is told in flashback to Peterson.

Four years prior, Bert was a realtor, and in a partnership with Wally. The business did well, but then the economy slowed down, and people stopped buying houses. Wally was able to stay in business, but Bert was ousted from the company, and was now unemployed. All of the houses in Mildred’s neighborhood look alike, which stresses the emphasis on conformity. In her voice-over, Mildred says, “I was always in the kitchen. I felt as though I’d been born in a kitchen and lived there all my life.” She says that she married at age seventeen, and only knew cooking and washing. Her words generalize to other women who were marginalized, forced into assigned domestic roles. (However it is interesting that she uses her cooking to later exit her domestic drudgery and launch a business).

She has been baking cakes and pies to earn extra money. Bert comes home from his last day of work in a grumpy mood. He has a chip on his shoulder, because he feels emasculated, which shows how he too, as a man, has been forced into the role of being the monetary provider for his family. He complains how Mildred spoils their children, especially Veda. He says their daughter is always arrogant toward him, and says he ought to slap her (even though just a threat here, domestic violence has been associated with men for a long time). In retaliation, Mildred threatens him for suggesting the possibility of hurting her daughter. But, Mildred is a sucker for punishment herself when it comes to Veda, wanting her to have what she didn’t, which allows her daughter to manipulate her. Bert says that Veda wants ballet and piano lessons, to be in plays, and have nice dresses. She wants expensive things, unlike her much younger sister, Kay (Jo Ann Marlowe). Although Veda’s wants are selfish and excessive, she does not want to settle for the role of a working class girl, which is represented by her sister, who skips rope and plays baseball. Mildred declares to Bert she’ll do anything for her children, for good or for bad, and that they come before him or her. (This old school, maternal role, dominates Mildred, ironically, despite her future business success as an independent woman). A woman named Maggie (Lee Patrick) calls and Bert acts like he can’t talk at the moment. Mildred suspects an affair. It appears Mildred’s overemphasis on the children may have deprived Bert of the affection he believes he deserves, and he has sought attention elsewhere. Mildred gives Bert an ultimatum, saying that if he sees Maggie again, he shouldn’t bother coming back to her. He goes male dominant on her, saying he’ll go where he pleases. She makes good on her threat, and throws him out, as well as tossing away her accepted social status as a married mother. To his credit, Bert does feel bad about not seeing the kids.

Veda criticizes Kay, who looks like a Tomboy and engages in rough play with others, for not taking more pride in her appearance. The film reveals Veda to be a snob who is ashamed of, and looks down upon, her working class origins. The sisters come home and see their father packing up the car and leaving. In response to Veda’s questions, Mildred admits that she and their dad are separated. Veda, acting superior, talks in an affected way, using foreign phrases, as she dismisses her father’s affiliation with Maggie, who she describes, condescendingly, as being “distinctly middle-class.” Veda complains about her new dress to Kay, saying “It’s awfully cheap material. I can tell by the smell.” She adds, “It seems to me, if you’re buying anything, its should be the best.” While the movie does not advocate accepting a marginal existence, it also suggests that being brought up fostering a feeling of unearned entitlement leads to selfishness and a sense of superiority. Kay, who is more refreshingly down to earth, makes fun of Veda by saying how her sister is breaking her heart with her complaints. However, Mildred hears Veda’s ungrateful remarks about the dress she bought her. She feels hurt, but says nothing, letting Veda get away with her ingratitude.  

Mildred looks over her expenses and realizes that she is broke. She sees photos that remind her of how good it used to be with Bert when their hopeful future was before them. Wally comes by for Bert to help with the dissolution of their partnership, and Mildred tells him about Bert moving out. Wally has no problem rushing in where he sees an opportunity, and in some ways mirrors Veda’s selfishness. But he, at least, has worked for a living. He overtly comes onto Mildred, and when she says there is no soda for his whiskey, he says, “we’ll take care of that.” He is typical of the controlling male who basically sees women as possessions, or, given his profession, like property. He starts pawing at her, saying she’s not capable of being alone, implying that women need to be dependent on a man. She says she feels like Little Red Riding Hood, but he says he’s no wolf. In a good comeback, Mildred says, “then quit howling.” Showing her determination, she says she might make a go of it as a single mother, and throws Wally out of the house.

After her confrontation with Bert, Mildred finds Veda is still awake upstairs. Her daughter is a narcissist, without feelings for others. She takes no time to consider the emotional impact of her father leaving them. She becomes mercenary in short order, telling Mildred if she marries Wally, then they can have a maid again, a limousine, maybe a new house. She dismisses Mildred’s pointing out that she doesn’t love Wally, since a narcissist only understands the love for oneself. Veda knows how to manipulate her mother. She backtracks when it looks like she has gone too far after she tells her mother to trade in any hope for love for material gain. She cuddles with Mildred, and says they deserve a better life. Since that is what she has and will always want for Veda, Mildred caves in and says she promises to get Veda anything she wants. When Mildred says she loves Veda, the girl says she loves her too, but her added “Really I do,” seems like she needs to verbally stress her love, because her actions don’t show it. When Mildred hugs her, Veda says, “Let’s not get sticky about it.” Veda has affection only for herself.

The drive to get Veda what she wants pushes Mildred to look for a job. But having only been a housewife, she has no business experience, and the Catch-22 of not being able to get experience to get a job that requires experience sets in. She goes to a restaurant which Ida runs. But, the waitresses aren’t keeping up with the work and they squabble with each other. Ida apologizes to Mildred about being shorthanded. Mildred grabs the opportunity by asking for a job, which she learns quickly, and she also bakes pies for the restaurant. She uses her money for the girls, including an expensive voice teacher for Veda. She’s worried that Veda, the queen of condescension, will find out that her mother works as a waitress. In a way, Mildred allows her own daughter to make her feel unimportant, the way the male-dominated system can make women feel. The movie implies that excess sacrificing for children can destroy a parent’s life. Although Mildred is diverging from the typical female role of a housewife, she is joining the workforce not for reasons of individual empowerment, but for the prescribed domestic premise that says motherhood always comes first.

Veda found Mildred’s waitress uniform and she gave it away to the maid, Lottie (Butterfly McQueen, following up her Gone with the Wind performance with another black stereotype role). Veda plays the piano while she has Kay dressed up in clothes beyond her years and wearing makeup. Veda is trying to make her sister into what she wants her to be to distance her from her average social class designation. Mildred tells Lottie to wash off Kay’s makeup, not wanting her daughter to be forced into playing a role at a young age before she knows what she wants. Veda says the baking and now the waitressing degrades them, and she says “You’ve never spoken of your people, where you came from,” which shows Veda is a social class bigot. She wanted her mother to get what Veda wants through a man. Warped by her snobbery, she says that her father left because of Mildred’s low social standing. Mildred does what Bert threatened to do as she slaps Veda, but then immediately regrets it. Once Veda hears that they could get rich if Mildred owned a restaurant, she becomes supportive.

Mildred confers with Wally about buying a place to set up as an eatery. (Wally is betting on a horse at the time called “Materialize,” stressing his capitalistic and selfish tendencies, but it can also refer to making Mildred’s dream become a reality). Mildred found a house that she has researched, and says it is located at a busy intersection which can attract customers. The house belongs to the Beragons (which is Monte’s family name), who have been having problems paying the taxes on their properties. They were well-off and now have fallen on harder times. It’s a house near the beach, as is the one at the beginning of the story, stressing that border precariousness. Wally says he will do all of the talking, he being the man who is supposed to know about doing business, unlike a housewife. Monte is present at the house. Mildred has all the figures to show that she will pay off the house after the restaurant is up and running, but Wally talks over her. Monte can’t keep his eyes off of Mildred, who he only values for her looks, not her business knowledge. He initially turns down the offer, saying he likes to gamble, but the odds here are too high. Once she does get a chance to talk she convinces Monte that she is gambling all that she has on the deal. Monte agrees to sell the property to Mildred. After the meeting, Wally, who is of great practical help, says because of community property laws, she has to get a divorce or else Bert owns half the real estate, and all of Bert’s creditors will come to collect off of her. We may have a critique of these laws here showing how they can hinder men and women from moving on after a divorce. Or, the film is just showing how difficult it is to deal with the dissolution of a marriage, and thus, how society at this time discourages divorce, wanting marriages to continue so as to maintain the status quo.

Mildred doesn’t want to divorce right away, but when she sees Bert, she brings it up. Kay starts coughing, never a good sign in a movie, since details like that don’t happen without a reason. This foreshadowing of an illness is ironically placed as Mildred says that Kay doesn’t need as much looking after as Veda. The movie judges Mildred because she puts too much emphasis on the one child, and then is punished for it later. Bert does see Veda’s selfishness, and tells Mildred that Kay is “twice the girl Veda is.” Mildred seems to be living her lost younger life through Veda, trying to make her succeed whereas Mildred compromised and was marginalized. As Bert says, Kay loves Mildred, but it’s as if Mildred feels the need to buy Veda’s love, which doesn't say much for the person from whom one wants affection, if that love comes with a price tag on it.

Mildred is working to get the restaurant ready for business when Monte shows up. He admires Mildred’s legs, showing his real intentions behind his presence there, prompting Mildred to question what he is there to check up on, her or his investment. Mildred had said earlier to Wally that she thought Monte was handsome, which shows that there is mutual attraction here. He wants her to go to his place for a swim. He kisses her and she decides to leave with him. He is glib, saying that he wanted her to see “his” ocean which he borrowed from the Navy. But, she is at first wary, responding to how she likes her drink by saying, “Harmless.” Monte exhibits more of his charming humor when he sees her in the bathing suit, and instead of whistling he says he would need a police siren. He says he has all these bathing suits, which are all the same size, in his closets for his sisters, and she and we know he has been with many women. He has no job, and just lives off of the family money, unlike Mildred, who has had to work for a living. They kiss passionately, and we see their embrace in a mirror. Mirrors are many times used ins stories to reflect the other part of an individual, the hidden, darker, inner desires held in check by society’s rules.

Monte drops Mildred off at her home in the rain (to fit the mood of the scene). While Mildred was away indulging herself for just a little while, she finds Bert at her place saying he couldn’t reach her. He tells her that Kay has pneumonia. By doing double duty earning money (for her children) and being a mother, while also trying to engage in some personal time, Mildred is punished. She is found guilty of bucking the traditional social structure by not being at home like an average mom to look after the well-being of her daughters. Bert brought Kay to Maggie Biederhoff’s place, which inflicts humiliation on Mildred for abdicating her parental responsibility to her ex-husband’s girlfriend. A doctor treats Kay, who is in an oxygen tent, calling for her mother, which drives home Mildred’s guilt. Kay eventually dies. Mildred says to God not to let anything happen to Veda, so the death of Kay just reinforces her bond with Veda.

There is a big crowd for opening night at the restaurant. Wally is helpful about getting the property, advising her on financial matters, even helping at the restaurant. Ida is there to help manage the place. Wally is jealous of Monte and throws the orchids he sent her in the trash. Veda is drawn to Monte because of his upper class lineage, saying how he plays polo and is seen with attractive “debutantes.” She wants to be like him, living a carefree life, someone who enjoys wealth and doesn’t have to work for it. She impresses Monte with her knowledge of the society section of the newspaper. Wally comes by and it comes out that he owns a third of the investment in the restaurant, showing how he is always interested in making money. Monte dances with Veda, and perhaps Mildred instinctively is wary of Monte’s upper class effect on her daughter. She asks Wally to take Veda home. Wally wanted to take Mildred home and not leave her with Monte, of whom he is jealous. But, Wally can’t be loyal to just one woman. He is a hedonist, and when he sees Ida hiking up her skirt to fix a stocking, he stares. Ida’s smart response to his undressing her with his eyes is, “Leave something on me. I might catch cold.” Bert arrives and sees Monte and Mildred kissing. Bert says he was surprised that Mildred could make it on her own. He underestimated Mildred, and he feels not needed now. He concedes his defeat by saying he will go along with the divorce, and wishes her well. Monte, acting ungraciously as the man who has won over Bert’s wife, offers him a drink and says he has a family saying, “One man’s poison is another man’s meat.” The scene comes off like an exploitation of the working class by the upper class. Bert slaps the glass out of Monte’s hand in response to the man’s blatant disrespect toward him.

For the first time since the beginning of the movie, we go back to the present at the police station. Mildred says that even though Monte is dead, her current impression of him is “I’m not sorry. He wasn’t worth it.” So we know Monte just behaves worse as time goes by. Inspector Peterson gets a report that shows Mildred called Ida about Monte’s whereabouts and seemed upset. He questions Mildred, asking her why she invited Wally to her beach house that night, and if so, why did she run off. Did she know Monte’s body was there? Was she trying to pin the murder on Wally? Mildred admits to killing Monte. He asks why?

In response to Peterson’s question, Mildred narrates again as the past is visualized. She says she did prosper with more restaurants opening up. But Veda was growing up and her tastes were increasingly expensive. We see Veda spending time with Monte at the races. There are lavish parties. Monte is not happy that Veda is dancing with a millionaire named Ted Forrester (John Compton), suggesting he may not be able to compete with him for her attention. He admits to Mildred that he has been losing money lately and can’t afford expensive evenings soon. Mildred convinces him to take some money, and he eventually accepts greater sums. Wally feels that Monte is no good and tells Mildred he will bleed her dry. (Even though they have their flaws, Bert and Wally do see things about others that Mildred refuses to understand). She tells Wally that maybe she’s in love with Monte.

Mildred later tells Ida that she thought she was in love with Monte at one time, but not now, possibly because he is another man who just wants her to fit into his version of what he wants her to be. Ida, also having a clearer assessment of people than does Mildred, especially when it comes to Veda, says the new car for Veda has arrived, and tells Mildred has to sign for it “in blood.” Ida tells Mildred that Veda has been borrowing money from everybody, even the waitresses, despite all that Mildred gives her. Mildred, always afraid that Veda will fail, and thus so shall she by association, says she will pay her daughter’s debts. Ida says Monte has been spending time with Veda, and we start to think that Mildred’s money is going for Veda and Monte’s benefit.

Monte and Veda arrive, and Monte says he wishes he could get as interested in work as does Mildred. Ida, who exhibits a working class scorn for those who gained prosperity through inherited wealth, says Monte was probably “frightened by a callus at an early age,” stressing his never having put in a day’s worth of work. Veda has picked up the habit of smoking from Monte, and she is only seventeen years old. Veda thanks Monte for the car, but all he did was pick it out, which again shows Veda’s lack of gratitude for her mother’s sacrifices.

After she drives away in her new car, she admits that she has spoiled her daughter, but, she says she has worked hard to give her the things Mildred never had, and she has denied herself happiness so Veda can have what she wants. Despite what she has done for her, Mildred realizes that Veda does not respect her, makes fun of her in snobby French, and hardly speaks to her unless it’s to ask for something. Monte says she’ll never make a waitress out of Veda, which shows his contempt for the working class. Mildred tells Monte that he looks down on her for working, but he is okay with taking money from her. He says that may be but he’ll never like cooking or kitchen grease. She points out that he takes money from her even if it smells of the grease from her kitchens. She says he’s interfering in her life, business, and relationship with Veda. Mildred tells Monte to stay away from Veda. She gives him a check as payment for his initially helping her, which he puts down by saying he now knows what it feels like to accept a tip, like a waitress. But, he still takes it, in a sort of biting the hand that feeds him act.

At the restaurant Veda and the millionaire Ted Forrester announce their engagement. Wally gives a toast to “True Love,” but Veda looks like those words leave a bitter taste in her mouth, again, because a narcissist only knows love of oneself. Meanwhile, Mildred is receiving news that her income is dropping. Ted’s mother visits Mildred and informs her of the engagement. Mrs. Forrester (Barbara Brown) is ugly as she says how she finds the prospect of the marriage to be distatestful. Veda tells Mildred that she made a mistake about the marriage. Wally again does the paperwork, this time to settle the divorce. At the divorce session, Wally says Veda wants ten thousand dollars, which is news to Mildred. But Veda says she needs the money because she is pregnant, heaping another surprise onto Mildred. Later Veda says that she is not really pregnant, she just wanted to extort Ted’s family. When asked by Mildred why does she need the money when she has given her anything she asked for, Veda shows her contempt for Mildred. Veda tells her she wanted enough cash so she could get away from her mother, “and your chickens and your pies and your kitchens, and everything that smells of grease.” She says she wants to leave behind women that wear “uniforms” and men that wear “overalls.” Basically she wants to have nothing to do with those that belong to the working class. That is why she and Monte are very much alike in their snobbish attitudes, if not by reason of birth. In Mildred’s case, her sacrificing to give what the child was deprived of just creates a selfish, uppity child who has nothing but disdain for her roots. Veda tells Mildred she can’t earn enough to ever be anything but “common.” Veda’s attitude is counter to the American Dream, which usually advocates the idea that if you work hard enough you can rise to prosperity. Veda’s beliefs seem like they comply with Old World royalty, where one’s station in life is determined by birth. Outraged, Mildred throws Veda out. (When she is angry, Mildred is good at throwing people out of her house).

Mildred travels for a while to get away from the pain of Veda’s behavior. However, she feels compelled to return home. But, she is shaky, and while talking to Ida, she says she picked up drinking during the day from men along the way. She also started  to drink whiskey straight up. It’s as if bad habits of men have attached themselves to her as she entered their world of business. Ida says she never found a man that didn’t turn into a “heel.” She says humorously that she never married because, “Men around me get allergic to wedding rings.” On one hand, this sounds old fashioned, the woman only wanting marriage. But, Ida’s confrontational, uncompromising wit is resistant to stereotypical female roles imposed by men. They only treat her like a man, a sister they can talk to, but not as a romantic equal. Mildred says she still needs Veda as her daughter, even though she tried to forget about her. Ida bitingly says Veda makes her think that alligators have the right idea, “they eat their young.” Bert has been consistently calling for Mildred, and after talking to him on the phone, she finds out that he has a job. She also discovers that Maggie, the woman he was seeing, married someone else, which hints at the fact that Bert still loves Mildred. He says he wants to take her out for dinner. Ida proposes a toast, “To the men we’ve loved. The stinkers.” Probably a toast many women would like to join in on.

On their date at the restaurant-club that Wally owns, Bert and Mildred see Veda singing there. She is scantily clad and sailors give catcalls. Bert brought her there to show her what happened to Veda. Wally says she has been there for a month. Mildred confronts Veda and asks that she come home. Veda says she likes being free and that she wants the life that Monte has.

Mildred visits Monte at the Beragon family mansion, saying she wants to buy it. She is really there to marry him, to give Veda what she wants. He says that he would do it for a third of a share of her business, again showing how Monte wants Mildred’s working class money even though he disdains it. She is now willing to marry to get what she wants, compromising her ideals, while she told Veda at the beginning of the story that love was the only reason to enter a marriage. After the marriage, Bert visits the Beragon house. Mildred confesses to him she isn’t in love with Monte, but wanted to lure Veda back. Bert has Veda with him, and he says that Veda wanted to come home. Veda looks contrite, saying she’ll change and never be mean to her mother again, but in the same breath says what a beautiful house it is, showing what she is really interested in.

There is a lavish birthday party for Veda who says her mother works too much (because she and Monte have no regard for the need to work for a living). While the party is going on, Mildred, not having the luxury of escaping from her responsibilities, is in a business meeting with Wally and others who say that she owes too much to creditors and must sell her business. Mildred has spent too much for the lifestyle Veda wants. Behind Mildred’s back, Monte told Wally that he wanted to sell his share of the business, which forced Wally to do so, too, leaving Mildred unable to continue her business. Back at the house, Ida tells Mildred that Monte drove off after the birthday party. Mildred takes a gun out of a drawer.

We return to the police department, where Mildred tells the inspector that she was alone with Monte and killed him. Peterson says no, that they have evidence that led them to arrest Veda at the airport as she was trying to get away. The detective asks why did Veda kill Monte. Mildred tried to cover up the killing. In a flashback, Mildred found Monte kissing Veda. Veda says the two were together from before Mildred and Monte were married. She says he will divorce Mildred and marry Veda. Mildred takes the gun out, but drops it and is ready to drive away. Monte says to Veda that he never said he would marry her, and would not condescend to marrying a “rotten, little tramp.” Veda shoots him, angry at his rejection of her because of her social rank. After Mildred comes back into the house, she tells Veda she can’t get her out of it, and calls the police. Veda keeps pleading for her mother to help her, saying that Mildred was the reason she was the way she is. The inspector says that Veda must pay for her actions now. Mildred walks out of the police station. She passes women washing the floors, showing how they continue to be subjugated. She walks off with Bert, who may have learned his lesson about Mildred’s worth as a woman. But, given what has transpired, happiness for her is elusive.

The next film is Phantom Thread.