Mildred Pierce

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Mildred Pierce

film by Curtiz [1945]

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June 30, 2026

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Mildred Pierce — Mildred Pierce Ann Blyth (left) and Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce (1945).

The 1945 film Mildred Pierce, directed by Michael Curtiz, stars Joan Crawford in a role that marked a significant turning point in her career. Crawford won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Mildred, an ambitious woman who rises from being a waitress to owning a successful restaurant chain.1

The film is based on the 1941 novel of the same name by James M. Cain, a prominent author known for his "hard-boiled" melodramas. Cain's novels, including Mildred Pierce, were often adapted into classic films. The story centers on Mildred's emotional journey and her drive for success.21

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Eve Arden
…supporting role in Michael Curtiz’s Mildred Pierce (1945).
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…supporting role in Michael Curtiz’s Mildred Pierce (1945).
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Joan Crawford
…career was her performance in Mildred Pierce (1945), for which she won an Academy Award. The story of an emotional and ambitious woman who rises from waitress to owner of a restaurant chain, it was followed by such high-quality pictures as Humoresque (1947), Sudden Fear (1952), and The Story of…
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…career was her performance in Mildred Pierce (1945), for which she won an Academy Award. The story of an emotional and ambitious woman who rises from waitress to owner of a restaurant chain, it was followed by such high-quality pictures as Humoresque (1947), Sudden Fear (1952), and The Story of…
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Michael Curtiz
The late 1930s and the 1940s
…Curtiz’s other film of 1945, Mildred Pierce, was one of his best. A brilliant film noir reworking of a novel by James M. Cain, it featured Joan Crawford giving one of her strongest performances, as a mother who sacrifices everything for her spoiled daughter (Ann Blyth). Mildred Pierce was nominated…
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…Curtiz’s other film of 1945, Mildred Pierce, was one of his best. A brilliant film noir reworking of a novel by James M. Cain, it featured Joan Crawford giving one of her strongest performances, as a mother who sacrifices everything for her spoiled daughter (Ann Blyth). Mildred Pierce was nominated…
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camp
Camp classics in film
>Mildred Pierce (1945) Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957) The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) Valley of the Dolls (1967) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) Mommie Dearest (1981)
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>Mildred Pierce (1945) Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957) The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) Valley of the Dolls (1967) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) Mommie Dearest (1981)
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