Mildred Pierce [2011]
I think the main reason Mildred Pierce is such a winning film is that it achieves excellent harmony. Todd Haynes does a great job at balancing the light stuff (the restaurant scenes made this foodie smile with glee) and the heavy (pretty much every other scene). Still, this miniseries is definitely not short on drama and it’s freakishly absorbing even when, apparently, nothing goes on. I’m guessing the powerhouse acting might have something to do with that. Kate Winslet and Evan Rachel Wood are stellar (also, Wood’s never looked better) and Guy Pearce, Brían F. O’Byrne, Mare Winningham, Melissa Leo, Hope Davis, Morgan Turner and James LeGros (yes, all of them) are memorable.
Have not seen the ministries version. I loved the original. After your review maybe I should rent it.
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Love Todd Haynes, love Kate Winslet, love the 1945 original so this should be a no-brainier for me to check out. I must admit I don’t enjoy mini-series and would probably agree with Mr. Stephen King that the five-hour adaptation was “too damn long”. Thanks for the recommendation!
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Actually, it’s the first miniseries I’ve ever seen and since I didn’t watch all the episodes at once, it didn’t feel THAT long. Also, I’m now reading the book and I was very surprised to find out it is a VERY faithful adaptation.
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