A mother's love leads to murder.

Starring: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Ann Blyth, Bruce Bennett, Lee Patrick, Moroni Olsen, Veda Ann Borg, Jo Ann Marlowe

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"With this money I can get away from you... from you and your chickens and your pies and your kitchens and everything that smells of grease. I can get away from this shack with its cheap furniture. And this town and its dollar days, and its women that wear uniforms and its men that wear overalls." – Veda Pierce to her mother

Why watch this? This noir classic film revived the career of Joan Crawford.

Plot Summary: After a shocking murder, a hardworking mother recounts her past through a series of flashbacks. Starting over after a divorce, she finds success building a restaurant business to provide a better life for her spoiled, materialistic daughter. The story chronicles the complex and tragic mother-daughter relationship that ultimately ends in betrayal and leads back to the murder mystery.

Dad's Preview: Joan Crawford's first film with Warner Brothers was this noir gem. Though seemingly a classic melodrama centered around a murder, it has a lot to say about the new roles emerging for women in society. In post-WWII America, some women were venturing into the workforce with more determination and confidence than before. Our protagonist, Mildred, finds herself raising two daughters on her own. She starts as a waitress and eventually becomes a restaurant mogul. It is a noteworthy accomplishment, but the cost is a spoiled daughter who mercilessly insults her mother for not being "good enough". Along her journey, Mildred encounters deceptive men who seek to manipulate her. Ann Blyth, as the rotten teen, gives perhaps the best performance of the film, although Ms. Crawford took home the Best Actress Oscar. Though a dark film, the eventual light is that Mildred Pierce, a flawed and often weak woman, takes all the hits and manages to survive. 

Jerry Wald; Warner Bros.