TOP 25 CAMP FILMS OF ALL TIME - 9

MILDRED PIERCE

It was 1945, Joan Crawford had been humiliated a few years earlier by being forced out of MGM. Labelled box office poison, she headed to the lowly Warner Brothers studio, here, she wasn't even the top ranking star - that title belonged to the indomitable Bette Davis. Bette had the pick of the scripts, stars, wardrobe and Joan was definitely second fiddle.

Joan was a smart cookie - she played Jack Warner and refused to appear in any movie that she didn't deem acceptable. She waited for almost 2 years which may have seemed like career suicide as Joan was used to churning out 3 or 4 movies a year. She waited and was rewarded - the vehicle for her comeback was Mildred Pierce.

Mildred Pierce was a novel by James Cain who also wrote The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity, the latter had already been released to great acclaim starring Barbara Stanwyck. The director was Michael Curtiz and he wanted Stanwyck for the role of Mildred. Joan Crawford saw the potential and did the unthinkable. She screen tested, the shoulder pads were gone, the heels were there but Joan gave such a performance that Curtiz forgot all about Stanwyck and Crawford was signed.

Mildred involved the story of a mother with two daughters, Veda and Kay. She scrimps and saves to make a better life for her children. When her husband leaves, she takes to waitressing to pay for Veda's singing lessons. She is determined to do well and charms a richish playboy Monte Beragon and opens up her own restaurant and then a chain. Veda becomes a real bitch and Joan sends her packing to work in vaudeville. Ann Blyth is perfect as stony Veda who is devoid of emotion. Mildred forgives Veda eventually and spoils her even more which makes her even more of a monster. Mildred is the breadwinner and Monte enjoys the easy life of spending Mildred's cash. Veda and Monte have a small affair and when Mildred finds out, Monte is killed. But who did it????

Mildred Pierce is outrageous from start to finish. Joan has the shoulderpads although they were altered so as not to upset Michael Curtiz too much, she is playing a type of role she became famous for - suffering in mink. The first time we see Joan, she's at the docks in her fur ready to throw herself over into the sea but why?

The montages of Joan traipsing the streets looking for work are vintage Crawford. She finds work with Eve Arden (of Grease fame!) and we see her ordering chickens and mash potato and collecting tips - she's destined for better things though and becomes the girl on the right side of the tracks.

One of cinema's best ever female showdowns is in this movie when evil Veda gets Mildred's servant to wear Mildred's own work outfit. Mildred is forced to tell Veda the truth of her humble work. Veda's snobbishness comes to the surface and Mildred slaps her. Veda gets her own back after Mildred rips up a cheque of Veda's and she gets a big fat right hander on the face. Joan stumbles and the tension builds before Mildred throws the little bitch out.

Zachary Scott is ideal as the foppish Monte Beragon. He's a loafer by his own admission and Mildred falls for him, he's charming and you can see why Mildred and Veda are angling to have him as their own. The scene where Veda and Monte are discovered is classic as is the aftermath.

What's great about this movie is that it starts with Monte being murdered and crying out "Mildred" before the rest of movie plays in flashback when Mildred is being questioned by the police. Curtiz builds the atmosphere with the noir style of filming. Shadows are cast and it seems like most of the movie is set at night, even in day scenes, the tension is unbelievable. Joan rules the roost and she quite rightly won an Oscar for the role. She had paid her dues and Mildred was the right vehicle for her. It also started her on the path to a Golden period at Warners when she delivered commercially successful and critically acclaimed movies such as Possessed, Humoresque and one of my other favourites Flamingo Road.

Oscar night for Joan was an event that has now become Hollywood folklore. Perhaps filled with nerves, Joan fell "ill" on the day of the Oscars and didn't attend. She listened in her house in Brentwood and when she was announced as the winner for Best Actress, she made a sudden recovery and called on her hair and makeup artists to prepare her for the world's media. The photo of Joan in bed being presented with her Oscar is just genius. And that is why Mildred Pierce gets its rightful place in the top 10!