Review: 'Mildred Pierce' excels in every way, HBO, begins Sunday 27

By April MacIntyre Mar 26, 2011, 17:24 GMT

03/21/2011 - Guy Pearce, Kate Winslet - "Mildred Pierce" New York City Premiere - Arrivals - The Ziegfeld Theater - New York City, NY, USA © Mario Santoro / PR Photos

Kate Winslet is like Meryl Streep in many ways, mostly in how she becomes the character so fully; her craft is seamless, transcendent.

Winslet takes on an iconic role forged by Joan Crawford on the silver screen, and just nails it perfectly and with such style.  Thankfully, Winslet makes Mildred her own and does not venture into anything that reminds the viewer of Crawford's interpretation of this character.

HBO remakes a classic with "Mildred Pierce" the miniseries. Parts 1 and 2, air at 9 p.m. Sunday, March 27. Part 3, airs at 9 p.m. April 3. Parts 4 and 5, air 9 p.m. April 10, with encore broadcasts scheduled.

Winslet is Pierce, a quietly focused middle-class woman with a head for business in this five-hour HBO miniseries. Brian F. O'Byrne is reservedly wonderful, cast as Mildred's first husband Bert who she never stops communicating with, or devolves their marital split into Jerry Springer-like acrimony.

Mare Winningham simply shines in the original 1945 film's Eve Arden role of Ida, as her no-nonsense, witty waitress pal takes Pierce under her wing and winds up running an empire Mildred baked from scratch.

Melissa Leo plays a grating neighbor, Lucy Gessler, who also wends her way into Pierce's business, on the hooch side of things.

Even Rachael Wood is cast as Veda, the daughter who strives for fame and looks down her nose at her own hard-working mother, or anyone beneath her fantasized class as she is star-struck by her mother's friendship with a Pasadena swell named Monty Beragon (Guy Pearce). Their friendship foreshadows the worst for Mildred, who is so busy working, building her restaurant empire and paying everyone's bills in the process.

Massive below-the-line kudos to Carter Burwell for perfect music for this effort; the art department led by Peter Rogness, production designer Mark Friedberg and set decorator Ellen Christiansen for their beautiful interiors and exemplary prop and decor work; makeup artist Linda Melazzo who makes Winslet believable for the time period, and costume designer Ann Roth whose attention to period detail was made even more stunning by the luxurious, sultry cinematography by Ed Lachman, as director Todd Haynes was well served by his awarding winning adept crew for this miniseries.

"Mildred Pierce" is a tale of survival during a time when women working outside the home were mostly in supplicant roles of office workers, waitresses, maids and factory workers.

Pierce had money and a comfortable life with her husband Bert, and were okay until the bust of the Depression. Pierce is a roll-up-the-sleeves capable woman, not highly educated but effective, precise and hard working. All these great values that make for another American Success Story of someone facing the odds, and pulling themselves up by the bootstraps and making it happen.

A great tragedy happens to Mildred, yet she goes on, despite the constant chipping away at her self-esteem by older daughter Veda. Veda is one of those bad seed children, just born that way - nature or nurture - she's a right stinker. But so blessed with God given talent it makes you curse the inequities of this mortal life.

Mildred's Veda as a child (Morgan Turner), hisses and disdainfully insults her mother when she learns Mildred has accepted a position as a diner waitress. The shame of it fuels that spark in Mildred to seize opportunity and parlay her home business of baking superb pies into a real business venture, thereby providing a more comfortable lifestyle for her ingrate of a daughter, who hates their hometown of Glendale and is gallivanting around with the Pasadena old money set.

Things turn as down-on-his-luck Pasadena heir Monty Beragon (Guy Pearce) enters Mildred's world. The part of Mildred that is the least developed, her sexual side, is serviced by him in erotically charged moments that make this series not one for the kids. Pearce is riveting in scene with Winslet.

He is gorgeous and quite naked in this series, as Mildred is driven by lust, marries him years later, and made to feel a completely desirable society woman.  Sadly, his ulterior motives break through and his betrayal of Pierce is a stab to the heart.

Mildred is carnal, complex, earnest and resilient, qualities we can all appreciate and admire. This remake of the classic melodrama based on James M. Cain's novel is one to savor and stay with, as HBO serves up delicious fare. We can almost taste Mildred's legendary flaky pie crust.