Silhouettes and Shadows in Mildred Pierce (1945)

11 Responses to Silhouettes and Shadows in Mildred Pierce (1945)

1. Helena says:

   March 20, 2015 at 11:58 am

   These are amazing! Thanks for the beauty, Sheila!

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   • sheila says:

     March 20, 2015 at 2:32 pm

     Aren’t they so beautiful?

     The early section of the film is so light and bright and domestic – and then, boy, it goes dark. The shadows have a life of their own.

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     • Helena says:

       March 21, 2015 at 9:14 am

       I really must rematch this – I haven’t seen this film since I was a kid. It would probably have been on a Sunday afternoon – that was the time for sword and sandals films, WW2 films, and Joan Crawford movies – all on a black and white set. You never forget a Joan Crawford movie, though, not really – how can you forget that face? Not like the face of any human being I have ever seen.

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       • sheila says:

         March 21, 2015 at 11:12 am

         // that was the time for sword and sandals films, WW2 films, and Joan Crawford movies //

         Yes! I have the same memories of first encountering her. I mean, her silhouette is so iconic – and yet she’s also absolutely different in every film. I watched “Humoresque” last night (I’m on a Crawford binge – had to put her in the SPN re-cap because of it!!) – and she has the same wide shoulders, and same lighting scheme on her face, and practically the same hairdo – but the character is TOTALLY different from Mildred.

         I don’t think she gets enough credit for range. She played everything!

         My favorite bit in Mildred Pierce lasts about 10 seconds: it shows her on her first shift as a waitress, overwhelmed, and shy, jostling up to the short-order cook – and then – a few weeks later, to her OWNING the dining room, swooping in and out of the kitchen holding trays, totally competent.

         I could watch a 25-minute montage of Joan Crawford and Eve Arden waitressing together. :)

         Reply
2. Maureen says:

   March 20, 2015 at 9:04 pm

   One of my favorite movies! I loved this, Sheila, thanks for putting it together.

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3. Maureen says:

   March 20, 2015 at 9:05 pm

   Wow, went a bit crazy on the commas there :)

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   • sheila says:

     March 21, 2015 at 7:07 am

     Maureen – You’re welcome – it was fun to find all these images. We were talking on FB about all of the other “motifs” – like polka dots, and also the slant of light that crosses Crawford’s face in all the closeups. So gorgeous.

     But I just love those deep floating independent shadows so much – and how people (like the policeman in that first shot on the pier) turn totally black, so you can’t see a thing.

     It’s such a genius look.

     Such a great movie.

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4. sheila says:

   March 21, 2015 at 11:14 am

   I’m also currently reading James Cain’s novel – which I had never read before. I have read Double Indemnity and Postman, but not Mildred – it’s much longer than the other two. It’s FASCINATING. I can even picture Crawford herself reading the book and knowing in her DNA that that role was HERS.

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   • steve shilstone says:

     March 21, 2015 at 11:27 am

     The great James Cain – How do you wrote a noir novel about a woman who wants to sell pies? Like this.

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     • sheila says:

       March 21, 2015 at 11:33 am

       Steve – Ha! I love how you put that!!

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5. bugsy_pal says:

   March 25, 2015 at 12:47 am

   Thanks for this piece – the photos say it all. I first saw this many years ago in a heightened state of consciousness, and I was just blown away by the images in this film – I think ‘chiaroscuro’ is the right word to describe it, and this film is dripping with it. And on top of that, it’s just a great story with great performances.

   Reply

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