Mildred Pierce 11/16 Blu-ray (Rental)

Melodrama casts noirish shadows in this portrait of maternal sacrifice from the Hollywood master Michael Curtiz. Its iconic performance by Joan Crawford (Johnny Guitar) as Mildred, a single mother hell-bent on freeing her children from the stigma of economic hardship, solidified Crawford s career comeback and gave the actor her only Oscar. But as Mildred pulls herself up by the bootstraps, first as an unflappable waitress and eventually as the well-heeled owner of a successful restaurant chain, the ingratitude of her materialistic firstborn (a diabolical Ann Blyth) becomes a venomous serpent s tooth, setting in motion an endless cycle of desperate overtures and heartless recriminations. Recasting James M. Cain s rich psychological novel as a murder mystery, this bitter cocktail of blind parental love and all-American ambition is both unremittingly hard-boiled and sumptuously emotional. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES - New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack - New conversation about Mildred Pierce with critics Molly Haskell and Robert Polito - Excerpt from a 1970 episode of The David Frost Show featuring actor Joan Crawford - Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star, a 2002 feature-length documentary on Crawford s life and career - Q&A with actor Ann Blyth from 2002, conducted by film historian Eddie Muller - Segment from a 1969 episode of the Today show featuring novelist James M. Cain - Trailer - PLUS: An essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith