Mildred Pierce (miniseries)

2011 miniseries directed by Todd Haynes From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mildred Pierce is an American historical drama miniseries created by Todd Haynes for HBO. Adapted from James M. Cain's 1941 novel of the same name,[1] It is about the titular heroine (Kate Winslet), a divorcée during the Great Depression struggling to establish a restaurant business while yearning for the respect of her narcissistic elder daughter (Evan Rachel Wood).[2] The miniseries also features Guy Pearce and Melissa Leo.[1] It is the second adaptation of the novel, after the 1945 film noir produced by Warner Bros. and starring Joan Crawford. Carter Burwell wrote the original score for the miniseries.

Based on
Mildred Pierce
by James M. Cain
Screenplay by
Directed byTodd Haynes
Starring
Quick facts Based on, Screenplay by ...
Mildred Pierce
Promotional poster
Based on
Mildred Pierce
by James M. Cain
Screenplay by
Directed byTodd Haynes
Starring
Music byCarter Burwell
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes5
Production
Producers
CinematographyEdward Lachman
EditorAffonso Gonçalves
Running time58–79 minutes
Production companies
Budget$20 million
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseMarch 27 (2011-03-27) –
April 10, 2011 (2011-04-10)
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Mildred Pierce aired on HBO from March 27 to April 10, 2011, consisting of five episodes. It received a limited audience but gained positive reviews, especially for the performances.[3][4] At the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, the series was nominated for 9 awards, winning 2: Outstanding Lead Actress for Winslet and Outstanding Supporting Actor for Pearce.

Synopsis

Further information: Mildred Pierce

Mildred Pierce depicts an overprotective, self-sacrificing mother during the Great Depression who finds herself separated from her husband, opening a restaurant of her own and falling in love with a man, all the while trying to earn her spoiled, narcissistic elder daughter's love and respect.

Cast

Lena Dunham appears as a nurse in two of the episodes.[5]

Filming

Parts of the miniseries were filmed in three New York locations: Peekskill, Point Lookout and Merrick.[6]

Reception

Kate Winslet's performance garnered widespread critical acclaim.

Mildred Pierce received generally favorable reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 81% based on reviews from 58 critics, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Loyal to its source material to a fault, Mildred Pierce compensates for its familiarity with elaborate production values and a knockout lead performance."[7] At Metacritic, the miniseries has a weighted average score of 69, based on 28 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[8] In a WBEZ podcast on the best theatrical films of 2011, critic Jonathan Rosenbaum used the series as an example of television work that was on par with the year's best movies, calling it Haynes' best work to date.[9] Salon.com called it a "quiet, heartbreaking masterpiece",[10] while The New York Times reviewer, Alessandra Stanley, commented that while the miniseries was "loyally, unwaveringly true to James M. Cain's 1941 novel", it did not "make the most of the mythic clash of mother, lover and ungrateful child", and was "not nearly as satisfying as the 1945 film noir".[11]

Novelist Stephen King, reviewing Mildred Pierce for The Daily Beast and Newsweek, praised the acting of Winslet, Pearce and Wood, and admired the show's attention to detail and structure,[12] but complained that the five-hour adaptation was "too damn long".[12] He finishes with, "Winslet’s Mildred is a genuine star turn. How Joan Crawford would have loathed her."[12]

The series was shown out of competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival in 2011.[13]

Ratings

More information Episode(s), Date ...
Episode(s) Date Viewers
Parts 1 & 2 March 27, 2011 1.270 million[14]
Part 3 April 3, 2011 0.987 million[15]
Parts 4 & 5 April 10, 2011 0.964 million[16]
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Awards and nominations

More information Year, Award ...
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2011
 Artios Awards Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Movie/Mini Series Laura Rosenthal Won [17]
Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Motion Picture or Miniseries Won [18]
Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Kate Winslet Won
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Guy Pearce Nominated
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Melissa Leo Nominated
Evan Rachel Wood Won[a]
Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Todd Haynes Won
Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Todd Haynes and Jon Raymond Won
Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Won
Best Cinematography in a Non-Series Won
Best Costume Design in a Non-Series Won
Best Editing in a Non-Series Nominated
Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Non-Series Nominated
Best Music in a Non-Series Won
Best New Titles Sequence Nominated
Best Production Design in a Non-Series Won
Best Sound in a Non-Series Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler,
John Wells, Todd Haynes, and
Ilene S. Landress		 Nominated [19]
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Kate Winslet Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Brían F. O'Byrne Nominated
Guy Pearce Won
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Melissa Leo Nominated
Mare Winningham Nominated
Evan Rachel Wood Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie Todd Haynes Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie Todd Haynes and Jon Raymond Nominated
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie Mark Friedberg, Peter Rogness, and
Ellen Christiansen-De Jonge		 Won
Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or Movie Laura Rosenthal Won
Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie Edward Lachman (for "Part 5") Nominated
Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Ann Roth, Michelle Matland, and
Patrick Wiley (for "Part 2")		 Nominated
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Movie Jerry DeCarlo and Jerry Popolis Nominated
Outstanding Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) Patricia Regan and Linda Melazzo Nominated
Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
(Original Dramatic Score)		 Carter Burwell (for "Part 5") Won
Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music Carter Burwell Nominated
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie Camilla Toniolo (for "Part 4") Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Eliza Paley, Tony Martinez,
Thomas O'Neil Younkman, Brian Dunlop,
Todd Kasow, and Ellen Heuer (for "Part 5")		 Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie Drew Kunin, Leslie Shatz, Bobby Johanson,
and Joshua Reinhardt (for "Part 5")		 Nominated
Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Lesley Robson-Foster, John Bair,
Renuka Ballal, Nathan Meier,
Constance Conrad, Marci Ichimura,
Josephine Noh, Aaron Raff, and
Scott Winston (for "Part 5")		 Nominated
Satellite Awards Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Won [20]
Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Kate Winslet Won
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture
Made for Television		 Guy Pearce Nominated
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture
Made for Television		 Evan Rachel Wood Nominated
Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials Nominated [21]
Women's Image Network Awards Actress Made for Television Movie Kate Winslet Nominated [22]
Evan Rachel Wood Nominated
2012
 American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television Affonso Gonçalves (for "Part 1") Nominated [23]
American Society of Cinematographers Awards Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Motion Picture/Miniseries Television Edward Lachman (for "Part 5") Nominated [24]
Art Directors Guild Awards Excellence in Production Design Award – Television Movie or Mini-Series Mark Friedberg, Deborah Jensen,
Peter Rogness, Kim Jennings,
Michael Auszura, I. Javier Ameijeiras,
Mark Pollard, Don Nace, and
Ellen Christiansen		 Won [25]
Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series Drew Kunin, Leslie Shatz, and
Todd Whitelock (for "Part 5")		 Nominated [26]
Costume Designers Guild Awards Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries Ann Roth Nominated [27]
Dorian Awards TV Drama of the Year Nominated [28]
TV Performance of the Year Kate Winslet Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Television Film Nominated [29]
Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Kate Winslet Won
Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Guy Pearce Nominated
Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Evan Rachel Wood Nominated
Guild of Music Supervisors Awards Best Music Supervision for Television Long Form and Movie Evyen Klean[b] Won
Producers Guild of America Awards David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television Todd Haynes, Pamela Koffler,
Ilene S. Landress, and Christine Vachon		 Nominated [30]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries Guy Pearce Nominated [31]
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries Kate Winslet Won
Writers Guild of America Awards Long Form – Adapted Todd Haynes and Jon Raymond;
Based on the book by James M. Cain		 Nominated [32]
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special –
Supporting Young Actress		 Quinn McColgan Nominated [33]
Morgan Turner Nominated
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See also

Notes

References

External links

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