Mildred Pierce – The HBO Miniseries – DVD/Blu-ray Collector’s Edition (2 Blu-rays and 2 DVDs)

Mildred Pierce – The HBO Miniseries – DVD/Blu-ray Collector’s Edition (2 Blu-rays and 2 DVDs) (2012)
Cast: Kate Winslett, Guy Pearce, Evan Rachel Wood, Melissa Leo, James LeGros, Brian F. O’Byrne
Director: Todd Haynes
Studio: HBO Home Video (1/3/2012)
Video: 1.78 for 16:9 Color, 1080p HD
Audio: BD (Episodes): English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS Digital Surround 5.1, Spanish DTS Digital Surround 2.0; DVD (Episodes): English 5.1, French 5.1, Spanish 2.0
Subtitles: BD: English SDH, French, Spanish, Castilian, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish; DVD Extras: English, French, Spanish
Extras: “Inside The Episode”; Behind the scenes featurette, “The Making Of Mildred Pierce”, menu-based “Series Index” and “Previews” of each five parts; Audio commentaries from Todd Haynes, co-writer Jon Raymond and production designer Mark Friedberg
Length: 344 minutes (including extras)
Rating: ****
When Joan Crawford chewed up the scenery in the 1945 film noir melodrama Mildred Pierce, a beloved veteran performer finally won an Oscar. It would take a confident talented actress to resurrect the role of California’s fiercest single mother. Kate Winslet (The Reader, Little Children, Titanic) seemed a perfect choice for this role. Under the measured direction of Todd Haynes, Mildred Pierce has been reinvented as a miniseries by HBO. The cable giant has transformed several genres into episodic narratives (Band Of Brothers, John Adams, Boardwalk Empire, etc.). By extending the movie beyond the two-hour time frame, story lines and character development have greater depth. Haynes is no stranger to the updating of Hollywood period drama. His 2002 film, Far From Heaven examined the social mores and forbidden undercurrents of 1950’s America.
As the first of five one-hour episodes opens, Mildred is dealing with her crumbling marriage, and the punitive environment of depression-era California. This version is more faithful to the James M. Cain novel, and connects that era with some present day contexts. Eschewing the film noir black and white, despair is captured with an unorthodox texture of muted color. Clothing, makeup and production design reflect a certain washed out, realistic look. Vignettes of behavior are scored by vintage music (“Mood Indigo” is used as a backdrop for a depressing bus ride). Mildred is left to fend for herself, earning a pittance by baking pies. Her only friend, Lucy (Melissa Leo) encourages her. A waitress job leads to an opportunity to run a restaurant. But her precocious daughter, Veda (played as a youngster by Morgan Turner, then as an adult by Evan Rachel Wood) is embarrassed. As the story continues, Mildred becomes successful and has a broke playboy lover (played with smarmy arrogance by Guy Pearce). Everyone in the cast speaks in 30’s colloquial film vernacular.
Disc Two picks up as Mildred becomes richer. But the real fireworks are provided by a maturing Veda (played effectively over the top by Wood), who fosters a deep resentment for her working class mother. Their dysfunction defines the remainder of the film, and the dramatics provide a much needed lift to the deliberate pace. Finally, Haynes lets the movie descend into authentic pulp theatrics as betrayals and revelations change Mildred forever.
Mildred Pierce is an intricately developed story of a conflicted modern woman. Winslet, who appears in nearly every scene, is brilliant and earned a well deserved Emmy. Bonus features include the short feature, “The Making Of Mildred Pierce”. Insights on character motivations (by Winslet and Haynes) are combined with interesting facts (the production was shot on location in Manhattan and Long Island). The transfer to Blu-ray is superior. The contrast is excellent, and manages to project vibrancy, even within a restrained landscape. And the audio quality is top notch. Carter Burwell (True Grit) contributes a melodic (with an appealing use of reed instruments) original score.  HBO’s eminence as the groundbreaking beacon of television is intact.
–Robbie Gerson