May Cinema Club
Cinema Club Screening: Saturday, May 13 at 11am
Cinema Club screenings are Free for MSP Film Society Members. Not a Member? Join here. More info on Cinema Club here.
About the Film
As Cinema Club’s first foray into the classical cinema of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Mildred Pierce (1945) is the perfect film for Mother’s Day weekend--as exorbitant in its cinematic pleasures as it is stingy in its vision of motherhood. Over 75 years after its release, we can celebrate its lasting artistry and deconstruct its outdated gender politics.
Chief among Mildred Pierce’s pleasures is Joan Crawford, at the peak of her powers in the titular role as a frazzled working mother, for which she was recognized with the only Academy Award of her career. Still, Ann Blyth nearly upstages her as Mildred’s deliciously wicked eldest daughter, Veda. Directed by Michael Curtiz (fresh off the success of Casablanca), Mildred Pierce also offers textbook examples of gorgeous noir filmmaking; a non-linear screenplay (based on a Jame Cain novel) that zips along; and a wonderfully hyperbolic score by Hollywood legend Max Steiner. And then there is the midcentury fashion eye-candy: sumptuous furs, severe shoulder pads, iridescent party dresses, and glittering jewels.
Please join us to enjoy this quintessential Hollywood classic!
Cinema Club is generously sponsored by:
Julie & Charlie Zelle and Leni & David Moore