Mildred Pierce (miniseries)
2011 miniseries directed by Todd Haynes
Mildred Pierce Promotional poster
Genre Drama Based on Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain Screenplay by Directed by Todd Haynes Starring Music by Carter Burwell Country of origin United States Original language English No. of episodes5 Producers Cinematography Edward Lachman Editor Affonso Gonçalves Running time 58–79 minutes Production companies Budget $20 million Network HBO Release March 27 (2011-03-27 ) – April 10, 2011 (2011-04-10 )
Mildred Pierce is an American period drama television 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 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.
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 nine awards and won two: Outstanding Lead Actress for Winslet and Outstanding Supporting Actor for Pearce.
Synopsis
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
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]
Awards and nominations
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 Miniseries or Movie
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, Movie or a Dramatic Special
Todd Haynes
Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
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, Movie or a Special
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 for a Miniseries or a Movie (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 Single-Camera 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
Notes
References
^ a b "About the Show" . HBO.com . Retrieved December 4, 2010 .
^ Ellison, Jo (April 2011). "Solo Act". Vogue : 218–225.
^ Collins, Scott (March 29, 2011). "HBO's 'Mildred Pierce' With Kate Winslet Opens To Disappointing Ratings" . Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on April 5, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
^ "Mildred Pierce" . Metacritic . Archived from the original on August 30, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2011 .
^ "IMDb" . IMDb . May 7, 2024.
^ "The Show" . PointHistorical.org . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2010 .
^ "Mildred Pierce: Season 1" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved October 10, 2020 .
^ "Mildred Pierce" . Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 26, 2011 .
^ "Call-in: The best and worst of the year in global film" . WBEZ91.5 . WBEZ. Retrieved May 19, 2013 .
^ " 'Mildred Pierce' is a quiet, heartbreaking masterpiece" . Salon.com . Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2011 .
^ Stanley, Alessandra (March 24, 2011). "Television Review: Mildred Pierce" . TV.NYTimes.com . Retrieved March 26, 2011 .
^ a b c "Stephen King Reviews HBO's 'Mildred Pierce' " . The Daily Beast . March 20, 2011. p. 1. Retrieved April 6, 2011 .
^ Entertainment news Herald Sun [dead link ]
^ Gorman, Bill (March 29, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Army Wives' Takes The Crown; 'Breakout Kings', Rises; 'Shameless' Finale Steady + Much More" . TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2011 .
^ Seidman, Robert (April 5, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Ax Men,' 'Chopped,' 'Army Wives', Kardashians Lead Night; + 'The Killing,' 'The Borgias,' 'Breakout Kings + Much More" . TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on April 8, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2011 .
^ Gorman, Bill (April 12, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Army Wives', 'The Killing' Steady; 'Breakout Kings' Falls; Plus 'Human Planet,' 'Khloe & Lamar,' & Much More" . TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on April 17, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2011 .
^ "2011 Artios Awards" . www.castingsociety.com . Retrieved September 26, 2011 .
^ "15th Annual TV Awards (2010-11)" . Online Film & Television Association . Retrieved May 15, 2021 .
^ "Mildred Pierce" . Emmys.com . Academy of Television Arts & Sciences . Retrieved July 13, 2017 .
^ "2011 Satellite Awards" . Satellite Awards . International Press Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2021 .
^ "The Television Critics Association Announces 2011 TCA Awards Nominees" . Television Critics Association . June 13, 2011. Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2013 .
^ "Women's Image Network Announces Nominees, Honoree" . www.marketresearchworld.net . Retrieved December 8, 2015 .
^ Finke, Nikki (February 18, 2012). "62nd Ace Eddie Awards: 'The Descendants', 'The Artist', 'Rango'; TV 'Breaking Bad', 'Homeland', 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' " . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 7, 2015 .
^ "Past Nominees & Winners" . American Society of Cinematographers . Retrieved July 13, 2017 .
^ "Nominees/Winners" . Art Directors Guild . Retrieved July 29, 2018 .
^ " 'Hanna,' 'Hugo' and 'Moneyball' Nominated for Cinema Audio Society Awards" . The Hollywood Reporter . January 19, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
^ "12th Costume Designers Guild Awards" . Costume Designers Guild . Retrieved May 21, 2016 .
^ "Dorian Awards Past Winners" . Dorian Awards . Retrieved October 5, 2019 .
^ "Mildred Pierce – Golden Globes" . HFPA . Retrieved July 5, 2021 .
^ Kilday, Gregg (January 21, 2012). "Producers Guild Awards Name 'The Artist' Motion Picture of Year; 'Boardwalk Empire' Scores TV Drama (Winners List)" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 9, 2018 .
^ "The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards" . Screen Actors Guild Awards . Retrieved May 21, 2016 .
^ "Previous Nominees & Winners: 2012 Awards Winners" . Writers Guild Awards. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2014 .
^ "33rd Annual Young Artist Awards" . YoungArtistAwards.org . Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2012 .
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