Mildred Pierce is a 1945 American melodrama film noir directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, and Zachary Scott, also featuring Eve Arden, Ann Blyth, and Bruce Bennett.

In 1996, Mildred Pierce was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry.

The police tell Mildred her first husband, Bert Pierce, is guilty of the murder, because he owned the gun, had a motive, and does not deny the crime.

Mildred's principal goal is to provide material possessions for Veda, who longs for high social status and is ashamed of her mother being a baker.

Veda's training and success as a singer (including her performance at the Hollywood Bowl) were dropped in the film and her music teachers only mentioned in passing.

[7] In 1942, Joan Crawford asked for her release from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer due to a mutual agreement, and joined Warner Bros. seeking better film roles.

A review in The New York Times stated that, although Crawford gave "a sincere and generally effective characterization", the film "lacks the driving force of stimulating drama", and it did "not seem reasonable that a level-headed person like Mildred Pierce, who builds a fabulously successful chain of restaurants on practically nothing, could be so completely dominated by a selfish and grasping daughter, who spells trouble in capital letters.

"[11] Pauline Kael wrote: "Miss Crawford's heavy breathing was certified as acting when she won an Academy Award for her performance here."

William Brogdon of Variety liked the film, especially the screenplay, and wrote:At first reading James M. Cain's novel of the same title might not suggest screenable material, but the cleanup job has resulted in a class feature, showmanly produced by Jerry Wald and tellingly directed by Michael Curtiz ...

[14]Harrison's Reports wrote that Crawford delivered a "good performance", but the story "lacks conviction, and the main characterizations are overdrawn.

"[15] John McCarten of The New Yorker wrote:Certainly, despite its unconscionable length—it takes almost two hours—Mildred Pierce contains enough excitement to jolt even the most lethargic customer...it is pleasant to report that Miss Crawford is no longer as frantic in appearance as she once was.

Despite all kinds of chances to go berserk as a Cain mother, Miss Crawford remains subdued and reasonable, like most of the rest of a highly competent cast.

Directed by studio favorite Michael Curtiz in German Expressionistic mode, which doesn't quite go with the California beaches and sunlight but sets the bleak tone of domestic film noir, and scored by Max Steiner with a sensational bombast that's rousing even when it doesn't match the quieter, pensive mood of individual scenes, Mildred Pierce is professionally executed and moves at a brisk clip.

[18] In his 1986 book Guide for the Film Fanatic, Danny Peary wrote, [Mildred Pierce] is essentially a film noir piece where it’s a woman, [Joan] Crawford, rather than a man, who is led by a greedy, manipulative, evil femme fatale – in this case, the woman’s daughter, [Ann] Blyth – down a fatalistic path full of deception, money for greedy people, murder, and doom (only here an optimistic ending is added).

[19]Peary also wrote, Crawford’s faltering career was saved with her Oscar-winning portrayal of Mildred Pierce, regarded by many as her quintessential role, one that melded together several of her screen personae.

The website's critics consensus reads, "Tied together by a powerhouse performance from Joan Crawford, Mildred Pierce blends noir and social drama to soapily intoxicating effect.".

The cast also includes Melissa Leo as Mildred's neighbor and friend, Lucy Gessler, a character omitted from the Crawford version.

[26] In 2017, Feud showcased the famous rivalry of Crawford and actress Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon), in which Jessica Lange portrays Joan.

[28] Mildred Pierce is available on Region 2 DVD in a single disc edition which includes an 86-minute documentary about the career and personal life of Joan Crawford.

The documentary features contributions from fellow actors and directors, including Diane Baker, Betsy Palmer, Anna Lee, Anita Page, Cliff Robertson, Virginia Grey, Dickie Moore, Norma Shearer, Ben Cooper, Margaret O'Brien, Judy Geeson, and Vincent Sherman.

Mildred Pierce is also included in a Region 2 signature collection of Crawford's films with Possessed, Grand Hotel, The Damned Don't Cry, and Humoresque.

The Region 1 edition is a flipper single disc with "Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star" documentary and a series of trailer galleries on the reverse of the film.

Mildred Pierce is available on DVD and Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection for Regions 1 and 2 in a special edition which includes a host of special features, including "Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star", a 2002 feature-length documentary, a Q&A with actor Ann Blyth from 2006, a conversation on the film between critics Molly Haskell and Robert Polito, an excerpt from The David Frost Show featuring Joan Crawford, a booklet with an essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith, and more.