Mildred Pierce (miniseries)

*Mildred Pierce*
Mildred Pierce
	Promotional poster
Based on	Mildred Pierce; by James M. Cain
Screenplay by	Todd Haynes; Jon Raymond;
Directed by	Todd Haynes
Starring	Kate Winslet; Guy Pearce; Evan Rachel Wood; Melissa Leo;
Music by	Carter Burwell
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	5
Production
Producers	Todd Haynes; Christine Vachon; John Wells; Pamela Koffler; Ilene S. Landress;
Cinematography	Edward Lachman
Editor	Affonso Gonçalves
Running time	58–79 minutes
Production companies	HBO; MGM Television; Killer Films; John Wells Productions;
Budget	$20 million
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	March 27 –; April 10, 2011

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 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.

Quick Facts Based on, Screenplay by ...

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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.

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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.

Kate Winslet as Mildred Pierce
Guy Pearce as Monty Beragon
Evan Rachel Wood as Veda Pierce (Dilber Yunus and Sumi Jo as her singing "voice")
Miriam Shor as Anna
Melissa Leo as Lucy Gessler
Morgan Turner as Young Veda Pierce
James LeGros as Wally Burgan
Brían F. O'Byrne as Bert Pierce
Mare Winningham as Ida Corwin
Hope Davis as Mrs. Forrester
Quinn McColgan as Moire "Ray" Pierce
Waltrudis Buck as Mrs. Temple

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

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

Thumb — 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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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
		Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	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
		Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie	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]
	Women's Image Network Awards	Actress Made for Television Movie	Evan Rachel Wood	Nominated	^[22]
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]
	Dorian Awards	TV Performance of the Year	Kate Winslet	Nominated	^[28]
	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]
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries	Kate Winslet	Won	^[31]
	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]
	Young Artist Awards		Morgan Turner	Nominated	^[33]

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Tied with Maggie Smith for Downton Abbey.
Also for Cinema Verite, The Sunset Limited, and Too Big to Fail.

[1]
"About the Show". HBO.com. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
[2]
Ellison, Jo (April 2011). "Solo Act". Vogue: 218–225.
[3]
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.
[4]
"Mildred Pierce". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
[5]
"IMDb". IMDb. May 7, 2024.
[6]
"The Show". PointHistorical.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
[7]
"Mildred Pierce: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
[8]
"Mildred Pierce". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
[9]
"Call-in: The best and worst of the year in global film". WBEZ91.5. WBEZ. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
[10]
"'Mildred Pierce' is a quiet, heartbreaking masterpiece". Salon.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
[11]
Stanley, Alessandra (March 24, 2011). "Television Review: Mildred Pierce". TV.NYTimes.com. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
[12]
"Stephen King Reviews HBO's 'Mildred Pierce'". The Daily Beast. March 20, 2011. p. 1. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
[13]
Entertainment news Herald Sun ^{[dead link‍]}
[14]
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.
[15]
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.
[16]
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.
[17]
"2011 Artios Awards". www.castingsociety.com. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
[18]
"15th Annual TV Awards (2010-11)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
[19]
"Mildred Pierce". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
[20]
"2011 Satellite Awards". Satellite Awards. International Press Academy. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
[21]
"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.
[22]
"Women's Image Network Announces Nominees, Honoree". www.marketresearchworld.net. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
[23]
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.
[24]
"Past Nominees & Winners". American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
[25]
"Nominees/Winners". Art Directors Guild. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
[26]
"'Hanna,' 'Hugo' and 'Moneyball' Nominated for Cinema Audio Society Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. January 19, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
[27]
"12th Costume Designers Guild Awards". Costume Designers Guild. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
[28]
"Dorian Awards Past Winners". Dorian Awards. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
[29]
"Mildred Pierce – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
[30]
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.
[31]
"The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
[32]
"Previous Nominees & Winners: 2012 Awards Winners". Writers Guild Awards. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
[33]
"33rd Annual Young Artist Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2012.

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[19] Tied with Maggie Smith for Downton Abbey.

[31] Also for Cinema Verite, The Sunset Limited, and Too Big to Fail.

[HBOAbout-1] [1]
"About the Show". HBO.com. Retrieved December 4, 2010.

[vogue11-2] [2]
Ellison, Jo (April 2011). "Solo Act". Vogue: 218–225.

[3] [3]
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.

[4] [4]
"Mildred Pierce". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2011.

[5] [5]
"IMDb". IMDb. May 7, 2024.

[6] [6]
"The Show". PointHistorical.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2010.

[7] [7]
"Mildred Pierce: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 10, 2020.

[Metacritic-8] [8]
"Mildred Pierce". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 26, 2011.

[WBEZ-9] [9]
"Call-in: The best and worst of the year in global film". WBEZ91.5. WBEZ. Retrieved May 19, 2013.

[10] [10]
"'Mildred Pierce' is a quiet, heartbreaking masterpiece". Salon.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2011.

[11] [11]
Stanley, Alessandra (March 24, 2011). "Television Review: Mildred Pierce". TV.NYTimes.com. Retrieved March 26, 2011.

[king-12] [12]
"Stephen King Reviews HBO's 'Mildred Pierce'". The Daily Beast. March 20, 2011. p. 1. Retrieved April 6, 2011.

[13] [13]
Entertainment news Herald Sun ^{[dead link‍]}

[14] [14]
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.

[15] [15]
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.

[16] [16]
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.

[17] [17]
"2011 Artios Awards". www.castingsociety.com. Retrieved September 26, 2011.

[18] [18]
"15th Annual TV Awards (2010-11)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.

[20] [19]
"Mildred Pierce". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2017.

[21] [20]
"2011 Satellite Awards". Satellite Awards. International Press Academy. Retrieved July 10, 2021.

[22] [21]
"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.

[23] [22]
"Women's Image Network Announces Nominees, Honoree". www.marketresearchworld.net. Retrieved December 8, 2015.

[24] [23]
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.

[25] [24]
"Past Nominees & Winners". American Society of Cinematographers. Retrieved July 13, 2017.

[26] [25]
"Nominees/Winners". Art Directors Guild. Retrieved July 29, 2018.

[27] [26]
"'Hanna,' 'Hugo' and 'Moneyball' Nominated for Cinema Audio Society Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. January 19, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2019.

[28] [27]
"12th Costume Designers Guild Awards". Costume Designers Guild. Retrieved May 21, 2016.

[29] [28]
"Dorian Awards Past Winners". Dorian Awards. Retrieved October 5, 2019.

[30] [29]
"Mildred Pierce – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.

[32] [30]
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.

[33] [31]
"The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved May 21, 2016.

[34] [32]
"Previous Nominees & Winners: 2012 Awards Winners". Writers Guild Awards. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2014.

[35] [33]
"33rd Annual Young Artist Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2012.

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Mildred Pierce (miniseries)

Ratings

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Synopsis

Cast

Filming

Reception

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

Mildred Pierce
Promotional poster
Based on	Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain
Screenplay by	Todd Haynes Jon Raymond
Directed by	Todd Haynes
Starring	Kate Winslet Guy Pearce Evan Rachel Wood Melissa Leo
Music by	Carter Burwell
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	5
Production
Producers	Todd Haynes Christine Vachon John Wells Pamela Koffler Ilene S. Landress
Cinematography	Edward Lachman
Editor	Affonso Gonçalves
Running time	58–79 minutes
Production companies	HBO MGM Television Killer Films John Wells Productions
Budget	$20 million
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	March 27 (2011-03-27) – April 10, 2011 (2011-04-10)