Mildred Pierce appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.37:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Despite its age, the image usually looked good.
Sharpness appeared fairly tight and distinctive most of the time. Some softness occurred, though many of these instances came from the source photography – in particular, Crawford received some “glamour lighting” that seemed intended to obscure her age.
Other shots looked a little soft for no logical reason, though. Again, these instances never became problematic, but I thought the image showed a bit less definition than anticipated at times. No issues with shimmering or jagged edges occurred.
Despite the film’s advanced age, source flaws were non-existent; this was a clean presentation. A good layer of grain appeared, so I didn’t suspect noise reduction.
Blacks appeared fairly deep and dense, but contrast could be a little iffy, as I thought the image looked a little too bright at times. While I suspect this came from the source, it still made the presentation seem off on occasion. Much of the transfer looked terrific, but enough inconsistencies made this a “B”.
The LPCM monaural soundtrack of Mildred Pierce also worked well. Speech seemed reasonably accurate and distinct, with no issues related to intelligibility or edginess. Music came across as fairly bright and lively, though dynamic range seemed limited given the restrictions of the source.
Effects were similarly modest but they showed good clarity and accuracy within the confines of 72-year-old stems. This was a more than adequate auditory presentation for an older movie.
As we shift to extras, the main attraction comes from a 2002 documentary called Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star. It runs one hour, 27 minutes, six seconds and includes comments from biographer Bob Thomas, daughter Christina Crawford, columnist Liz Smith, playwright/historian Charles Busch, historian Karen Swensen, director Vincent Sherman, key MGM hairstylist Sydney Guilaroff, actor/husband Douglas Fairbanks Jr., director/friend Herbert Kenwith, interior designer Carleton Varney, friend Peter Rogers and actors Diane Baker, Betsy Palmer, Anna Lee, Cliff Robertson, Anita Page, Virginia Grey, Dickie Moore, Ben Cooper, Margaret O’Brien, and Judy Geeson.
Narrated by Anjelica Huston, “Ultimate” discusses aspects of Joan Crawford’s life and career. Via Christina’s comments, we get some info about Joan’s alleged failings/abusive behavior, but the program mostly concentrates on other elements.
I like that emphasis, as I think it seems appropriate. While “Ultimate” needs to spend some time in the “no more wire hangers” realm, that area shouldn’t dominate – especially since it appears Christina’s claims should be taken with some grains of salt. “Ultimate” covers Joan’s life and career pretty well.
Next comes a chat between film critics Molly Haskell and Robert Polito. They discuss the source novel and its adaptation as well as story/character elements, cast and crew, and interpretation of the movie. Some of this works nicely, but the piece comes with an awful lot of praise for Pierce and doesn’t become as insightful as I’d like.
For an archival clip, we find David Frost and Joan Crawford. From January 1970, this 15-minute, two-second interview looks at aspects of her career, with a little discussion of Pierce. This doesn’t become a hard-hitting chat, but it’s decent view of Crawford.
After this we discover a 2006 Q&A with actor Ann Blyth. It runs 23 minutes, 56 seconds and examines parts of her life/career with an emphasis on Pierce. In front of a giddy crowd, matters tend to seem somewhat superficial, but we still find a reasonably enjoyable conversation – and Blyth looked astonishingly good for a then-78-year-old.
James M, Cain delivers a 1969 interview with the novel’s author. It lasts 10 minutes, seven seconds and covers elements of violence in then-current society as well as reflections on his work and writing in general. This seems like a mildly interesting chat at best, mainly because it’s so anchored in its era – Cain talks a lot more about culture circa 1969 than his career.
In addition to the film’s trailer, we find a 12-page booklet. It presents an essay from critic Imogen Sara Smith. It becomes a good conclusion to the package.
When Mildred Pierce succeeds, it does so via a strong performance from its lead actor. However, with mushy plotting and lackluster narrative movement, not even Joan Crawford can fully redeem this spotty melodrama. The Blu-ray offers generally good picture and audio along with a decent compilation of bonus materials. The 1945 Pierce offers sporadic pleasures at best.