# Mildred Pierce (miniseries)

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, 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). The miniseries also features Guy Pearce and Melissa Leo. 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. 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.

## 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

* 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.

## Filming

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

## Reception

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." At Metacritic, the miniseries has a weighted average score of 69, based on 28 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". 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. Salon.com called it a "quiet, heartbreaking masterpiece", 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".
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, but complained that the five-hour adaptation was "too damn long". He finishes with, "Winslet’s Mildred is a genuine star turn. How Joan Crawford would have loathed her."
The series was shown out of competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival in 2011.

### Ratings

| Episode(s) | Date | Viewers |
| Parts 1 & 2 | March 27, 2011 | 1.270 million |
| Part 3 | April 3, 2011 | 0.987 million |
| Parts 4 & 5 | April 10, 2011 | 0.964 million |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2011 | Artios Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Movie/Mini Series | Laura Rosenthal | Won |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Motion Picture or Miniseries | Best Motion Picture or Miniseries | Won |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Kate Winslet | Won |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Guy Pearce | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Melissa Leo | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Evan Rachel Wood | Won |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Todd Haynes | Won |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Todd Haynes and Jon Raymond | Won |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Won |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Cinematography in a Non-Series | Best Cinematography in a Non-Series | Won |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Costume Design in a Non-Series | Best Costume Design in a Non-Series | Won |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Editing in a Non-Series | Best Editing in a Non-Series | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Non-Series | Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Non-Series | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Music in a Non-Series | Best Music in a Non-Series | Won |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best New Titles Sequence | Best New Titles Sequence | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Production Design in a Non-Series | Best Production Design in a Non-Series | Won |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Sound in a Non-Series | Best Sound in a Non-Series | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series | Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler, John Wells, Todd Haynes, and Ilene S. Landress | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | Kate Winslet | Won |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Brían F. O'Byrne | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Guy Pearce | Won |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | Melissa Leo | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | Mare Winningham | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | Evan Rachel Wood | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie | Todd Haynes | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie | Todd Haynes and Jon Raymond | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie | Mark Friedberg, Peter Rogness, and Ellen Christiansen-De Jonge | Won |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or Movie | Laura Rosenthal | Won |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie | Edward Lachman (for "Part 5") | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Ann Roth, Michelle Matland, and Patrick Wiley (for "Part 2") | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Movie | Jerry DeCarlo and Jerry Popolis | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) | Patricia Regan and Linda Melazzo | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score) | Carter Burwell (for "Part 5") | Won |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Carter Burwell | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie | Camilla Toniolo (for "Part 4") | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 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 |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie | Drew Kunin, Leslie Shatz, Bobby Johanson, and Joshua Reinhardt (for "Part 5") | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 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 |
| 2011 | Satellite Awards | Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Won |
| 2011 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Kate Winslet | Won |
| 2011 | Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Guy Pearce | Nominated |
| 2011 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Evan Rachel Wood | Nominated |
| 2011 | Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | Nominated |
| 2011 | Women's Image Network Awards | Actress Made for Television Movie | Kate Winslet | Nominated |
| 2011 | Women's Image Network Awards | Actress Made for Television Movie | Evan Rachel Wood | Nominated |
| 2012 | American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television | Affonso Gonçalves (for "Part 1") | Nominated |
| 2012 | American Society of Cinematographers Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Motion Picture/Miniseries Television | Edward Lachman (for "Part 5") | Nominated |
| 2012 | 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 |
| 2012 | 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 |
| 2012 | Costume Designers Guild Awards | Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries | Ann Roth | Nominated |
| 2012 | Dorian Awards | TV Drama of the Year | TV Drama of the Year | Nominated |
| 2012 | Dorian Awards | TV Performance of the Year | Kate Winslet | Nominated |
| 2012 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Miniseries or Television Film | Best Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated |
| 2012 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Kate Winslet | Won |
| 2012 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Guy Pearce | Nominated |
| 2012 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Evan Rachel Wood | Nominated |
| 2012 | Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | Best Music Supervision for Television Long Form and Movie | Evyen Klean | Won |
| 2012 | 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 |
| 2012 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries | Guy Pearce | Nominated |
| 2012 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries | Kate Winslet | Won |
| 2012 | Writers Guild of America Awards | Long Form – Adapted | Todd Haynes and Jon Raymond; Based on the book by James M. Cain | Nominated |
| 2012 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special – Supporting Young Actress | Quinn McColgan | Nominated |
| 2012 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special – Supporting Young Actress | Morgan Turner | Nominated |