I gave up my HBO subscription about two years ago, and haven't missed it. Until now. This Sunday marks the beginning of Todd Haynes' five-hour adaptation of Mildred Pierce, the James M. Cain novel that also inspired a 1945 movie with Joan Crawford. The Crawford version, which won her her only Oscar, is a staple of film-theory classes and a favorite subject for feminist deconstruction. But Haynes has apparently stuck close to the original 1941 text, with Kate Winslet in the title role and Evan Rachel Wood as her demanding, ungrateful daughter.
Haynes' mini-series is earning lots of press, and admiring reviews. In the Village Voice, J. Hoberman says Haynes has paid careful attention to the story's intersection of economics and class:
Haynes has taken Cain's methodical narrative rhythm and deranged banality to heart. Much of the miniseries is devoted to the contemplation of Mildred's milieu. For all its intermittent histrionics, Haynes's miniseries is less a narrative than a fastidiously designed world. The pale greens and dusty corals evoke the colors of Depression glassware; Mildred's unglamorous cronies, played by Mare Winningham and Melissa Leo (in the part played by Eve Arden in the original), have the unadorned, care-etched faces of the women in Dorothea Lange's FSA photographs.
It all sounds enticing, at least if you're a big fan of Haynes' work (Superstar, Velvet Goldmine, Safe, Far From Heaven, I'm Not There), which I happen to be. But sans HBO, I guess I'll just have to wait for the DVD. Or an invite from a generous HBO-subscribing friend with extra couchspace...
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