1945 • Joan Crawford
A single mother who uses her business acumen to become a successful entrepreneur, Mildred
Pierce is an unusual film noir because of the strong female lead. Joan Crawford, after a twenty-
year career had to endure a screen test to earn this role of a lifetime. Director Michael Curtiz
uses flashbacks to show how a spoiled and manipulative daughter, and the men in her life, trap
Mildred Pierce into a world she may never escape. Joan Crawford won an Academy Award for
portrayal of this complicated, and sympathetic woman.