Mildred Pierce Film

‘A narrative is a chain of events in cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space’ (Bordwell and Thompson). Discuss with reference to Mildred Pierce or another film of your choice.

To understand how this definition of narrative relates to Mildred Pierce we must first note the origins of narrative and the elements it comprises. It is widely accepted that by the 1930’s and 40’s the “classical Hollywood” narrative had evolved in cinematic representation. This really meant that films began to tell a story and observed certain techniques, firstly to draw the viewer in and then to reveal the story points through the plot, characters, range of story, narration as well as the film duration and setting.

At the start of the film we see a technique used which is often referred to as in media res or “in the middle of things”. As the film opens we see an event, in this case the murder of an as-yet-unknown man. We do not see who committed the murder. In essence we have seen an effect but do not yet know what caused it. We then go on to see the films exposition – that is, we are introduced to two of the main characters (Mildred and Wally) and their initial conversation and visit to the beach house raises our expectations by setting up a range of possible causes and effects of what we have already seen. This section of the film might be referred to as the set up.

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In narrative, characters in a film are used as agents for cause – that is they cause things to happen and register effects. When we are introduced to Mildred in the second sequence there are various elements of the mise en scene that lead the audience to assume things about the character. We see her dressed in a fur coat and jewellery signifying that she is rich, possible successful. We see her contemplating suicide and later we see her in conversation with Wally. The dialogue suggests that they have been involved in some sort of business deal. We also pick up cues that Mildred has undergone some sort of change (when Wally remarks on her knocking back her drink she says she has “learned how to these last few months”). Already a narrative is beginning to form and the narration has started to reveal clues which will help the audience build the story.

We might say that the true narrative of the film starts shortly after Mildred is taken to the police station and questioned. Here we see a dissolve to a flash-back scene and her story is recounted. We begin to understand that Mildred is at the centre of the plot’s causal chain. The breakdown of her marriage necessitates her finding a job. In turn her success at work leads her to want to open her own business and she goes on to buy a property. Through this deal she meets Berrigan and seems to be happy until he begins to take advantage of her wealth.

As this cause-effect chain unfolds we are introduced to other characters that are central to the story. What is important to note is that it is Mildred’s desire to provide the best for her family that drives this change. This could be considered as the prime cause for the chain of events and the eventual effects thereof. This desire sets up a goal for Mildred to achieve.

It is clear from the outset that Mildred is the protagonist. Her name is uttered by the dying man at the start of the film and we see her as the first character after that.

However, Mildred meets many who could be considered as antagonists as the story unfolds. Initially Burt, her first husband, refuses to divorce her. In nearly every scene Wally is more interested in linking himself romantically with Mildred than helping her achieve what she wants. Berrigan is linked romantically with Mildred but also is keen to use her for her money. Even her daughter Vida is intent on undermining her mother by demanding more and more and usually patronising her in some way. Ultimately we learn that it is her affair with Berrigan which leads to the murder. Thus we see many counter-forces to Mildred’s desire, which again helps us interpret the story and understand the factors leading up to the murder.

It is also important to consider how we differentiate the plot from the story in Mildred Pierce. In this flash-back mode, we are presented with main plot lines. We see Mildred working in the restaurant and then going on to buy her own place. Though this is presented as a brief sequence and we don’t see it on screen, the audience assumes that Mildred has worked there long enough to learn her trade and gain enough knowledge to open her own place. Soon after the deal is signed with Berrigan we see Mildred preparing to open the restaurant. Again we have not seen the detailed view of her going there for the fist time, buying the equipment etc. Moreover we assume all of these events as part of the story. As an audience we are asked to create this story at various stages of the film. Next we see of the restaurant itself, a thriving and successful business full of customers, and again we assume that as part of the story the restaurant has been open some time and built a good trade and reputation even though we have not seen this in the plot.

It is fair to say that within the range of the story the narration is fairly restricted. As an audience we usually know less than the characters do. At the very beginning of the film we don’t know who is murdered or who committed the murder. What we do learn is that Mildred has undergone some sort of change, but there are few examples of us as an audience knowing more than the character Mildred does. Some plot cues are inferred – when, for example, we see Vida with her fiancé and Wally and we suspect that there is more to the arrangement than meets the eye, but this is not explicit. We also see that Berrigan and Vida begin to grow close but there is no clear depiction of anything more than that. An exception to this is, of course, that we know that Berrigan will be murdered at some point in the story.

The depth of the story could be summed up as relatively objective. We see the characters external behaviour and this is usually always presented from Mildred’s perspective. One might argue that the only instances of mental subjectivity are the flashback sequences when we hear Mildred narrating. This gives us some insight in to her thoughts and how she interprets the story but once inside the sequence the events are then usually shown objectively.

Our understanding of the emerging narrative is helped by our understanding of time. As the movie starts we see that it is night. We see the events leading up to the start of the flash-back sequences and we are only returned to present time when Mildred is being questioned. We assume that the questioning is in the present day and we begin to see the chronological order of the film through the flash-back sequences. To make sense of the story the audience rearranges these sequences in to the logical or temporal order.

In other scenes we are given indications of the length of time that has elapsed between events. At the start of the film we hear Mildred revealed that it was 4 years ago that her story begins. We hear Mildred’s voiceover in a restaurant sequence recalling that she became a good waitress in 3 weeks. By the end of the film we also see that, when Mildred is released from questioning it is morning and a whole night has passed. We are able to gauge the temporal duration and also understand the story duration.

The only scene that is repeated is the murder scene. This highlights its significance and helps to bring about the enigma-resolution cycle.

When we consider the use of space in the film we can note that there are some themes. We often see Mildred in interior scenes – at home as a housewife, in the restaurant, at the bar or the beach house. Of these, the beach house is most prominent. We see it in the opening scene and then again a number of times throughout the story. The audience can appreciate the significance as we know that that was the where the murder occurred. Some of the key developments also take place in Wally’s bar which again features at the start of the film and is returned to at stages throughout. Most of the screen duration focuses on Mildred but some larger events occur off screen (we don’t see Mildred’s wedding for example).

We can say that in Mildred Pierce the narrative is defined by individual characters as causal agents. We see that Mildred’s desire sets up a goal for her to achieve. We see that her attempts to achieve it bring her into contact with the other characters and there are cause and effects to their interaction. We have seen that film is mainly objective – that the audience can make sense of the story through the cues presented in the plot. We certainly see a resolution to both the original questions raised by the murder and to Mildred’s own goals – as Vida gets her comeuppance! For these reasons I would agree that Mildred Pierce displays what is defined as a “classical Hollywood narrative”.

Bibliography

Bordwell and Thompson : Film Art: An Introduction (2001)

Cook and Bernik : The Cinema Book 2^nd Edition (1999)

Hayward : Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts (2000)