A magnificent blend of film noir and feminine soap, glossily crafted by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, Yankee Doodle Dandy), Mildred Pierce most notably served as a comeback film for waning star Joan Crawford. Mother/daughter rivalry is taken to the limits in this rags-to-riches story of a woman who turns her back on the confines of the family to make a new life for herself and her children. Told in flashback, the film is a chilling demonstration of the fact that, in a patriarchal society, when a woman steps outside the home the end result could be disastrous.