Mildred Pierce: The Femme Noir

The criterion collection is a relatively new selection of films in the UK. In February 2017 they released the classic Mildred Pierce starring Joan Crawford. The package is terrific, with an iconic scene as the cover art, and a terrific transfer of the original film that is beautiful to watch. I personally love Mildred Pierce. To me it is Joan Crawford's finest hour, or two hours if you want to get technical.

What stands out in this release is its special features. Previous criterion releases have features centred on the directors and their auteur approach. This is the first to focus on its leading lady, with a feature documentary telling the story of Joan Crawford and her rise through the ranks of Hollywood. It is clear that Mildred Pierce is the pinnacle of Joan's career, winning her the Best Actress Oscar in 1946. That year also saw some stiff competition from Ingrid Bergman for The Bells of St. Mary's and Gene Tierney in the phenomenal Leave Her To Heaven. But Joan went home with the coveted award. Well, it was actually delivered to her home as she was ill that evening.

Joan Crawford and Anne Blyth

The film itself is in a league of its own within the noir genre. Based on the James M. Cain novel of the same name the film takes the initial story of abandoned housewife with spoiled child and turns it into a mystery filled noir picture: essentially a femme noir. Directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) the film explores the complex relationship between mother and daughter, here a sadomasochistic relationship with Veda pushing her mother's love to the limit. But like any unhealthy relationship Mildred just can't let go. She's a good mother, perhaps too indulgent but everything she does is for Veda. But it's never enough.

The film then veers away from the book. In 1940s Hollywood, morality was very important. This was the time of the Hayes code where there were certain rules that all films had to adhere to. One of those was that a bad person is punished for their wrong doing. So, the screenplay completely differed from the book in that Veda eventually gets her comeuppance, and Mildred is punished too, left without her daughter and without the business she worked so hard for. But she's free from her daughter's influence.

Watching it today it is still a fantastic film which revived the career of Joan Crawford who had become sidelined by MGM for younger talent. When Crawford switched to Warner Brothers she didn't work for a couple of years, waiting for the right part rather than taking what she could get. The wait paid off, but she had to prove herself worthy of the role. Curtiz had no desire to cast Crawford in the film, believing her to be inferior to the likes of Ingrid Bergman or Bette Davis. So Joan did something unusual for a star of her caliber: she took a screen test. And Curtiz was forced to apologize for his wrong judgement. The role was hers.

And it still is. Joan Crawford is Mildred Pierce. The role was almost tailor made for Crawford and her abilities to affect the audience. Joan's career went through some interesting phases - she had been working in Hollywood since the mid-1920s - and her persona had altered with each decade. The 20s saw her as a flapper, the party girl; the 30s saw her as the working girl, relatable to a post-depression era audience; the 40s saw that come full circle with the strong willed woman fighting for her place in the world. Each persona in a way described how Joan's own journey developed over the years in Hollywood. And here in Mildred Pierce she peaks as the titular character. She is Mildred and vice versa. So much so that it is near impossible to picture anyone else in the role. Even the terrific Kate Winslet couldn't compete with Crawford in HBO's adaptation in 2011. If you've seen the original it is hard not to compare Kate with Joan in that particular role, it has become so iconic over the years.

Crawford with her Academy Award in 1946

And that makes this Blu ray set great. It celebrates not only a great film but the star that made the role so iconic. The documentary is approximately an hour and a half long, featuring interviews with various admirers and people who worked with her in her long career, shedding light on her humble origins and her hard graft to become Hollywood Royalty. There is also a feature interviewing Veda herself. Anne Blyth's interview is also interesting, discussing her career and what the role of Veda did for her as well as her working alongside Joan Crawford. This is then finished off with an essay discussing the themes of the film and the sacrificial labour of women, from Mildred working in the kitchen to the cleaning ladies on their knees at the end of the film.

The HD only adds to an already great film that gets better with each viewing. Joan Crawford is at her best in this noir role, on par with the likes of Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon. A great noir actress with performances in Possessed, Sudden Fear and The Damned Don't Cry she doesn't get the credit she deserves for the strength and vulnerability she brings to these roles, and here it is elevated with great supporting players such as Anne Blyth as Veda, a phenomenal performance of a vindictive femme fatale; and Eve Arden and Jack Carson as Mildred's support system.

The blu ray release takes the movie to another level, with fascinating documentaries discussing the film itself and Joan Crawford's career. This is certainly a must have item for any film buff or Joan Crawford fan for this is the ultimate tribute to Hollywood's ultimate movie star.

History VS Hollywood: Anastasia

The Lost Princess

The mystery of Anastasia Romanov is one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century. Although it has been almost conclusively proven that she did die along with her whole family on 17th July 1917, many to this day believe that she may indeed have survived. Perhaps it's a state of denial and hope that miracles do happen. For it is one of the greatest tragedies that leaves one wondering how such innocent lives can be cut short in the name of revolution.

Anastasia Romanova was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra. She was descended from the great houses of Europe, granddaughter to the Russian Tsar, great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, the 'Matriarch of Europe'. She was the life of the party, so to speak, keeping her family cheerful in the last weeks in captivity. She was raised along with her sisters in virtual seclusion at Tsarskoe Selo, her parents, the Emperor and Empress of Russia, preferring the quiet life to the glamour of the court. This was one of the many things that caused a rift among their subjects, many blaming Alexandra for her lack of social etiquette. Where her parents were secretive Anastasia and her siblings desired to step into the spotlight.

Revolution

When the Great War between Germany and Russia was declared, Alexandra and the girls stepped up and underwent the training required for nursing and ran their own wards, proving themselves exceptional carers. Again, not all their subjects were happy to see their royal family among the sick but it was a testament to the characters of these women that they helped the wounded who needed care.

Sadly, just as they were just beginning to flourish in their lives they were brutally murdered in a basement in the outskirts of Siberia. It is a tragedy that has shaped a large part of 20th century history, emphasizing the end of the all powerful Imperial family. Since 1917 it has been hoped and believed by many that not all the Romanov children were murdered; that one survived the traumatic slaughter of her family: Anastasia.

Over the years many women have come forward claiming to be the lost princess, all sadly proving false. The story has become a legend of the 20th century, becoming the subject of films such as the 1956 production of Anastasia starring Ingrid Bergman and the 1997 animated feature Anastasia, released by 20th century fox. Of course Hollywood has always played fast and loose with history over the years with films such as Braveheart and Gladiator falsifying certain aspects of history to heighten the drama. The mystery of Anastasia has been no different over years.

The Film:

One of the most successful films is the animated classic Anastasia released in 1997, featuring an all star cast of voices such as Meg Ryan, Angela Lansbury, Christopher Lloyd, John Cusack, Kelsey Gramer and Hank Azaria. I remember seeing this film in the cinema and loving it from beginning to end. It was fun with entertaining characters, scary villains and catchy songs such as Journey to the Past and Rumour in St. Petersberg.

Released by 20th Century Fox on November 14 1997, this was the studio's first animated release and it grossed $120,541 in its opening weekend before being released world wide and raking in the money. Directed by Don Bluth (The Land Before Time) and Gary Goldman (All Dogs Go To Heaven),  with a screenplay written by Susan Gauthier with  Noni White and Bob Tzudiker, writers of Disney classics The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Tarzan.

The soundtrack is terrific, with a score by David Newman (Serenity), and memorable songs to sing along to at any age. It's a great treat for the whole family that can hold up against any Disney classic as a whole. What makes it stand apart is that it is based on real events, offering a musical romance that gives the kids joy and the adults a sense of hope for the real Anastasia.

Meg Ryan is wonderful as Anastasia/Anya, who leaves an orphanage after living the last 10 years of her life with no memory of her past. Anya proves a fun, sparky heroine who can hold her own against villain Rasputin. She comes to realize she is Grand Duchess and choose between her past as a royal princess and her future with Dimitri, voiced by John Cusack.

The film takes aspects of the real history, showing auditions for an Anastasia lookalike with humorous results to an actress attempting to convince the Dowager Empress herself of her validity. It's a sad reminder that at the heart was an old woman searching for hope that not all her family was lost to her.

The detail in the animation is terrific, with attention paid to the exteriors and interiors of scenes, to costumes and the characters themselves.

Fact vs Fiction:

Age difference: When the Romanov family were brutally murdered the youngest daughter, Anastasia, was 17 years old. In the Fox animation she is depicted as a child of eight when she flees the Winter Palace with her grandmother Maria Feodorovna. So when we see her again 10 years later she is 18 years old.

300 Year Anniversary: When the film begins the Tsar and his family are celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. The voice over states that the year is 1916 when in fact the 300th anniversary was on March 6 1913, 3 years earlier than the film depicts. But the anniversary offers an excuse to display the elegance of the Russian aristocracy to the audience and make the scene much more dramatic when the villain Rasputin places his curse on the family on the anniversary of their ascension to the throne.

Rasputin: The movie's central villain is initially killed at the beginning of the film by drowning. In reality he was already dead when the revolution started. Grigori Rasputin was a mystic and a self proclaimed holy man. He was Tsarina Alexandra's confidante, becoming the main healer to her son Alexei who suffered from Hemophilia which he inherited through his mother. Through Rasputin's influence Alexandra became solitary, and many nobles found him a danger to the empire and so on 30 December 1916 he was murdered by Prince Felix Yusupov and Vladimir Purishkevich. After initially being poisoned with cyanide he was shot by Yusupov and Purishkevich before being dumped into the Malaya Nevka River. .The film does have a little nod to his assasination in the song 'Rumour in St. Petersberg' where a black marketeer tries to sell 'Count Yusupov's pajamas! Comrade, buy the pair.'

Together In Paris: One of the main aspects of the story is Anya's journey to Paris to find her family. Although a lovely setting and likely better known to audiences, Maria Feodorovna was Danish royalty, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark. She married the future Alexander III on 9 November 1866, becoming Empress in March 1881. In 1916 she was involved in a coup d'etat to abdicate her son from the throne in hopes of saving the monarchy, resulting in a family rift. But the Tsar abdicated a year later, abolishing the monarchy and leading to the eventual murder of the entire family in July 1917. In 1919 Maria left Russia, never to return. She visited her sister in London before returning to her native Denmark where she lived out her final years. She died on 13 October 1928 having outlived four of her six children, and her sister Queen Alexandra of England. She was interred at Roskilde Cathedral on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark.


Dressing the Part: Despite having to spend a lot of time in rags, when Anastasia finally gets to Paris her costumes are stunning. But the best is indeed her Imperial dress, which was so well researched. It has the iconic shape of Imperial Russian dress while also looking modern with beautiful neutral tones to suit Anya, with a little glitz thrown in. It's just sad it had to get ruined. But it has become her iconic dress in the same vein as Belle's yellow gown in Beauty and the Beast.

From Myth to Fairytale

Despite its inaccuracies it is clear a lot of research went into making this film, from costuming to set design to the music. They've taken a dark and tragic event in history and given the story a deeper meaning: of grief (a bold move for an animated feature) and finding yourself on the other side of that dark tunnel. Anastasia herself has become a beacon of hope over the years, that perhaps not all was lost and here they've given her a strong personality with a great sense of sass. She is a strong individual who can hold her own while still being vulnerable, giving her a relatability that perhaps is hard to find in some of Disney's own heroines. And she goes up against her own villain. She is the heroine of her own story. And the myth has become a fairytale that can be enjoyed again and again.

Natalie Wood: Hollywood's Russian Princess

Hollywood has had its share of legendary stars, preserved eternally on the silver screen. Others sadly have been forgotten while others have become more famous for their off screen escapades than their achievements on screen. One of these is Natalie Wood. Today, she is remembered more for her tragic death in 1981 than for her great performances.

At one time Natalie was considered Hollywood Royalty and was indeed an extraordinary actress, one who could rival the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, a fellow child star turned respectable adult actress. She received three Oscar nominations and starred opposite the likes of Orson Welles, James Dean, Steve McQueen and Claudette Colbert. In her prime Natalie was the most sought after actress in Hollywood with fantastic performances in films such as Splendour In The Grass, Gypsy and Love With The Proper Stranger. The majority of her choices involved characters pushed to the limit of their sanity and who claw their way back, much like her own struggle in her own life.

Born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko on 20th July 1938, to Russian immigrants; her fate already decided by her ambitious mother, a former ballerina who fled Siberia after the Russian Revolution. Maria had always had dreams of fame and fortune and upon Natalie's birth worked tirelessly to instill those passions into her daughter. After appearing in Happy Land for a mere few seconds Maria moved the entire family to Los Angeles where Natasha made a screen test. After a year or so she was cast alongside Orson Welles and Claudette Colbert in Tomorrow Is Forever. It was a breakout performance for a seven year old who Welles said 'was so good she was terrifying'.

After this success she was cast in the classic Miracle on 34th Street, as the cynical daughter of Maureen O'Hara. One film historian describes her as being 'very good at not being sentimental and giving [the film] a sense of reality'. This resulted in a slew of movies playing the daughter of great actors such as James Stewart in The Jackpot and Bette Davis' daughter in The Star. But it was in 1955's Rebel Without A Cause that she made the transition from child actress to ingenue. It is an interesting film and Natalie's performance is stunning. Starring alongside James Dean, a member of the new method style of acting, she fought hard to get the role of Judy, a character she felt she could relate to. And this is where her natural abilities to perform come through, instinctual rather than methodical. And it resulted in Natalie's first Oscar nomination and won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer.

After the success of Rebel, Natalie made her way through many great performances, not all of which were received well by critics, but the public loved her regardless. She appeared in the classic western The Searchers, playing the kidnapped victim in A Cry In The Night and an actress in Marjorie Morningstar. But it was in 1960 that she had her next big success with West Side Story, now a classic musical. Despite not being a professional singer and dancer she held her own within the large cast, but her voice was sadly dubbed by a professional singer.

After West Side Story, Natalie made some of her most successful films acting wise. Splendor In The Grass was a melodramatic but well made film directed by Elia Kazan. She portrayed a high school student torn between being the good girl her mother wants her to be and her desire to be with her high school sweetheart which sadly leads her into a mental institution. It was a complex role that mirrored much of her own life, every bit as dramatic as any role she could've played. Starring opposite newcomer Warren Beatty, Natalie gives a brave and relatable performance that earned her another Oscar and Golden Globe nomination as well as a BAFTA nod for Best Foreign Actress.

This was followed up with Gypsy, another musical, this time the biopic of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous burlesque performer, resulting in another Golden Globe nomination. She received further acclaim for her performance in Love With The Proper Stranger opposite Steve McQueen, for which she received her last Oscar nod for the film which looks at the subject of abortion at a time when abortions were illegal. It is a great film and Wood has great chemistry with co-star McQueen.

After this Natalie's career slid  downward, her films weren't performing as well and her depression got the worst of her and she attempted suicide in 1966. After receiving help she regained some sense of normalcy, focusing on family life with the birth of her daughter Natasha in 1970. Her career never reached the successes of Splendor or Rebel again and she appeared in more TV dramas in the 70s, winning a Golden Globe for From Here To Eternity in 1979.

It was in 1981 that she signed up for what she hoped would be a movie come-back. Brainstorm was a sci-fi film where she co-starred with Christopher Walken of Deer Hunter. She had filmed the majority of the project when she and her husband Robert Wagner took a trip on their boat, inviting Walken along. No one really knows what happened that night but on 29th November 1981 Natalie Wood was found dead at sea in Catalina. She was 43 years old.

Her death resulted in a global scandal, a mystery that to this day has never been solved. There are many theories about how she died but the one fact that remains is that it was a tragedy. At the time of her death her career was taking an upward turn and she was in the midst of rehearsing the play Anastasia that was to open in February 1982, with Natalie in the titular role; taking her back to her Russian roots. Anastasia was her first foray into the theatre.

Natalie Wood was Hollywood's very own princess. She was a unique beauty, unlike anyone else at that time, and expressed a sense of intelligence that is enviable by today's standards. She was Hollywood royalty, and in the way Anastasia became Russia's lost princess Natalie Wood is perhaps Hollywood's very own Russian Princess, tragically lost before her time.

Further Reading:

Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood; Finstad, Suzanne; Arrow

Rothesay Castle: The First Stewart Stronghold

The Stewarts are forever entwined with the forming of the Scottish nation. They lay the foundations for the Scotland we know today. And the best example of that lasting impression is Rothesay Castle, the first Stewart Stronghold in Scotland. Built in the 13th century by High Steward of Scotland Alan Fitz Walter and completed by his son Walter Stewart, it is one of the oldest surviving castles in Scotland. And with its unusual circular structure the castle proved a great strategic stronghold against their enemies over the centuries.

The Courtyard

Built on the border between Scottish and Norwegian control, the castle became a stronghold in the battles over control of the Western Isles. The Stewarts held Rothesay for their King in the battle of Largs which eventually led to the Treaty of Perth three years later, establishing the Western Isles under Scottish jurisdiction while Orkney and the Shetland Isles remained under Norway's, finally calling a truce between the two nations.

When the Stewarts eventually gained the crown in 1371, Rothesay remained a favourite residence for both Robert II and Robert III who died there in 1406. It was not until James IV though that the castle became popular again, used as a stronghold and royal residence that he enjoyed so much he began restoring the castle and adding new parts to it. Sadly he never lived to see its completion due to his untimely demise in 1513 at the battle of Flodden.

The Gatehouse

The castle's importance didn't end there though, occupied by the Earl of Lennox during the Rough Wooings for the English; garrisoned by Cromwell's men in the 17th century while occupying Scotland, dismantling parts of it upon their departure. It was also used as a prison for a time before it was plundered and burned in 1685, forcing the castle keeper to move elsewhere eventually settling at Mount Stuart.

The Main Hall

The castle itself is unique in many ways; it is one of only a handful of castles still with a moat surrounding it, which offered an extra layer of defense against enemies, as well as its unusual circular structure. When entering the castle you walk across the bridge over the moat, the first part you enter being the gatehouse built by James IV and V, enlarging the original to make accommodations above the entrance for royal guests. And above the entrance you can still see the heraldic arms featuring the lion rampant and unicorn of the royal badge.

Stewart Royal Coat of Arms

Inside the gatehouse a set of stairs lead you to its main hall, the only room still intact today. Used to house and entertain visitors, the hangings on the walls are similar to the tapestries that would have covered the stone walls, including the cloth of estate hanging over the fireplace which would be placed during the King's stay. It is a spacious room with table and benches as well as miniature productions of the castle for the visitors to see what the original buildings once looked like.

The Pigeon Tower

The medieval miniature features several smaller buildings within the courtyard, a stark contrast to the courtyard today with its large open space that once would have been a hive of activity. Today there are only the barest traces of the buildings that once stood there, the foundations of which were revealed in the 1800s through excavations. Of the four towers the most well preserved is today known as the Pigeon Tower. It was used as lodgings for the King before the later gatehouse was built and believed to have been converted in the 1600s to house pigeons during the winter months, the nesting holes still visible within the tower walls.

The Chapel

Of the courtyard buildings the best preserved is the Chapel. Based on analysis, the chapel is most likely to have been built in the 1500s by either James IV or James V. The impressive structure was dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, who in fact was not a saint in the traditional sense. He is the leader of all angels and the army of God. Due to his place in heaven beside God he is considered above other angels in rank, and is the patron of soldiers, police and doctors, today invoked for protection. So perhaps St Michael was well chosen with the castle's history of defense.

House of Stewart Badge

In its time Rothesay Castle was a formidable structure. Today you can walk around the outside of the grounds to get a better appreciation of its scale, and its place among the town of Rothesay itself. The castle housed the earliest Stewarts long before the crown rested on their heads and became a favourite royal residence to later monarchs. But it has an important place in the formation of Scotland, from defending against Vikings to the English, from housing royalty to prisoners over the centuries, Rothesay Castle has left its mark on Scotland as we know it today, forever entwined with the story of Scotland's most important royal family: the Stewarts.