When you’ve just won an Oscar, the normal career progression isn’t to head off to the small-screen, however that may be just what Kate Winslet is doing. She’s currently attached to a mini-series version of James M. Cain’s classic novel, Mildred Pierce. Of course it’s not the first time the story has hit the screen, with the fabulous 1945 movie version winning Joan Crawford an Oscar.
The thing that may have lured Winslet to the production is the presence of Todd Haynes, director of Velvet Goldmine and I’m Not There, who showed an exceptional understanding of the type of melodrama that Mildred Pierce revels in with Far From Heaven (although Cain’s tale mixes in a fair dose of film noir).
Mildred Pierce tell the story of a bored housewife whose unfaithful husband abandons her. Initially she finds success and independence in the restaurant business, but she’s soon assailed by duplicitous men, has to deal with an evil harridan of a daughter and gets driven to consider murder. It’s a wonderfully complex and engaging tale and is more than overdue for a new screen version.
While initially Winslet doesn’t exactly seem like the perfect fit to step into Crawford’s shoes, she’s versatile enough to make it work. That said, a small-screen mini-series as this point in her career is undoubtedly an odd choice, although as Variety pointed out, HBO’s success with Grey Gardens, starring Drew Barrymore, shows that TV can sometimes give projects that would have a tough time finding space at cinemas a much larger audience.