Is it about HBO or not? Most people recommending the series "Mildred Pierce" will use the slogan "HBO produced, must be excellent", and the big-character posters promote the series. In fact, there is basically only one reason for this miniseries' attention in China, Kate Winslet.
The new skit is far more contemporary and pared down than the black-and-white film of the 1940s that won Joan Crawford an Oscar for best actress. The original black-and-white film opened with flashbacks, and then slowly explained the story in chronological order. During the period, the heroine also had a narration, leading the audience to follow, and a suspenseful death filled the impact of the film. The new series, according to the director himself, is a result of reading the original book in recent years, aiming to restore the spirit of the original book with a realistic approach. And this ethical drama full of retro flavor, with close interaction between characters, should be a type of drama that is easy to accept. Abandoned by her husband, the heroine establishes her own career in order to satisfy her daughter. She succeeds but always fails in the relationship with her relatives.
The calm camera language of the drama tells this family ethics tragedy from a third-person perspective, which of course can be counted as a new interpretation. Throughout the history of HBO's short dramas named or touted after characters (and for the time being, this name refers to miniseries and TV movies), they rarely make a fuss about the structure, and most of them push the characters directly into the spotlight by accident, close-up. Close-up and close-up, and most of the actors involved are also connoisseurs with superb acting skills, so some spectators call it "acting burst". The difference between a short play and a long play is that the trivial details of the characters in the former have been removed as much as possible, while the latter has more complicated multi-line collisions for the fullness of the characters. Without triviality, the short play becomes more tense. "Desire of the Sea" is no exception. There is no trick in the structure. The heroine is directly pulled in front of the camera from the beginning, so that she can personally explain the character's experience. Therefore, only the prologue of each part, the writers and directors used a little drama technique, followed by the progress of the plot like no one else. Of course, the screenwriter's talent is daring, let each hour-long part unfold reasonably, and arrange the scenes and events properly, which will never wear down the patience of the audience.
In this way, the storytelling will inevitably be diluted by five or six hours of film length. Several supporting roles have not been shaped extremely fully because of this, and some are single. However, Kate's heroine has received a lot of love. Whether it is for her ex-husband, lover, friend or daughter, her role is three-dimensional and sufficient. At the same time, Mildred is too perfect in both advantages and disadvantages, probably in order to highlight some of the protagonist's human flashes. Blindly satisfying her daughter, but not getting enough scenes to show that indulgence is also the cause of her own planting, the eldest daughter Veda inexplicably became a cold-blooded and conceited nuisance. At the end, the mother's vanity quickly revealed because of her daughter's contempt can be seen. But then it turned into the mutual comfort between mother and daughter, which was fleeting.
And the friendship with the ex-husband that quickly turned from hatred to mutual respect, and the naked sex scene with the lover is either not fully covered or is actually dispensable. The former turned into a friendly, incompetent husband on the screen, who left the good wife who was in the living room and the kitchen for no reason to fall in love with someone else. Probably because of guilt, he sent the car room to each other. Don't say such a man is far away. California in the 1940s, I am afraid that it is the first-tier city in China, and it is definitely the best choice for a good husband. Many acquired beauties who appear on the screen reality show are not looking forward to such a romance? ? Mildred was originally a good wife and good mother, but he quickly found a new partner after he became an abandoned wife. Afterwards, the quick spark with Playboy seemed like something he had already thought about. Looking back at the sex scenes of the heroine, those performances and pictures are actually not intense. On the contrary, there is a sense of slowness that the director has loved for a long time. Of course, it has appreciation value, but how does a person who does not demand too much lust become a man? Bedmates deserve more attention. So, sleeping with these guys became another adventure for her, expanding her career and improving her life. The masculine means of tools is very obvious here, but the heroine's love for her daughter has become more terrifying and irrelevant.
Speaking of the director, of course we also see him launching works from time to time to get the attention of the critics. And the pursuit of details pervades each of his past works, and you will not miss it this time. In fact, impeccable costumes and art direction have become well-known words of recommendation. One of the strange circles of watching dramas in recent years is that art and costumes are the reasons why a set of dramas must be watched. And because the viewing time of the mini-series is relatively prolonged, the audience repeatedly focuses their attention on these details. In fact, creating a perfect world in the play is the strength of the short drama category. In the past, the short dramas produced by HBO had considerable investment and results in clothing and art. This time, the beautiful finger costumes of Desire Sea Love Demon are not excessive, and the right details also complement the impeccable nostalgia in the play.
More than 70 years later, women-led literary and artistic works can already carry more analysis and thinking. And that's not what director Todd Haynes seems to care about. At present, many changes have taken place in the meaning of family, career, and children to women, and more extensions have also occurred. Why is Mildred so dedicated to his daughter? If such a background can be dug deeply and shown in the details in the play, the play will surely be improved qualitatively. Her own vanity was finally interpreted by the director as a myth of the class itself, and after such vanity was carried forward by her daughter, it was only used to establish the opposite of a protagonist, so what was Mildred's self? where?
When it comes to women and ethics, of course, we have watched a lot of movies and dramas featuring women recently. An Education, which was very popular during the awards season last year, also focused on similar issues, but it is different from the side of this film. The point is different. However, one thing is more obvious. It may be difficult for you to find specific answers through these works. Of course, they are by no means lacking in formal beauty. At least technically, Mildred Pierce is on the same level as previous HBO productions. It's true that HBO's TV movies and miniseries have always been well-received. Even after winning many TV awards, the domestic media still received little coverage of Angels in America, which was co-starred by the best actors and actresses. HBO has TV movies or mini-series starring the best actors and actresses every year, but most of them won't let Chinese audiences care about them after they have won awards. In the final analysis, the complex of translated films and the early introduction of blockbuster complexes are still the biggest weather vane for ordinary Chinese movie fans. Thinking of a ridiculous question, if it wasn't for the goddess of the shipwreck in your heart, would you still watch this series?
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