I think it's interesting to look at how each of the three main male characters treat Mildred Pierce. Bert tolerates her whether due to the weak bonds of affection he holds with her or his weariness of over ten years of marriage to a woman who is more concerned about Veda than anything else. It doesn't seem to take much of an argument to finally push both of them apart. Either way, Bert severely underestimates Mildred's abilities. He doesn't believe she is a competent business person until she opens up a highly successful restaurant.
Wally will often intensely focus on her sexuality but when a promising business opportunity he refocuses his intensity towards her goals (while still going after her once a week). There are very few moments in the film when Wally treats Mildred like a normal person without hitting on her, trying to kiss her or talking strictly business.
And of course, Monte. Whether he was initially attracted to her because of her successful business, her looks, or her personality (or perhaps a combination of both), he did not waste a lot of time getting her into a skimpy outfit and trying to kiss her. On their very first date they went swimming and spent a very intimate evening together. There wasn't much courtship and there was certainly a lot of betrayal between him and Mildred with Veda.
All three men did not treat Mildred with very much equality or respect. It could be because it was 1945 and it just didn't happen, but the treatment Mildred receives from each men certainly make her a sympathetic character.
You identify each of the men and their view of Mildred well. From our standpoint, we can see Mildred's difficulty easily. None of the men really match her. The film takes a harsher view of the problem, and lays the blame on Mildred (and women who depart from their approved "script"). See a more detailed rundown above.
ReplyDeleteI felt Mildred was just not capable of making good choices. I saw her friend Wally much differently. Where he may have flirted with other women, he never pawed them. And, yes he pawed Mildred a bit much, bet they both mentioned several times that they grew up knowing each other and he'd liked her since they were kids. I never thought he was that bad, she just seem to be drawn to the guys that never supported her. Wally was always there to bail her out and even though she didn't always think so. He also seemed to appreciate her being a working woman.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michelle that Wally could have made a good match for Mildred. I felt that Wally was never given as much of a chance to court Mildred as the other men were. He did not seem like all that bad of a guy because he continued to be decent to her while the others would continuously walk over her. It seemed that the entire movie she never saw him as someone who she was romantically interested in even though he continuously showed affection towards her, while obviously being a bit jealous of the relationships the other men had with her. In my opinion, he was the only man in the movie who showed respect for her as a person and for her aspirations in her restaurant business. I believe she missed out on a good opportunity to have someone who would support her. All the signs were present through out most of the movie that he would be there to comfort her and love her.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Mildred had such a close connection with Wally because she trusted him, and for that alone she didn’t want to cause damage to their relationship/trust if they were to try being together and fail. Wally is also pretty abrasive and in her face about how he feels for her due to his flirting and touchy feely nature. Besides being overt with his affections, he was the only one who stood by her side in the ways Garret mentioned. Had he not have tried so hard he could have potentially wooed the woman, for he embodied everything that she needed in a man.
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