Mildred Pierce by Albert J. LaValley (Edited with an Introduction by) - 1980

London: Wisconsin Anti-Tuberculosis Association, 1980. CI3 - A first edition (First printing stated) hardcover book SIGNED and inscribed by Al LaValley to previous owner on the title page in very good condition in very good dust jacket. Dust jacket has some wrinkling, chipping, and few tears on the edges and corners, scattered rubbing and light scuffing, light tanning and shelf wear. Book has some bumped corners, some scattered light stains on the page edges, light discoloration and shelf wear. Although not marked in any way, this copy comes from the personal collection of Otto Penzler, legendary editor and founder of the Mysterious Press, an award-winning icon in the genre. 8.7"x5.7", 259 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Albert J. LaValley's thorough and insightful guide to Mildred Pierce at once tells us much about the making of this complex film, the problems and process of transferring the story to the screen, the specific and important roles of the producer, director, and set designer, and how the film relates to broad trends within the industry. It is without doubt the most thorough treatment of this important American motion picture. Mildred Pierce, starring Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Ann Blyth, and Eve Arden, opened at the Strand theater in New York on September 24th, 1945. Although initial reviews were mixed, the film received Academy Award nominations for best picture, and best screenplay, and Crawford won for best actress. The story's journey from novel to screen was a rocky one, involving at least eight treatments and screenplays, including the final shooting script reproduced here. But so many changes were made throughout the film's production that screenwriter Ranald MacDougall maintained that he wrote the final screenplay while the movie was being filmed. The differences between the film and the shooting script are thus enormous; but, with the help of LaValley's copious notes, we are able to keep up, gaining a heightened appreciation of both the screenwriter's and the director's art. LaValley assesses the film in relation to James M. Cain's novel, the Warner's social films of the 1930's, the traditional women's movie, and the film noir movement. Jerry Wald's role as producer and originator of a new women's noir film is given paramount importance. With Mildred Pierce, Wald re-shaped the traditional women's movie into a new form, one with lurid overtones and suggestions of elegance and decadence. Mildred, in Joan Crawford's performance, is changed from Cain's proletarian heroine to a glamourous and mature woman whose attempt to control her destiny leads her beyond her family into a world of hard business, deceit, treachery, decadent sexuality, and murder. It was Wald who insisted on adding the element of murder, one missing from Cain's story. For Crawford, this film marked the beginning of a new and successful screen image. Here, she was older, more mature in both appearance and behavior, but still glamourous. With Mildred Pierce, she forged her later screen persona of the strong and powerful woman, deeply passionate and sexual, but always in control. For director Michael Curtiz, Mildred Pierce was a stronger exercise in noir than was Casablanca, an effort that led into his very best movies of the late 1940s and early 1950s. A substantial part of LaValley's introduction deals with Crawford's conception of Mildred and the contradictions between her noble conception of the role and its underlying treachery. Newer feminist writings on Mildred Pierce and film noir are also assessed in evaluating Mildred's guilt, punishment, and eventual restoration to hearth and home. Mildred Pierce, a powerful motion picture in its time, remains one worthy of close scrutiny and evaluation. This volume is surely our best guide to understanding its creation and placing it in historical and social context.. Signed by Author. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.