Oline Cogdill
To most mystery fiction readers, James M. Cain remains one of the classic noir authors. His novels are still considered a major part of the crime fiction canon.The Postman Rings Twice and Double Indemnity are terrific novels that became intriguing movies. But Cain was quoted as disliking being labeled as a hard-boiled author: “I make no conscious effort to be tough, or hard-boiled, or grim, or any of the things I am usually called.”
Cain also wrote several novels not considered crime fiction, such as Serenade.
And Mildred Pierce.
New fans are sure to discover Cain, thanks to the excellent HBO five-part mini-series Mildred Pierce that begins at 9 p.m. Sunday, March 27.
The cable series is based on Cain’s 1941 novel, which was made into an Oscar-winning movie in 1945 starring Joan Crawford. That original film is a personal favorite, but the HBO series starring Kate Winslet is a revelation.
True, there are no murder mysteries, guns or real crimes in Mildred Pierce, but the interlocking family drama is the stuff upon which many a crime fiction novel has been based. Evan Rachel Wood plays Veda, the treacherous daughter.
The HBO series is closer to Cain’s dark novel, keeping many of the original subplots and dialogue. Oscar-winner Winslet is, as always, breathtaking as she gets to the heart of Mildred Pierce, a waitress turned restaurateur who sacrifices everything for her daughter.
Each time a film or TV series is based on a novel there usually is a spike in the author’s work. It’s happening with Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer. I hope that will happen for Cain.
And here’s another quote from Cain from the introduction of Double Indemnity: “I merely try to write as the character would write, and I never forget that the average man, from the fields, the streets, the bars, the offices, and even the gutters of his country, has acquired a vividness of speech that goes beyond anything I could invent.”
Photo: Kate Winslet in Mildred Pierce. credit: HBO
