I love watching TV, movies and plays, and I am a sucker for a good miniseries. My favorites include Band of Brothers, The Pacific – humm I guess alot of them are from HBO. But to me there is nothing better than getting wrapped up in a story and see it unfold.

So I was ecstatic to hear that one of my favorite actors – i.e Kate Winslet was playing the lead in one. However, school and work made it impossible to get time to watch the series.

It took me a while, but I finally started watching Mildred Pierce yesterday on HBO, a five part miniseries, and the closest adaptation of James M Cain’s 1941 novel. Not surprisingly, I was once again astounded by the powerhouse that is Kate Winslet. She is a phenomenal actress who really has the ability to transform and blend into any character, and genre.

Winslet brings to life the hardship of the economy during the (pre) depression era and the challenge a divorced woman faced in those times. I was swept away into the time period and felt her pain as she struggled to find a job, support her daughters and her inner conflict of letting go of a dream and the struggle to achieve success. It also has a strong supporting cast that including Guy Pearce, Melissa Leo (from the Fighter) and Evan Rachel Wood (from The Wrestler and Across the Universe).

There are quite a few powerful scenes but some of my favorites include one towards the end of Episode 3 – a confrontation of sorts between Mildred and her daughter, and the start of her daughters open rebellion against her mother, and Episode 4 – where Mrs Lenhart comes to meet Mildred. In Episode 1, Mildred goes to Mrs Lenhart’s home to seek a job as a housekeeper, but she could not bear the thought of dressing up in a uniform and she knew her oldest daughter would look down upon her. This scene really was brilliant and in a sense showed the notion of class distinction in that era. I am still on Episode 4, so I might post additional details. But I highly recommend it.

Here are some more reviews – I personally cant wait for the DVD to come out

NY Times –  http://bit.ly/iO9m47

Huffington Post – http://huff.to/iA08iS