Joan Crawford News

Once the highest paid actress of her time, Marlene Dietrich is today viewed by many movie fans as an icon, while others see her as a curiosity at best.

At a luncheon for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close last week, Rutanya Alda --best known as Carol Ann in Mommie Dearest --told me a remarkable story.

Unlike the classic 1945 Hollywood version of "Mildred Pierce" that starred Joan Crawford, the 2011 miniseries based on James M. Cain's novel, starring Kate Winslet and directed by Todd Haynes, sticks close to the story and gets most of it in.

HBO // 2011 // 344 Minutes // Not Rated Reviewed by Judge Brett Cullum // December 30th, 2011 View Judge Cullum's Dossier E-mail Judge Cullum Printer Friendly Review Note: This is a pre-release review.