Pretty Woman and Mildred Pierce

Abstract: The film, Mildred Pierce, was released to movie theaters in 1945 and starred Joan Crawford in an adaptation of a book by James M. Cain. Ms. Crawford won an academy award for her performance, however, the film was not received particularly well by critics. Fifty years later another film, Pretty Woman, was released and starred Julia Roberts. This 10 page paper asserts that the overriding similarity is a matter of semantics in that the character of Pretty Woman was a prostitute that is hired as a companion to satisfy the needs of a businessman/client and Mildred Pierce is a mother who "prostitutes herself" to satisfy the needs of her daughter. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

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Catagory: Film & Television

Subcatagory: Music, Film, Television, Theater & Photography

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