Mildred Pierce an affair with Monty and kills him when he refuses to divorce Mildred to marry her. Mildred initially confesses to Monty's murder in order to shield Veda from prosecution but ultimately gives her over to the authorities. "Mildred Pierce" was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (both Arden and Blyth), Best Screenplay and Best Black-and-White Cinematography (Ernest Haller). Crawford won the film's only Academy Award, as Best Actress. Director Todd Haynes filmed a five-part miniseries, with Kate Winslet as Mildred, Guy Pearce as Monty Beragon, and Evan Rachel Wood as Veda, in spring 2010 (with
Mildred Pierce (film) Wally cannot be the killer because he has no motive. After Mildred ends her flashback, the detectives admit they knew all along that Veda committed the murder. Mildred tries to apologize as her daughter is led away to jail, but Veda rebuffs her. Mildred leaves the police station to find Bert waiting for her outside. Although James M. Cain was often labeled a "hard-boiled crime writer", his novel "Mildred Pierce" (1941) was mostly a psychological work, with little violence. The adaptation, released four years later, was designed as a thriller, and a murder was introduced into the plot. The novel