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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
A movie doesn't win seven Oscars for nothing. A glowing Greer Garson (Best Actress) commands the screen as Mrs Miniver, a middle-class British housewife whose strength holds her family together as World War II literally hits their home. Walter Pidgeon as her architect husband seems to be the prototype for future TV dads in this affecting portrait of love--familial and romantic--during war. But the relationship between Mrs Miniver's college-age son (Richard Ney) and the upper-crust Carol (Best Supporting Actress Teresa Wright) is filled with inherent drama--as the war speeds up their young love, it also has the potential to doom it. The 1942 film, which also won for Best Picture and Best Director, is filled with colourful characters, snappy dialogue and sensational plot twists. Although you spend much of the movie dreading that one of the Minivers will become a casualty of war, when it finally happens, it's not what you anticipated. Exactly what you would expect from a legendary film that lives up to its billing. --Valerie J. Nelson, Amazon.com
Classic War Movie
Review date: 2007-10-04 Rating: 10 out of 10
This movie is a "must have" classic. I would give it 10 Stars if I could.
It features bits of everything that was going on in UK during the early part of the war, the little boats to Dunkirk to rescue nearly 400'000 of our soldiers, the Battle of Britain, the Blitz etc., etc.
I should be scathing about the film, as being made in Hollywood, it has all the usual American characterisations of the Brits at war, but you overlook all that.
Good story, good acting and very enjoyable.
Churchill said that "Mrs. Miniver" did more for Britain's early war effort that a fleet of Destoyers would have.
Incidently, at the time of shooting, Greer Garson was having an affair with her on screen son, Richard Ney!
Buy and enjoy
The film had a big budget so the elaborate sets and costumes are of no surprise. Something else that is not surprising is that the film had an agenda. Consider the film's place in history, 1943, a time when Britain was heavily in the war and America had just joined the fight. With this in mind a film such as Mrs Miniver, a film that propagandistically attempts to elicit American sympathy towards the British is not unexpected. I don't necessarily believe that this hinders the film but the frequent shots of British monuments, such as Big Ben is very self-conscious, and grows a little tiresome.
The film is of course entertaining, but to be honest it didn't stay with me and I soon forgot about it. You decide.
This is the Americanised version of a middle-class English family, living in England, during the course of WW2. Strangely enough, the American accents do not detract from the storyline of the lives and loves of this English family complete with captured Germany pilot and 'little boats' to Dunkirk set pieces. However, it also contains much to show how people strived to carry on with the normalities of life, like the annual flower show!
It deals with subjects which have become virtually taboo in the England we know today ~ love of family, love of country, love of God and loyalty to all.
Yes, it is sentimental and cynics may even say idealistic BUT it contains truisms that remain as important today as when this country fought for its very existence against the tyranny of Nazi Germany.
There are wonderfully strong performances from all the cast both main and supporting roles and remains an absolute classic.