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Customer Reviews of Mrs. Miniver

"Mrs. Miniver" remains today one of the most powerful and compelling films ever made about the hardships of war even with the lack of a single battle scene. Like "Gone With the Wind", "Mrs. Miniver"'s greatness lies in its revealing look of the individuals affected by a war. Making the film an even greater emotional experience is the fact that this film was made just at the time it revolves around, during the onset of WWII, when the outcome of the war was still uncertain and the future of the world was hanging in the balance.

In the title role of the film, Greer Garson is radiant, willful, warm and determined in the role of Kay Miniver, a British housewife who must keep her head on the homefront with her two young children while her husband (Walter Pidgeon) and son (Richard Ney) defend their country at the onset of World War II. Through her faith, her intelligence, and her love, Kay manages to hold her family together even as England collapses under the powerful effects of an unstoppable war. The picture's ending on a strong note of hope is that lingering optimisim which was the hope of audiences during WWII... that one day, there would be peace.

Garson won an Academy Award for her brilliant portrayal, and rightly so, for she invests her scenes with a genuine determination and will: In one scene, she holds a German soldier at bay with a gun in her kitchen as her children sleep upstairs. In another scene, she reads "Alice in Wonderland" to her children in a bomb shelter as bombs begin to fall over them. In still another scene, Garson drives with her daughter-in-law (Teresa Wright, whose charming portrayal earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress) through a countryside engaged in sky battle.

William Wyler's brilliant direction sears through the film and its cast, earning him an Oscar for Best Director, and for the film itself, Best Picture of 1942.

Still powerful after half a century, "Mrs. Miniver" is a brilliant testament to the soldiers who lost their lives on the battleground- and on the homefront- in defense of their country. Wartime audiences were given a great boost of morale in this movie, and that morale shines through in this indescribably great film classic.

Morale Booster
Mrs. Miniver was an important film to come out of Hollywood during WWII. Not only was it a critical and commercial success, it had a great message for the British about continuing the fight. It also give the rest of the world a sense of what it was like for the British living with the constant threat of the Germans. The movie has a lot going for it. It's directed by William Wyler, who once again does an excellent job, balancing sentiment with drama in this story of Mrs. Miniver and her family. Greer Garson gives a warm performance as the model English wife and mother, and Walter Pidgeon is solid as her husband. The supporting cast of Teresa Wright, Dame May Whitty, and Henry Travers add much to the film. There are a number of scenes that I really enjoyed, including Mrs. Miniver's confrontation with a downed German airman, the Minivers' night in their shelter during an air raid, and the final scene in the Church. Almost sixty years later, it's easy to see the emotional impact this film must have had on audiences.

Dated, Still a Classic
"Mrs. Miniver" is regarded as a classic WW2 homefront movie. In this case the setting is a comfortable prim and proper English town in the Summer of 1939. When WW2 breaks out, the "good and decent" townspeople must put aside their stuff class distinctions and pull together against the common enemy, Nazi Germany. The Battle of Britain, the retreat from Dunkirk and eponymous wartime romances/ heartbreak are aptly used as background. The female leads carry the picture. In fact Greer Garson and Teresa Wright won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress Oscars. Another cast member, Dame May Whitty was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress and male lead, Walter Pidgeon, was nominated for Best Actor. MM also won Best Movie honors and Director William Wyler also was given a statuette. MMs timing was fortuitous! Work began just before the attack Pearl Harbor and wrapped in the Spring of 1942 just as this country needed propaganda/soap operas supporting the Big One. One can appreciate the rush to Oscars but that too has its own story: Lost in all the awards was Ms. Garson's stunning role alongside Ronald Colman in "Random Harvest". Almost lost was Ms. Wright's work as Lou Gehrig's wife in "Pride of the Yankees" for which she and Gary Cooper were nominated for Oscars. MM has two main weak points: One is that the 133 minute run time is plainly too long. Some of those flower-growing contests should have been shortened. Other scenes unfold far too leisurely. The second weak point is that unlike other propaganda flicks (like "Casablanca"), MM has not aged gracefully. It now appears dowdy and dated. There are definite strong points: The small town setting is one. The little vignettes are outstanding such as when the maid Gladys learns her boyfriend's getting drafted! There is also the best-trained movie cat in history. (This review is passing over without comment those "famous" scenes of the captured German pilot and the minister's closing speech/sermon). In the last analysis, MM will always have those two strong Garson and Wright performances which will preserve it as worthwhile viewing even today. MM is recommended for serious movie viewers.