Mrs. Miniver (1942)

A British family struggles to survive the first months of World War II.

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Arthur Wimperis (screenplay), George Froeschel (screenplay)

Stars:

Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright

Won 6 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Greer Garson	...	Mrs. Miniver
Walter Pidgeon	...	Clem Miniver
Teresa Wright	...	Carol Beldon
May Whitty	...	Lady Beldon (as Dame May Whitty)
Reginald Owen	...	Foley
Henry Travers	...	Mr. Ballard
Richard Ney	...	Vin Miniver
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Vicar
Christopher Severn	...	Toby Miniver
Brenda Forbes	...	Gladys (Housemaid)
Clare Sandars	...	Judy Miniver
Marie De Becker	...	Ada
Helmut Dantine	...	German Flyer
John Abbott	...	Fred
Connie Leon	...	Simpson

Storyline

The Minivers, an English "middle-class" family experience life in the first months of World War II. While dodging bombs, the Minivers' son courts Lady Beldon's granddaughter. A rose is named after Mrs. Miniver and entered in the competition against Lady Beldon's rose.

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Plot Keywords:

love | husband wife relationship | family relationships | marriage proposal | world war two | 

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Taglines:

Another triumph for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - the producers of Mrs. Miniver

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Royal Air Force (RAF) had already bombed cities and towns in Germany for four months by the time the Blitz began.

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Goofs

After Mrs. Miniver congratulates Ballard on the win, he says, "It's your rose, ma'am," but his lips don't match the words.

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Quotes

Kay Miniver: But in war, time is so precious to the young people.

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Crazy Credits

End of the film: AMERICA NEEDS YOUR MONEY BUY DEFENSE BONDS AND STAMPS EVERY PAY DAY

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Connections

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005)

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Soundtracks

For He's a Jolly Good Fellow
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung by all at the flower show

User Reviews

A powerful image of war on the home front

This film is great movie because it pulls at the heartstrings and brings forth real emotion in the viewer. As somebody who has recently moved away from a war-zone, the sense of loss of the innocent at the hands of a heartless and remorseless enemy actually moved me to tears.

I can see why the movie won so many Oscars - the performances are far above the standards of many of today's "greats", and the longer shots (unlike today's "grunge" editing or excessive camera movements) give the cast a chance to act out scenes in depth instead of doing one line at a time as is the current vogue. In one scene between the young Belden and Miniver, all the dialogue is conveyed by subtle body language. We don't see that from most modern films - cheap dialogue substitutes for communication. Less really is more.

I have one niggle - every single visual detail is wrong - it was filmed in America, where everything looks different. The train was not a Southern Region train, the garden fence wasn't British, and the interiors were like nothing you'd seen in English villages. And some of the accents were uncomfortably like products from "Dick Van Dyke's School of Bad Cockney" - a dialect only spoken in the East End of London!!!

Other than that, this film was a great, and I await the DVD eagerly.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

1 December 1942 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Madame Miniver

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,344,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1