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:

"Mrs. Miniver" is more than a picture -- It's dramatic. It's tender. It's human. It's real.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

1 December 1942 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Mrs. Miniver

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$1,344,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$13,500,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,173,600

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Winston Churchill once said that this film had done more for the war effort than a flotilla of destroyers.

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Goofs

After Mrs. Miniver hands the German pilot a bottle of milk to drink, spilled milk appears all over his coat the damage to the coat changes plus the milk down the front changes.

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Quotes

Kay Miniver: Did you know that the 12th Lord Beldon was hanged?
Lady Beldon: He was beheaded! Such things happen in the best families. In fact, usually in the best families.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: This story of an average English middle-class family begins with the summer of 1939; when the sun shone down on a happy, careless people, who worked and played, reared their children and tended their gardens in that happy, easy-going England that was so soon to be fighting desperately for her way of life and for life itself.

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Connections

Referenced in The 40th Annual Academy Awards (1968)

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Soundtracks

God Save the King!
(1744) (uncredited)
Written by Henry Carey
Played by the band at the dance

User Reviews

Excellent Historical Perspective

Greer Garson gives a wonderful performance as Kay Miniver, a middle-aged English wife and mother whose kindness, intelligence, and positive spirit speak well of women all across England, during the difficult days of WWII. And that's what this movie is really about: the love and devotion of ordinary people during wartime.

Technically, this is a fine film. The script is well written and the plot is easy to follow. Most of the characters are sympathetic, and all of them have convincing arcs through the story. I did not care for the very Victorian Lady Beldon, but Dame May Witty gives a nice performance in that role. The film's plot has an interesting twist toward the end that coincides with the randomness of the effects of war. The story's tone does drip with a bit of sentimentality. But given the fact that the movie itself was made during the war it portrays, I think some sentimentality is entirely appropriate.

The film's B&W cinematography is conventional but competent. Production design and costumes are credible. And the special effects are surprisingly good for the early 1940s.

I will say that the film seems very dated. Customs and manners have changed so much in the last 65 years; the behavior of characters in this film is so proper and formal. That's not a criticism, just an observation.

The 1930s and 40s must have been a truly awful time for peace loving people. It's good, therefore, that we have high-quality films like Mrs. Miniver as a reminder of what life was like for ordinary people, to give us some historical perspective from which to view our own times. Of the many WWII films that I have seen, "Mrs. Miniver" is one of the best.