Mrs. Miniver (1942)

• Review: **** (out of ****)
• Starring: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, Dame May Whitty, Reginald Owen, Henry Travers, Richard Ney, Henry Wilcoxon, Christopher Severn, Brenda Forbes, Clare Sandars, Marie De Becker
• Director: William Wyler
• Screenplay: George Froeschel, James Hilton, Claudine West, Arthur Wimperis (Novel: by Jan Struther)
• Length: 134 min.
• MPAA Rating: Approved (Certificate #8034)

As the United Statesentered World War II, Hollywoodbegan an age of propaganda filmmaking. Mrs.Miniver does well to avoid feeling like part of the trend, even though itundeniably was.

Kay Miniver (Greer Garson) and her husband Clem (Walter Pidgeon)are your typical middle-class family. They live in a modest house and havemodest children. In ways the family seems reminiscent of the precocious sitcomsof television’s early days. However, their tranquil lives are not to last forlong as Britainprepares to enter the Second World War.

Kay’s son Vin, who has been away at college, returns to seehis family. Though the Minivers are a respectable family, Vin’s progressiveviews of the wealthy create a bit of turmoil. While sharing his views of societyat a dinner party, he meets the daughter of wealthy socialite Lady Beldon (DameMay Whitty). Carol (Teresa Wright) is beautiful and demure but is just asopinionated as he is in some respects.

Vin enrolls as a pilot in the military and is soon flying overhis home giving his mother an audible signal from his plane that he is safe.Kay is a wreck of nerves with her son fighting in the war. Although she maylament her sons decision, she keeps her composure and refuses to let the fearof her sons death deter her from living life.

Director William Wyler has a penchant for strong femalecharacters. While other directors often cast women solely for their looks andprefer the characters to remain dim or unworldly, Wyler gives them life andenergy. Mrs. Miniver is certainlysuch a picture. Not only does he support strong roles for women, he also bringsthem to life through the talents of his stars.

Garson is simply outstanding as Kay Miniver. Though hermannerisms suggest an admirable inner resolve, her eyes tell a different story.Her eyes reflect the fears and doubts she has over the future. No matter herfeelings, she won’t be daunted by anything. Two scenes in particular are primeexamples of this power. When a German soldier invades her home, she doesn’t sitidly by waiting for death, she tries to comfort the man but ultimately pacifieshim and turns him over to the police.

The other scene, the most memorable in the film, takes placelong after the war has begun. Cramped inside of a bomb shelter on the groundsof their home, Kay and Clem guard their two children and discuss their life andmemories. The tension remains high throughout the scene and we can’t help butsympathize with their plight.

Mrs. Miniver can’tbe characterized as poorly acted. With few exceptions, the cast is terrific.Even though Garson is unquestionably the star of the film, Wright can also besingled out for praise. She creates Carol as a noble creature fed up with thelabels of society. She attempts to be as resolute as Kay but her inexperiencebetrays her in the end and helps to diminish the capacity of her resolve.

Propoganda is rarely uncommon during times of war. WaltDisney was noted for producing pro-war animated short films featuring hisfamous characters. The studios made countless pictures filled with unnecessaryfluff that could not only enliven the hearts of those in the United Statesbut also those of the troops overseas. Mrs.Miniver is at once a part of that history and at once not.

While Mrs. Miniver certainly jumped on the patriotism bandwagon, Wyler refused to compromise.There are dark and painful scenes in the film but they are always looked uponwith bravery by its players. But he never shied away from such disturbingimages and depictions. The ultimate conclusion is overwhelmingly positive andthough the characters bottle up their pain and torment, we understand fully thetrials they have gone through.

Watching the film today, one might be misled by itsgenerally positive tone; however, when looking at the movies made today, Mrs. Miniver is far more honest andcapable than many of them. War isn’t pleasant and films like All Quiet on the Western Front and Full Metal Jacket do more to expose theharsh realities of such conflicts, it is impossible to deny that people in reallife would have treated their situation with the same brand of outward strengththat Kay, her family and the community did.

-Wesley Lovell (October 17, 2006)