Mrs. Miniver

Starring: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, Dame May Whitty, Richard Ney, Henry Travers
Directed by: William Wyler
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, Romance, War
1942

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Mrs. Miniver (Greer Garson) tries to hold her family together during World War II, included her husband (Walter Pidgeon), son (Richard Ney), and daughter-in-law (Teresa Wright), as they all struggle with the newfound danger in their lives.

Review:

Tim: Mrs. Miniver is a classic war drama that works if you can overlook or simply accept its overly propagandist nature. I am not quite sure if it lives up to some of its more famous contemporaries, but a movie does not win 6 Academy Awards (out of 12 total nominations) for nothing. This is a very good movie with a fascinating story. It somewhat defies expectations- this is not the movie you might expect- but it works nonetheless.

The story is interesting because it centers on one English family during World War II. The movie wisely gives enough time up front for us to get to know and respect the Miniver family. We are treated to enough pre-war times, that when the war does invade their lives, we're already invested in and care about what happens to them. This made the harsh reality of the war hit home even more- the idyllic life is suddenly shattered as the cold embrace of war descends upon England.

I really enjoyed the focus on the war through the eyes of one family. The casting was superb, as all the right actors and actresses are in the right positions. The star of the movie is Greer Garson, as the titular Mrs. Miniver. I thought Garson did a good job- she obviously relished the chance to play such a strong woman- but I was a bit surprised that the movie didn't give her more opportunities to shine. She certainly gets some great scenes, but almost becomes a secondary character when some of the other family members get increased screen time. Indeed, her story became less important as I became more and more invested in her son. I thought it odd that I wasn't more impressed or fascinated with Mrs. Miniver, since the movie is about her.

While Garson is good, she is so in a quiet way. I occasionally overlooked her for the other actors. I really enjoyed Walter Pidgeon as Mr. Miniver, and I had to smile at the fact that he managed to star in two Academy Award Best Pictures in a row. That is impressive. I also liked Richard Ney as the eldest Miniver son. Ney put a bit too much enthusiasm in the role- at times, he was a bit too glib and energetic. I felt like he played the role too over-the-top at times, and I wish he had toned it down a bit. While I liked his character, I wasn't surprised to find that Ney was one of the few actors in this film not recognized at all by the Academy.

On the other side, I was a bit surprised at some of the other nominations and wins. As I mentioned, I liked Garson, but I was surprised that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. I am not sure if I agree that the performance was that good. I was also very surprised that Teresa Wright won Best Supporting Actress. I certainly enjoyed her performance as Carol, and I believe she added a great deal to the film. However, I am borderline shocked that she won an Oscar for it. While Walter Pidgeon was quite good, I didn't expect he would be nominated for Best Actor. I am not surprised he didn't win- he just didn't have enough to do to be awarded an Oscar. Likewise, while I enjoyed Henry Travers and Dame May Whitty, I don't believe they made a big enough impact to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively. While this is a very good movie, I have to believe the cast got a bit more love than they deserved. Was this cast really deserving of Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and two Best Supporting Actress nominations?

I was very much engaged with the story. While not overly emotional, the movie does pull you into this family. You seem to expect that tragedy will hit the Minivers at some point, but we have no idea where. That state of suspense is realistic, and the film does a good job of maintaining it. I also liked the unpredictability of the story and the way that it kept you guessing and slightly off guard.

While Mrs. Miniver certainly has some major strengths, I felt like the film as a whole could have been a bit better. This movie is definitely a piece of war propaganda, so it feels a little artificial when it attempts to tug at the heartstrings and hit at your sense of nationalist pride. I wish that I could have shaken the feeling that this movie had its own agenda. Still, this solid movie is well deserving of many of its accolades, and is a worthy holder of the title of Academy Award Best Picture winner.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



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