Production Company: MGM
"This is the people's war...fight it then! Fight it with all that is in us, and may God defend the right." - The Vicar
Setting
Balham, England, 1939
The Plot
The
film follows Mrs Miniver as she tries to keep house as best she can during the
start of World War 2. We are given a snapshot of British life at the start
of the war, not only the battle scars but also the love among a community
determined to keep calm and carry on
The Review
At first Mrs Miniver seemed slightly
air-headed but soon showed her strong character when she found an armed German
pilot under a rose bush (as one does); the love with her husband was
as passionate as could be portrayed in the 1940s: playful, affectionate and twin
beds. None of that on our screens thank you very much. Clem Miniver was strongly played by Pidgeon (previously seen in my review of How Green Was My Valley which you totally read). There was a beautiful
chemistry between their son Vincent [Richard Ney] and his belle Carol [Wright], who return from
their honeymoon to find their bedroom all set up for a 1940s marriage…with twin
beds. Vincent was so charming and so good-looking I was waiting for him to do something stupid but no, he remained just one plate of chocolate brownies away from perfection...Greer Garson certainly thought so and they married after the film was done, presumably they got out of character first. The reluctant in-law Lady Beldon, not unlike Lady Bracknell from The
Importance of Being Earnest, was well-played by Dame May Whitty and I enjoyed watching her
character develop and gain some much-needed warmth.
Released as a form of propaganda, it is important to note that
Mrs Miniver was filmed and released during World War 2 itself. Every single
member of those first audiences could relate to it in some capacity, giving the
film an honest and genuine feel as it would not have been possible to either
exaggerate or understate without the British audience being aware…for the
American audience it was an eye-opener that helped trigger their assistance and according to Winston Churchill the film and the book on which it was based were worth "six divisions of war effort". The
sound effects were chilling in places, especially paired with the genuine fear
portrayed on screen by the cast (though the cat slept through it). In case some
missed the point, the Vicar’s speech at the end of the film hammered it home
and was a speech of such brilliance President Roosevelt printed it on leaflets
and dropped them over Europe. It wasn't just a tear-jerker, it was honest and engaging throughout and gave an excellent
portrayal of life during the war but off the battlefields, an angle that shows
war heroes are not just the ones in uniform.
The Miniver Family
The Slap
This goes to the unnamed German pilot for threatening the life of a tougher-than-expected housewife for the sake of bread and milk. Miststück!
The Miniver Family
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