It may be difficult for many people in our time, especially younger people, to understand the kind of sweeping public support there eventually was for America's involvement in World War II and to understand that once that support was attained, what a tremendous need there was to maintain it. We are much closer these days to the kinds of public division over wars in Vietnam and Iraq that have led to widespread cynicism toward wars in general. Wars are never good, of course, but WW II was universally understood to be a war of absolute need. Either we fought the major Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan, or we faced world Axis domination.
This is where a movie like "Mrs. Miniver" from 1942 comes in. It was released at the very beginning of America's involvement in the War, and it was calculated to reaffirm positive popular opinion for the War effort. Despite the plethora of patriotic war movies being made at the time, it is probably "Mrs. Miniver," with its relatively subdued account of the War on the home front, that contributed most strongly to galvanizing a nation. It had a remarkably affirmative effect on the public morale, and, perhaps just as remarkably, continues to weave its magic today. Maybe its lasting appeal was foretold, and it's one reason the movie won Academy Awards for Best Picture of the Year and Best Actress, among ot | | |  ...a story of calm perseverance in the face of dire circumstances, and its characters remain an inspiration to us all. It's quite a moving film. | | |
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Based on a book of stories by Jan Struther, the movie concerns an "average English middle-class family," as the prologue tells us, who are stirred to display their courage during World War II. Beginning in 1939, just before Germany's invasion of Poland led to Great Britain's inevitable entrance into the War and continuing until the time of the film's release and America's entrance into the War, the story centers on four people: a husband and wife, their son, and their new daughter-in-law. They are all affected by the conflict around them, and each plays his and her own part in combating the danger.
Greer Garson stars as Mrs. Kay Miniver, a middle-aged housewife who proves to be as tough and resourceful as she is beautiful. Walter Pidgeon co-stars as her husband, Clement, an architect too old to join the armed services but not too old to help fight for the cause in his own community. Richard Ney plays their son, Vincent, an Oxford student who is more talk than action when it comes to supporting the underclasses, until the War begins and he enlists in the RAF. And Teresa Wright plays Carol Beldon, the granddaughter of the local Lady of the Manor. Ms. Beldon is a young woman of utmost charm with whom Vin strikes up a relationship and ultimately a marriage.
The family is called upon to endure much hardship and suffer many travails in their attempt to do their part in the War, which include an encounter with a downed German flier, the heroic rescue at Dunkirk, and any number of air attacks on their town and their home.
The movie plays out in a series of episodes that remind one of the screenplay's short story origins, and there is an inescapable hint of soap opera in the events. Yet the drama is never overplayed or exaggerated, and there is almost nowhere in the film the uncertainty that one's suspension of disbelief may be in jeopardy. I had even prepared myself for a sentimental, perhaps mawkish, ending, but what I got was surprisingly effective.
Anyway, I say "almost" because, in fact, there is one element that must be accepted or none of the story works. That is, the viewer must subscribe to the notion of the Minivers as an "average English middle-class family," which may be something of a stretch. The truth is, the Minivers live in an idealized England that only Hollywood could have imagined. The father, as I've said, is an architect and drives an open roadster; and the family lives in an elegant country home complete with servants, surrounded by an idyllically bucolic countryside, filled with winding country lanes, well-kept country gardens, moonlit country dances, and picturesque country churches. I'm not entirely sure that this is what the average English middle-class family was really like, then or now. But it makes a swell setting for a story.
Ms. Garson won the Oscar for Best Actress, and she is the controlling influence on the picture. There are times when the audience may be forgiven for thinking she is too reserved or too distant to engender much sympathy, but overall she conveys a strong personal fortitude that is hard to resist. The Minivers keep the home fires burning brightly with their personal sacrifice and heroism, yet the film is not without its moments of sweetness and humor, too. Above all, "Mrs. Miniver" is a story of calm perseverance in the face of dire circumstances, and its characters remain an inspiration to us all. It's quite a moving film.
Video:
Yes, I hear someone saying, but who wants to watch some old black-and-white film, anyhow? Well, I do. Just as younger audiences may find the patriotic fervor of a "Mrs. Miniver" foreign to their current way of thinking, so may they reject B&W photography out of hand simply because they have had such limited experience with it. But, remember, there is a reason why the best still photographers continue to rely on black-and-white film stock. There is something about the medium that conveys feeling, tone, mood, and atmosphere better than most color film ever has.
"Mrs. Miniver" has been transferred to disc from an exceptionally clean master print, with hardly a blemish, scratch, line, or age spot in sight. As the movie reflects some of the best B&W cinematography of its time, the lights and shadows show up well, with little grain to mar the image. There is a degree of softness to the picture compared to the very best B&W photography, perhaps, but the excellent contrasts generally make up for any minor deficiencies in delineation.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural reproduction is very quiet and very smooth, if somewhat limited in frequency extremes. However, clarity is superb, and dynamic impact is surprisingly strong, notably during the shelling sequences. The fact that the soundtrack is in mono should not detract from one's enjoyment of the film. Indeed, simply adding more channels does not necessarily improve a film's appeal, and in this case less is more.
Extras:
There aren't many extras here, but a couple of things stand out, namely two short propaganda films that MGM produced to prop up the War effort, "Mr. Blabbermouth" and "For the Common Defense." They are about twenty minutes each, well produced for the time, and understandably nationalistic and biased. Of the two, you might want to go for "For the Common Defense" first. Then, theres a moment's footage of Greer Garson's Academy Award acceptance speech included, as well as a photo gallery. Thirty-two scene selections and a theatrical trailer conclude the special features. English and French are the spoken language choices, with English, French, and Spanish for subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
In addition to winning Oscars for Best Picture and Best Actress, "Mrs. Miniver" won for Best Director (William Wyler), Best Supporting Actress (Teresa Wright), Best Cinematography (Joseph Ruttenberg), and Best Writing (George Froschel, James Hilton, Claudine West, and Arthur Wimperis).
"Mrs. Miniver" is a film of courage, but not just of courage on the battlefield, which went without saying, but of courage on the home front, which is shown to be an important and sometimes overlooked part of any war effort. The movie may seem at times a bit on the simplistic, sudsy side, but it is well intended and loses only a fraction of its impact in these less-fearful times.
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