Mrs. Miniver, a war epic set in England during the German blitzkrieg of WW2, stars the incomparable Greer Garson in the title role.
Although the cast is splendid – Garson and Teresa Wright won Oscars, and three others were nominated – the film feels more like an above average soap opera than anything else. It tells the tale of civilians in England during the war. Specifically, it deals with the Miniver clan: Mom (Garson), dad (Walter Pidgeon) and their three children.
The film doesn’t show the horrors of war like other film had done; instead, in focuses on the home front and how the war affects those we love at home. Verily, most of the film deals with Garson and a hard fought victory over roses.
The film is a terrific piece of anti-war propaganda. In coming from England just after America entered WW2, the film was able to show, to the masses, just what the British were going through.
Americans ate it up in droves, and it was duly rewarded with most of the top Oscars, beating out the classic Yankee Doodle Dandy, starring James Cagney.
Mrs. Miniver is a terrific film even if only for its superb acting. Focusing more on gardening than the war, it could have been titled Victory through gardening or How to survive the blitzkrieg without really gardening.
Movies it was nominated with for Best Picture: 49th Parallel (1941); Kings Row; The Magnificent Ambersons; The Pied Piper; The Pride of the Yankees; Random Harvest; The Talk of the Town; Wake Island; Yankee Doodle Dandy
Is the movie worth your time to watch?
8/10 02-09-08
Age at win: 38
Nominated for: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Mrs. Miniver, Mrs. Miniver
Nomination: 3/7 (acting), 3/7 (total); Win: Only
Greer Garson Is the film Mrs. Miniver.
Garson carries all 2¼ hours of the picture. She is just that good in the role. It is too bad the picture wasn’t just a tad bit better because the film gets boring in some spots. It is more like a soap opera and also at times feels like a documentary on good gardening.
Nevertheless, the acting in Mrs. Miniver is top notch. Walter Pidgeon, who plays Clem Miniver, Garson’s on-screen husband, has terrific chemistry with Garson. Together they make a great couple.
Garson’s performance showcases the bold determination of the British people during that era, and for that she was rightly awarded the Oscar.
02-09-08
Age at win: 23
Nominated for: Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Carol Beldon, Mrs. Miniver
Nomination: 2*/3 (acting), 2*/3 (total); Win: Only
*Teresa was nominated twice in the same year, her second and third nominations.
Teresa Wright plays the girlfriend of Mrs. Miniver’s son. And, while the part isn’t overly big, Wright gives it her all. Playing opposite Greer Garson’s Mrs. Miniver is no small feat, however.
Wright more than holds her own against the rest of the Oscar nominated Supporting cast, too.
Wright was at the top of her game in Miniver; She was nominated for her first three films (The Little Foxes (1941); The Pride of the Yankees
and Mrs. Miniver (Both 1942)). The fact that she was nominated twice in 1942 probably helped her win the Supporting Oscar.
02-09-08
