← Back to Reviews
in
#249 - Mrs. Miniver
William Wyler, 1942
The members of a middle-class English family try to live their lives against the backdrop of World War II.
Another day, another Best Picture winner. Mrs. Miniver is a decent enough drama concerning the trials and tribulations taking place on the English home front as life goes on even under the threat of destruction from German air raids and the possible deaths of loved ones serving in the military or the war effort. Greer Garson plays the titular protagonist, the housewife who understandably worries about such things while trying to keep her home life running as smoothly as possible, which isn't easy when her husband (Walter Pidgeon) and eldest son (Richard Ney) both become involved in the war effort. Ney's character in particular also ends up falling for an upper-class yet sweet-natured young woman (Teresa Wright), which causes some tension with her haughty grandmother.
Though there are some interesting sequences in this film - the most memorable being one where Garson is taken hostage in her own home by an injured German soldier - for the most part Mrs. Miniver is merely an alright drama held together by some decent characterisation, especially on the part of both Garson and Wright. Its propaganda-like nature does detract from it slightly (especially considering its final scene) and it hasn't aged all that well, but it's still a sufficiently interesting insight into a certain time and place.
William Wyler, 1942
The members of a middle-class English family try to live their lives against the backdrop of World War II.
Another day, another Best Picture winner. Mrs. Miniver is a decent enough drama concerning the trials and tribulations taking place on the English home front as life goes on even under the threat of destruction from German air raids and the possible deaths of loved ones serving in the military or the war effort. Greer Garson plays the titular protagonist, the housewife who understandably worries about such things while trying to keep her home life running as smoothly as possible, which isn't easy when her husband (Walter Pidgeon) and eldest son (Richard Ney) both become involved in the war effort. Ney's character in particular also ends up falling for an upper-class yet sweet-natured young woman (Teresa Wright), which causes some tension with her haughty grandmother.
Though there are some interesting sequences in this film - the most memorable being one where Garson is taken hostage in her own home by an injured German soldier - for the most part Mrs. Miniver is merely an alright drama held together by some decent characterisation, especially on the part of both Garson and Wright. Its propaganda-like nature does detract from it slightly (especially considering its final scene) and it hasn't aged all that well, but it's still a sufficiently interesting insight into a certain time and place.