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Mrs. Miniver Overview:

Mrs. Miniver (1942) was a Drama - Romance Film directed by William Wyler and produced by Sidney Franklin.

The film was based on the novel of the same name and also Newspaper Column, The Times written by Jan Struther published in 1939 (novel); 1937 (newspaper column).

SYNOPSIS

Garson in her Oscar-winning portrayal personified the British resolve against Nazi aggression. An immensely popular piece of wartime propaganda, Wyler's film follows Mrs. Miniver, her husband (Pidgeon), their children, and their small English town as the war comes closer to their lives. The family endures the departure of the father for the beaches at Dunkirk, the discovery of a wounded Nazi pilot, the death of the daughter-in-law in an air raid, and the entry of the son into the Royal Air Force. The scenes culminate in a morale-boosting final speech that President Franklin Roosevelt ordered printed and air-dropped over war-torn Europe. The romance of her eldest son coincides with the first bombs and the destruction of the village church, yet through all the strife upper lips remain stiff and even the smallest traditions are maintained. Adapted from the novel by Jan Struther.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Mrs. Miniver was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2009.

Academy Awards 1942 --- Ceremony Number 15 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorWalter PidgeonNominated
Best Supporting ActorHenry TraversNominated
Best ActressGreer GarsonWon
Best Supporting ActressDame May WhittyNominated
Best Supporting ActressTeresa WrightWon
Best CinematographyJoseph RuttenbergWon
Best DirectorWilliam WylerWon
Best Film EditingHarold F. KressNominated
Best PictureMetro-Goldwyn-MayerWon
Best WritingArthur Wimperis, George Froeschel, James Hilton, Claudine WestWon
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Mrs. Miniver Quotes:

Kay Miniver: Did you know that the 12th Lord Beldon was hanged?
Lady Beldon: He was beheaded! Such things happen in the best families. In fact, usually in the best families.
Carol Beldon: I know how comfortable it is to curl up with a nice, fat book full of big words and think you're going to solve all the problems in the universe. But you're not, you know. A bit of action is required every now and then.
Vicar: We, in this quiet corner of England, have suffered the loss of friends very dear to us - some close to this church: George West, choir boy; James Bellard, station master and bell ringer and a proud winner, only one hour before his death, of the Belding Cup for his beautiful Miniver rose; and our hearts go out in sympathy to the two families who share the cruel loss of a young girl who was married at this altar only two weeks ago. The homes of many of us have been destroyed, and the lives of young and old have been taken. There is scarcely a household that hasn't been struck to the heart. And why? Surely you must have asked yourself this question. Why in all conscience should these be the ones to suffer? Children, old people, a young girl at the height of her loveliness. Why these? Are these our soldiers? Are these our fighters? Why should they be sacrificed? I shall tell you why. Because this is not only a war of soldiers in uniform. It is a war of the people, of all the people, and it must be fought not only on the battlefield, but in the cities and in the villages, in the factories and on the farms, in the home, and in the heart of every man, woman, and child who loves freedom! Well, we have buried our dead, but we shall not forget them. Instead they will inspire us with an unbreakable determination to free ourselves and those who come after us from the tyranny and terror that threaten to strike us down. This is the people's war! It is our war! We are the fighters! Fight it then! Fight it with all that is in us, and may God defend the right.
Vicar: This is the People's War. It is our war. We are the fighters. Fight it then. Fight it with all that is in us and may God defend the Right.
Clem Miniver: She was a good cook, as good cooks go. And as good cooks go, she went.
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Mrs. Miniver Facts
The Hollywood Reported listed Pat O'Hara, Elspeth Dudgeon, Dennis Chaldecott and Eric Snowden in the cast, but they were not seen in the final print.
The vicar's speech near the end was reportedly re-written by William Wyler and Henry Wilcoxon the night before it was shot. It was translated into various languages and air-dropped in leaflets over German-occupied territory, was broadcast over the Voice of America, and reprinted in Time and Look magazines at Pres. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's request. This speech has come to be known as The Wilcoxon Speech, in tribute to actor Henry Wilcoxon's stirring delivery of it.
Second of eight movies that paired Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon.
William Wyler openly admitted that he made the film for propaganda reasons. Wyler - who was born in Germany - strongly believed that the US should join the war against Nazism, and was concerned that America's policy of isolationism would prove damaging, so he made a film that showed ordinary Americans what their British equivalents were undergoing at the time. The film's subsequent success had a profound effect on American sympathy towards the plight of the British.
Greer Garson married Richard Ney who played her son in the movie!
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