mrs miniver reviews

There is no doubt that this film was released at a time when Britain most needed it - a tribute to the ordinary Englishman in time of war...Certainly it went right over the top in many ways, but lifted the spirits and raised patriotism to a remarkable level, when things were looking very dire for England. The ending is not the expected happy one, but is instead rather thought provoking, stirring and influential. There seems to be little doubt that "Mrs. Miniver" served a useful purpose in its day, in addition to receiving praise and critical acclaim. I think the reason why there was such a long interval before I decided to watch it again was a subconscious recognition that it was produced at a time of crisis, largely for political reasons, and a feeling this was unduly evident in the screenplay. | Miniver (1942) Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2017. 4.7 out of 5. By BOSLEY CROWTHER. 4.5 out of 5 stars. Mrs. Miniver is a strikingly unsentimental account of the theft of England's innocence in the early days of WWII. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! See gallant hubby stiffen the old upper lip before sailing off to help with the Dunkirk evacuation. Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Golden Tomato Awards: Best Movies & TV of 2020, Oscar Ballot 2021: Printable Academy Awards Ballot For Your Oscar Pool. Review by Jamie S. Rich | posted January 19, 2013 | E-mail the Author. User Ratings Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. I've seen this film several times now, and despite knowing what occurs, the beauty never wears off. Indirectly, the film is superb propaganda. As somebody who has recently moved away from a war-zone, the sense of loss of the innocent at the hands of a heartless and remorseless enemy actually moved me to tears. After Mrs Miniver has actually shown this Nazi some kindness and gentleness, he sneers and snarls that England will be destroyed like Barcelona, like Warsaw, like Rotterdam. The movie deals with what civilians have to go through while all the men are off fighting in the war. When a film touches one's own reality it becomes something rather special. Mrs. Miniver is presented in full frame, as intended. Mrs. Miniver was released a few months after Pearl Harbour, at a time when many U.S. citizens wondered why their country should be expending its efforts fighting in Europe when it was Japan which had attacked them The film was quite clearly written, produced and directed with the objective of answering this question. What we are shown is a lived and felt reality in all its horrors. Mrs. Miniver Review 3. Very dated morale booster, but with some good parts. Mrs. Miniver was one of Hollywood's major attempts to rally support for Britain in the early years of World War II. See All Buying Options. Child actors are often cast strictly for their appearance and their performances frequently leave much to be desired. External Reviews It takes place in war-stricken England and was made right when all of Europe was in chaos. Verified Purchase. Never has the screen more clearly demonstrated its ability to be powerfully articulate in the expression of human emotion or in the conveyance of the highest idealism in terms of utter simplicity than in M-G-M's beautiful production of Mrs. Miniver. Mrs. Miniver’ss unconquerable spirit in the face of war was meant to inspire other (American) housewives. A superb sentimental piece of wartime melodrama. Like Coppola's 'Gardens of Stone', it deals with war by following the lives of those affected by it, and without showing any combat. FAQ The movie deals with what civilians have to go through while all the men are off fighting in the war. A mother navigates the uncertain waters of WWII, A wonderful war drama with a staggering performance by Garson. This was definitely been the biggest surprise of the Best Picture Winners yet. This film is great movie because it pulls at the heartstrings and brings forth real emotion in the viewer. Knowing Greer Garson, who I considered the anti-Crawford, starred in it gave me more of an excuse. The film really does show the impact of war on civilians more than other films of the day, and the long set-up starts to make sense later in the film when we really start pulling for this family. REVIEW | 'MRS. By far the best picture of the month and high among the best of the year is this charming and appealing story of an English family during this world war. Mrs. Miniver. At last there has been born of this war a picture that justly merits the description of great -- a picture that bores to the heart with a devastating emotional appeal and a dramatic impact that tear your innards out. It's moving, but unlike many other films of the period, totally unsentimental, though has many warm and winning moments (Pidgeon spanking Garson as the maid walks in, following an eventful morning, to say the least!). and it was such a shame that you always had to invite both for dinner and couldn't have them … I thought this was would be a bland and boring war drama but it’s very wrong. By concentrating on one presumably “typical” family, “Mrs. Clipping found in The Guardian in London, Greater London, England on Jul 9, 1942. All rights reserved. Mrs. Miniver won a host of Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actress for Greer Garson, Best Supporting Actress for Teresa Wright, Best Director for William Wyler, all deserved. William Wyler, one of the great directors of the American cinema, had the perfect team when he decided to make this film. Clem the husband takes part in the Dunkirk evacuation, his wife Kay helps to capture a German airman and their son Vin joins the RAF and fights in the Battle of Britain while conducting a romance with the attractive granddaughter of the Lady of the Manor. He contributed to every scene he was in. With her peaceful English life suddenly thrown into turmoil by the Second World War, MRS. MINIVER continues to provide a solid rock of security for her family. It was only afterwards that doubts set in and reactions from a new generation became derisory. However, Christopher, playing at such a young age, gives an absolutely delightful performance that is also refreshingly professional. Write a review. Review of Mrs. Miniver (1942) By Logan M (1,916) on 06 Mar 2016. Housewife Kay Miniver and her architect husband, Clement, survive the Home Front travails on the Second World War, while their Oxford-educated son, Vincent, falls for … Mrs. Miniver › Customer reviews; Customer reviews. Two more small children, Toby and Judy round out the Miniver family, who finds that they go from relative upper-middle class comfort to watching helplessly as their village is destroyed around them. A powerful image of war on the home front, Its Propaganda Value is Greater than its Artistic Merit. He far outshines his other child co-star. The cast was superb, with Greer Garson in the title role, supported wonderfully well by Walter Pidgeon and Teresa Wright. Mrs. Miniver eventually settles down to be a well-made and quite conventional war-film. Amazingly it won six Oscars including Best Picture, was a huge hit and is much loved by many though not by me. Mrs. Miniver is the most moving, sensitive, and inspirational film that has come out of the war yet in any country. Looking back, we know that … Winston Churchill famously said of this film that it had done more for the war effort than a flotilla of destroyers. It's about a family keeping it together on the homefront after England declares war on Germany. 5.0 out of 5 starsMrs. MRS. MINIVER is an excellent social drama set in wartime England. his was clearly the high-light of the many films the two stars made together, and Garson certainly deserved her Oscar. Greer Garson (Oscar-winning) is excellent as the titled character. How are ratings calculated? Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Mrs. Miniver [DVD] [2020] at Amazon.com. By far one of the best war movies you will ever see. No one sneered at the time and the film gathered a well deserved collection of Oscars. Mrs. Miniver isn't about politics or Hitler or battlefield engagements; it's about the impact of the conflict on the non-combatant civilian population. Guardian Mrs. Miniver review* Never has there been a picture which pulses so strongly and so vibrantly of real, authentic life. Mrs. Miniver is the most moving, sensitive, and inspirational film that has come out of the war yet in any country. I was not. Atmospheric background with many scenes of beauty combine with able direction, sympathetic portrayals, and well designed plot to make Mrs. Miniver a strong contender for first place among the best pictures of the year. She is also beloved in her village of Belden, given the distinct honor of having a beautiful red rose named after her by the town's long-time railroad station master (Henry Travers), daring to enter it in a contest opposite the town's delightfully imperious matriarch (Dame May Witty), Wright's grandmother. By Ruth on September 28, 2010 in book, review. However, it is worth staying with for Garson's performance as well as the rest of the ensemble cast, once the dramatic stakes are raised. Mrs. Miniver is high-grade entertainment with a great appeal to national pride. How are ratings calculated? The first #TNNCSClassic of the new season of The No-Name Cinema Society is a nod to our big 1942 in Review show from March. Don't have an account? Reality, or part reality is after all always better than the typical MGM musical. (A sequel released in 1950 lets us know what happened to everyone.) Ask again if it was really like that and I would cite the air-raid shelter scene some two-thirds of the way through as being in every sense definitive. Verified Purchase. Living there are Mrs. Miniver (Greer Garson), husband Clem (Walter Pidgeon), 2 small children and their grown son Vin (Richard Ney) who visits from the university he attends. The drama was great and easy to follow. Forgot your password? Director: William Wyler / Writers: Arthur Wimperis, Claudine West, George Froeschel, James Hilton, Jan Struther (source material) Cast: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Brenda Forbes, Dame May Whitty, Helmut Dantine, Henry Travers, Henry Wilcoxon, Reginald Owen, Richard Ney, Teresa Wright. It is simple and plain, sometimes deeply sentimental, sometimes oddly moving, and it will have a wide and prolonged appeal. It proved to be the most endearing and effective propaganda film of WW II, and is supposedly moving and meaningful because it was made in the heat of battle and shows no battles or call for vengeance but plays out as a soap opera melodrama about a gracious family handling the wartime strife with aplomb. "Mrs Miniver" belongs to its era ,it's a dated movie,a propaganda movie (as were many Lang ,Hitchcock ,Powell and Borzage films of that era ) ,but it was made with care and respect for the audience. [Full Review in Spanish]. More Reviews of Mrs. Miniver. and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. Richard Ney as the son left a bit to be desired in the acting sphere, but people such as Dame May Witty, Henry Travers and Henry Wilcoxon lent a great deal of character to the movie. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy Winston Churchill has made it clear that he regarded the release of this film as one of the biggest single contributions made to the allied war effort (worth, in his words, "a flotilla of destroyers"), and it is hard today not to regard the film as primarily a piece of patriotic propaganda. The plot was great it was slow but never boring and was entertaining the whole time. It's one of a few highly regarded contemporaneous motion pictures to deal frankly with the domestic aspects of World War II. It was a truly human story about heartbreak and hope during hard times. 4.7 out of 5 stars. Under Sidney Franklin's watchful supervision and William Wyler's masterly direction the story has become the most stirring, heart-clutching picture of our times. 4.5 out of 5. Mrs Miniver › Customer reviews; Customer reviews. William Wyler's 1942 drama Mrs. Miniver is a rousing piece of wartime propaganda. All in all, "Mrs. Miniver" is a great film that is one of the best films produced in the 1940s. | It's just that -- real. Well - yes and no. This leads to the famous town flower show sequence, a plot element so remembered by fans that years later it was incorporated into "Downton Abbey" involving Dame Maggie Smith's character. I love the WWII movies with John Wayne and others, but this shows you how it was to live in England during the war from the perspective of a mother. Miniver (1942) Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2017. He has given the movie going public pictures such as this one that will live forever, as new audiences discover them through cable and late shows on television. Watch Mrs. Miniver (1942) - Dramat, Romans, Wojenny Movie: English middle-class family, The Minivers, experience life in the first months of World War II. Its power is through suggestion. One final thought to complete the review. by Not Available. The whole was very cleverly orchestrated by a team of four scriptwriters (including James Hilton), Hollywood's most accomplished director (William Wyler), MGM's able in-house composer (Herbert Stothart), one of their best cameramen (Joseph Ruttenburg) and a cast, when not verging on the caricature, giving the nearest semblance to the emotions I can remember living through as a child during those dark days. Of course, the thing that will likely prey on the mind of the modern Viewer is that when MRS. MINIVER was released, there were still war years left ahead. Directed by William Wyler. and the Terms and Policies, It's a pretty wonderful bit of cinema invention. All in all, "Mrs. Miniver" is a great film that is one of the best films produced … At the time it was a sensation and one of great influence, which obviously hit home with many American families, with the reality of the War still of course very much alive. One unnoticed talent in the picture was Christopher Severn playing the part of Toby Miniver, the Miniver's youngest child. Rated the #16 best film of 1942, and #4326 in the greatest all-time movies (according to Mrs. Miniver (1942) Reviews on Cinafilm.com - The Minivers, an English middle-class family experience life in the first months of World War II… Metacritic Reviews, What a wonderful film Mrs Miniver still is 58 years later. Ok finished the book. Sometimes through its sheer unselfconscious earnestness, it packs a punch. There's no denying that this tub-thumping piece of jingoism is reasonably entertaining for what it is and that it's very well made, (you expect nothing less from Wyler), and pleasingly acted, (Garson and Wright won Oscars and Pidgeon, Whitty and Henry Travers were all nominated though it was really Whitty who should have won), but it's so patronisingly middle-class it is almost offensive. Also, at the time of its production, the war's outcome was uncertain so, of necessity, a neat resolution was impossible. There is nothing left for the critic at this point but to corroborate all that has been said of it, to add his own warmest words of acclaim. I had seen Wyler's film a long time ago and I saw it again yesterday.I was afraid I might be disappointed cause I had read so many bad reviews in my native France and elsewhere! All the while, Kay Miniver remains a bastion of strength, despite her own fears and discomfort. Full Review Edwin Schallert Los Angeles Times Without its topical immediacy, not all of it is quite as compelling now as it probably was in the early 1940's, yet a good deal of it still works well, with fairly simple but worthwhile characters who are portrayed by a pretty good cast. Garson, as the heroine Mrs. Miniver…