Picture 15: Mrs. Miniver (1942)

In 1942 we join Mrs. Miniver (Greer Garson), Mr. Miniver (Walter Pidgeon) and her three children as war breaks out in Europe in 1939. They live in a big house in a fictional village called Belham just outside of London. To avoid confusion I spent the film convinced instead that they live in Balham, Wandsworth.

The eldest child Vin Miniver (Richard Ney) is university age. He's back for the summer and meets Carol Beldon (Teresa Wright) - the prettiest lady to appear in these films since Angharad (Maureen O'Hara) in 1941. When war breaks out Vin signs up for the RAF. Vin and Carol fall in love amidst the backdrop of the Blitz, Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and a village flower competition.

The fortitude of the main characters in the direst of times is something to behold. No wonder Churchill said this film was "more powerful to the war effort than the combined work of six military divisions" and Josef Goebbels was apparently troubled by its release. It is a film with the power to inspire and break your heart at the same time. It rightly remains a classic to this day.

Reflections:

1. The threat of death makes life more valuable.

2. The worst of times can bring out the best in people.

3. Suburban utopia can go up in smoke at any moment.

Rating:

8/10

Oscar Best Picture Rankings:

1. Rebecca (1940)

2. How Green Was My Valley (1941)

3. Gone With the Wind (1939)

4. Mrs. Miniver (1942)

5. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

6. Wings (1928)

7. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

8. You can’t take it with you (1938)

9. Cimarron (1931)

10. Grand Hotel (1932)

11. It Happened One Night (1934)

12. Cavalcade (1933)

13. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

14. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

15. The Broadway Melody (1929)