Film
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
As Academy Award-winning films go, Mrs. Miniver has not weathered the years all that well. This prettified, idealized view of the upper-class British home front during World War II sometimes seems over-calculated and contrived when seen today.
Greer Garson’s Oscar-winning performance in the title role often comes off as artificial, especially when she nobly tends her rose garden while her stalwart husband (Walter Pidgeon) participates in the evacuation at Dunkirk.
Even if the film has lost some of its ability to move and inspire audiences, it’s easy to see why it was popular in 1942 and credited with propaganda value.
Everyone liked to believe they were capable of behaving with grace under pressure like the Miniver family. Despite the slick propagandizing, the film’s setpieces are masterfully staged and acted.
In addition to Best Picture and Best Actress, Mrs. Miniver garnered Oscars for best supporting actress, best director, best script, best cinematography, and best producer.
Richard Ney, who played Garson’s son, later married her and became a successful Wall Street financier. The 1951 sequel, The Miniver Story, lacked the wartime setting of its predecessor.
