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).

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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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Quotes from

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.


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.


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Facts about

After completing the film, William Wyler joined the US Army and was posted to the Signal Corps; he was overseas on the night he won his first Oscar. He later revealed that his subsequent war experiences made him realize that the film actually portrayed war in too soft a light.
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.
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.
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Best Picture Oscar 1942











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National Film Registry

Mrs. Miniver

Released 1942
Inducted 2009
(Sound)




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Also directed by William Wyler




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Also produced by Sidney Franklin




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Also released in 1942




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