Mrs. Miniver (William Wyler 1942) Movie Essay

20th Century Film History / SFUAD Fall 2013 / Midterm Film Review Form

1.    Mrs. Miniver / William Wyler / British / 1942 / Dramatic Film:

Storyline: Mrs. Miniver is an English "middle-class" British housewife that experience life in the first months of World War II. The film shows how the life of this woman in rural England is touched by an historical world movement, - (Michael Rice), she sees her oldest son go to war and deals with the death of her daughter-in-law while struggling to keep her family together and her two little children safe.

Direction: I love how William Wyler decided to put a lot of wide and long shots into the frame, because the audience can truly connect with all of what’s going on into every moment of the film, leading us to choose what to see and decide what exact detail we can focus on. This gives a powerful enhancement for the audience itself and takes away the “close-and-prisoned” feeling that different shots and angles can have. He made “simple” choices of camera settings and movements for us to convey on a better and fulfilling experience, connecting from time to time with the actor’s feelings and points of view.

Acting: I love Greer Garson’s performance! And who wouldn’t if she was one of MGM’s major stars of the 1940s. And I think I’m not the only one who was enchanted by her acting; because if she received seven Academy Award nominations and won Best Actress award with this film (Mrs. Miniver) that means everybody that saw the movie was absolutely thrilled with the way she got into character. I think all the cast members were fantastic in the developing of their own role, but the one I love the most was of little Toby. Oh! The way he talked and the way he said the exact proper lines just to give to the audience a bit of tenderness and relaxation. I just loved that!

Camera: I love the continuity of the angles in every frame. The decision of having wide shots most of the time is something that can be lost now days; even if the movie has some close ups, over the shoulder and birth eye shots, most of the times, they decided to continue with wide and long shots, which was a powerful decision due to the impact of its surrender. I mean; you can really connect with all of what’s going on at every moment when they show you not only what they want you to focus on, but also the exterior details of the soldiers running, or Toby and Judy’s expressions and behavior in the car scene and much more. They allowed the audience to focus on any specific detail and context that surrounded that moment of the story. I think that was really powerful and it really make people connect with the environment of the characters, feeling closer to each one.

Editing: For the edition part, I think that sometimes they left more of something than actually needed. I mean, the shots were amazingly well done as well as of the decision of each frame, but sometimes it could get a little “boring” when leading to the continuity of each sequence. They give us more than needed from time to time. But it’s also part of the sequence they were planning and the execution of having more symbolic aspects about the war and all of what was going on during that time. For example, the scene in which Mrs. Miniver sees the wounded German pilot hiding in her garden. They had to re-shoot that scene just to show the impact and real meaning of the Germany power at that time and the influence of that to people. Rather than that I think all the sequence where in perfect order for me.

Sound: The sound needed a little more of high quality for my opinion; but then again, we are talking about the 1940s, so actually the sound is really accurate for the movie’s time and it release. I liked the effects they put when the airplane crashed on the forest where Mrs. Miniver and her daughter in-law were hiding inside on the car. The sound and visual effects of that crash was amazing! Also the sound effects in where they are hiding inside the bomb shelter outside of their house. When Clem, Kay, Toby and Judy are frightened about the bombs in the outside and Mr. and Mrs. Miniver try to calm the children due to the “exterior noises”. Those sound effects were amazingly terrifying, powerful and touching.

Music: The music elements that can be found in Mrs. Miniver are soft, melodically and highly emotional. I like the choice of using Dexter Gordon’s musical pieces such as the sax, piano, etc. I love the enhancement of its musical pieces in every aspect of the movie, because on the most exciting parts, they definitely drag you to that specific moment. Sometimes I wonder if they just chose some musical piece and it fits perfectly well just by “coincidence” or if they really create the music to fit specifically into the movie at the right moments.

Did you like/Dislike this Film? Why?

I never thought I’d love a black and white movie before, but I have to say that Mrs. Miniver just blew my mind away. I loved the story itself as well as most of the cinematographic composition of the frames. I cried at the end when Mrs. Beldon stands up by herself at the destroyed church and then Vin joins her in singing. I also got a little teary when they show that empty seat next to the choir boys. And that incredible speech that the priest gave at the end before the combat airplanes get into the sky was just absolutely magnificent.

What other films does it remind you of and why?

This movie reminds me a lot of Gone with the Wind. Because in some ways it is also a “love story” and it involves war (maybe a different type of war and in a different frame of time); but for some reason it drove me right back to the movie Gone with the Wind which shows Scarlett O’Hara being in profound love with Ashley Wilkes while struggling with the fact that he has to go to war, and I compare that to where Vin falls in love with Carol Beldon but he has to go to war as well.

What, if any, is the statement or intent of this film?

In 2009, the film was named to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant and will be preserved for all time. -  The New York Times. February 16, 2013.

A lot of scenes were re-written to reflect the increasing “pro-British and anti-German” outlook for Americans. I read that in the scene in which Mrs. Miniver confronts a wounded German flyer in her garden was made more confrontational with each new version of the script. It was initially filmed before the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that brought USA into the war, but after the attack, the scene was filmed again to reflect the tough and new spirit of a nation at war.

Wilcoxon and director William Wyler "wrote and re-wrote" the key sermon the night before the sequence was to be shot. The speech "made such an impact that it was used in essence by President Roosevelt as a morale builder and part of it was the basis for leaflets printed in various languages and dropped over enemy and occupied territory." Roosevelt ordered it rushed to the theaters for propaganda purposes - Henry Wilcoxon in Peter Harris (ed.) The New Captain George’s Whizzbang #13 (1971), p. 5

“We in this quiet corner of England have suffered the loss of friends very dear to us, some close to this church. George West. James Ballard, stationmaster and bell-ringer, and the proud winner only an hour before his death of the Beldon 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's scarcely a household that hasn't been struck to the heart. And why? Surely you must have asked yourselves 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 the 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”. – Mrs. Miniver (1942) Retrieved 2008-10-08.

Does this film make any commentary or offer contributions to these categories:

1.   Cultural: The culture itself started to change not only because of the changes that people went through during that specific period of time, but also we can see (in the movie itself), how things were leading to different aspects, like the educational formation that Vin had and the way he expressed himself in front of Carol and his parents. 

2.   Social: I think the movie made people think about what was going on during that time, especially with all that social and political movements occurring during the shooting of the film. The audience could relate to the relationships that the characters were having.

3.   Political: Well, as already explained above, President Roosevelt used the speech from the movie (at the ending part) for one of his political movements and to make propaganda of it as well. That is a great political impact! As well as of the part of showing the wounded German pilot (in where at that time, Americans were “anti-Germans”.

4.    Cinema: In 2006, the film was ranked number 40 on the American Film Institute’s list celebrating the most inspirational films of all time. The film was selected for the following reasons:

“This remarkably touching wartime melodrama pictorializes the classic British stiff upper lip and the courage of a middle class English family (headed by Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon) amid the chaos of air raids and family loss. The film's iconic tribute to the sacrifices on the home front, as movingly directed by William Wyler, did much to rally America’s support for its British allies” – Library of Congress. December 30, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2013.

How do the various cinematic elements enhance the story or its intent?

I think everything was well composed in order to create this master piece. All the cinematic elements and the aesthetical compositions of each frame arranged an essential and well-done point of view for any filmmaker. The lighting, the depth, lines, contour, contrast, repetition, settings, camera movement, direction, actors, technical aspects; even the script itself! They all formed a powerful balance connection between one and another to work together in the creation of this magnificent movie. I really, not only enjoyed it, but also loved it! Along with some “oldies”, this is one of my very favorites!

3 Observations/comments/questions for class discussion:

I’d love to have a 5 minutes criticism comments from my classmates and to have just a general opinion after every movie we watch in class.

I’d love to have “any type of homework” after each movie… Like writing a paragraph or even a quarter of page about our comments of the movie seeing every class, that way we can all participate with the class itself and some students will have to “not fall asleep” during the movies or even “don’t dismiss class”.

I’d LOVE to watch more recent and commercial movies if possible, so they can be enjoyable for our “range of age”.   :D