Mrs. Miniver

Name: Mrs. Miniver
Genre: Drama, Romance, War
Released: 1942-07-03
Duration: 2 h 14 min
Rating: 7.6
Cast: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, May Whitty, Reginald Owen

"Mrs. Miniver" is more than a picture... It's dramatic. It's tender. It's human. It's real.

Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Timing: 2:14 (134 min)

7.6/10
22 564

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7.1/10
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7.6/10
21000

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Everything about the movie

Video 1

Photo 42

Actors and characters

Video for the film Mrs. Miniver — Mrs. Miniver Official Trailer #1 - Reginald Owen Movie (1942) HD

2:41

Photo 42

Release date

1942-07-03

Country

United States

Production

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Genre

Drama, Romance, War

Budget

$1 344 000

Box office

$13 500 000

Website

Director

William Wyler

Actors

Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, May Whitty, Reginald Owen, Henry Travers, Richard Ney, Henry Wilcoxon, Christopher Severn, Brenda Forbes
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

William Wyler, Sidney Franklin

Camera operator

Joseph Ruttenberg

Composer

Herbert Stothart

Artist

Urie McCleary

Audition

Editing

Harold F. Kress
Whole Team (21)

Short description

Middle-class housewife Kay Miniver deals with petty problems. She and her husband Clem watch her Oxford-educated son Vin court Carol Beldon, the charming granddaughter of the local nobility as represented by Lady Beldon. Then the war comes and Vin joins the RAF.

What's left behind the scenes

After filming concluded, William Wyler joined the US Army and was assigned to the Signal Corps. On the night he was awarded the Oscar, he was already overseas. Wyler later stated that it was only while serving at the front that he realized he had portrayed the war in too soft a light.
On Walter's armband, the letters "LDV" stand for "Local Defense Volunteer," or "volunteer of the local defense detachment."
William Wyler (1902-1981) openly admitted that he made the film for propaganda purposes. Wyler was Jewish, born in Germany, and emigrated to the United States in 1921. He was convinced that the United States should enter the war against Nazism and that a policy of isolationism would be disastrous for the country.
The collection of essays by Jan Struther (1901-1953), on which this film is based, was published in 1939. Some of the essays reveal a fear that Great Britain would become involved in the war, and only the final essay is set after the war has already begun. Some characters in the collection are similar to those in the film, but the events (the book has no plot) are entirely different.
The double-decker bus shown at the beginning of the film is not British, nor is it actually a double-decker. An American bus was used for the filming, with a second story built on top. The bus door is on the right side, as in the USA. A genuine London vehicle would have it on the left.
The collection of essays by Jen Struther (1901-1953), upon which this film is based, was published in 1939. In some of the essays, there is a noticeable fear that Great Britain would be drawn into the war, and only the action of the final essay takes place after the war had already begun. Some characters in the collection are similar to the heroes of the film, but the events (as the book has no plot) are entirely different.
After Norma Shearer (1902-1983) turned down the role of the mother, Greer Garson was cast. She also did not want to play the part, but she was bound by her contract with the studio; she subsequently won an Oscar for the role.
After Norma Shearer (1902-1983) turned down the role of the mother, Greer Garson was cast. She also did not want to play the role, but she was under contract with the studio and subsequently received an Oscar for it.
The vicar's speech at the end of the film was reprinted in Time and Look magazines. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) ordered it to be broadcast on the Voice of America and printed on leaflets for distribution in European countries for propaganda purposes. Soon, this speech began to be called the "Wilcoxon Speech," after the actor who delivered it, Henry Wilcoxon (1905-1984).
In 2009, the US National Film Preservation Council selected "Mrs. Miniver" for preservation in the Library of Congress.
William Wyler (1902-1981) openly admitted that he filmed the movie for propaganda purposes. Wyler was a Jew born in Germany who emigrated to the USA in 1921. He was convinced that the USA should enter the war against Nazism and that a policy of isolationism would prove disastrous for the country.
The vicar's speech at the end of the film was reprinted in Time and Look magazines. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) ordered it to be broadcast on the Voice of America and the text printed on leaflets for distribution in European countries for propaganda purposes. Soon this speech became known as the "Wilcoxon speech" after the actor Henry Wilcoxon (1905-1984) who delivered it.
The vicar's final speech, performed by Henry Wilcoxon, was co-written by Wilcoxon and director Wyler the night before filming. The director was dissatisfied with the version proposed by the screenwriters and turned to the actor for help in writing a new version.
After filming, William Wyler joined the US Army and was assigned to the Signal Corps. On the night he received his Oscar, he was already overseas. Later, Wyler said that he only understood while on the front lines that he had depicted the war in too mild a tone.
Henry Wilcoxon’s final speech as vicar was co-written by Wilcoxon himself and director Wyler the night before filming. The version proposed by the screenwriters did not satisfy the director, so he turned to the actor for help writing a new one.