Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Regisseur:

William Wyler

Drehbuchautoren:

Arthur Wimperis (screenplay) &
George Froeschel (screenplay) ...

Premierendatum:

1. Dezember 1942 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Romanze | Kriegsfilm

Werbezeile:

VOTED THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE!

Plot:

The Minivers, an English "middle-class" family experience life in the first months of World War II. While dodging bombs...

Plot Keywords:

1930s | 1940s | Airplane Accident | Historical | Home Front

Filmpreise:

Won 6 Oscars. Another 6 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

Watch out for the backs of the heads!

Besetzung

Greer Garson	...	Mrs. Miniver
Walter Pidgeon	...	Clem Miniver
Teresa Wright	...	Carol Beldon
Dame May Whitty	...	Lady Beldon
Reginald Owen	...	Foley
Henry Travers	...	Mr. Ballard
Richard Ney	...	Vin Miniver
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Vicar
Christopher Severn	...	Toby Miniver
Brenda Forbes	...	Gladys - Housemaid
Clare Sandars	...	Judy Miniver
Marie De Becker	...	Ada
Helmut Dantine	...	German Flyer
John Abbott	...	Fred
Connie Leon	...	Simpson

Alternativ:

Mrs. Miniver (Österreich) (Deutschland) [de]

Länge:

134 Min

Produktionsland:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch | Deutsch

Farbe:

Schwarzweiss

Seitenverhältnis:

1.37 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Altersfreigabe:

USA:Approved (PCA #8034) | Spain:T | UK:U | Canada:G (video rating) | Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Finland:(Banned) (1943-1944) | Finland:K-16 (1944) | Finland:S (1964) | Sweden:15

Firma:

Loew's

Dies und das:

Jan Struther's book of essays, on which the film is based, was published in 1939. While some of the essays reflect the fear that England might be in a war, only the last essay occurs after war is declared. Some of the book's characters are the same as the movie's, but the events (the book has no plot) are completely different.

Pannen:

Abfolgefehler: Just after Mrs. Miniver hands the German pilot a bottle of milk to drink, spilled milk appears all his coat. The milk subsequently disappears and reappears on the coat several times between shots.

Dialogzitate:

Vicar: We, in this quiet corner of England, have suffered the loss of friends very dear to us - some close to this church: George West, choir boy; James Bellard, station master and bell ringer and a proud winner, only one hour before his death, of the Belding 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...

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Verweis/Anspielung/Erwähnung in Kabluey (2007)

Soundtrack:

Midsummer's Day

Watch out for the backs of the heads!

What a wonderful film Mrs Miniver still is 58 years later. Like Coppola's 'Gardens of Stone', it deals with war by following the lives of those affected by it, and without showing any combat. It's moving, but unlike many other films of the period, totally unsentimental, though has many warm and winning moments (Pidgeon spanking Garson as the maid walks in, following an eventful morning, to say the least!)

Two sequences particularly clicked on this viewing. The first involves the son/pilot who is recalled to service abruptly when his leave has only just begun. He goes upstairs to get his belongings, the mother and fiancée are left in the room, with the backs of their heads to camera - a most unusual shot 'against the rules' of filming. Then you realise the centre of attention is the space left on the stair by the son - they and we are missing him, awaiting his return, but only for a moment as he must leave again. It's as poignant as the doorway framing scenes in 'The Searchers', and rather subtle.

Another scene is the family in the air raid shelter undergoing a bombing attack. The claustrophobia of the situation, and the bravery and dignity of the powerless family caught there, is focused by a single point of view. The unspoken fear is on the face of Garson, vocalised by the kids who finally awake as the bombardment increases. Long, simple takes perfectly capture the intense atmosphere (and exceptional acting.

When I was young I never appreciated this art of 'invisible' film-making, and just why such directors as William Wyler or Preston Sturges or Billy Wilder do such a good job without you even noticing. The fact their films stand the test of time so well is testament to their wonderful abilities as film-makers.