I’ve been watching a lot of my favorite old films this past week;
and realizing that here is yet another one I have never posted about before.
Odd; considering that it is among my favorite films. Within just 3 years of her
film debut in “Goodbye Mr. Chips”, Greer Garson was an established screen
presence on both sides of the Atlantic. There was a down to earth quality about
her that could not be ignored.
In this film, directed by William Wyler, Ms. Garson plays
the role of Mrs. Miniver, who is married to a man named Clem, played by Walter
Pidgeon. They are the picture of the rising middle class in England before the
advent of the Second World War. If you are a fan of Downton Abbey then you are
familiar with the changes taking place at the time of the First World War. By
necessity, England was becoming fairly democratic, and the old guard was yielding
territory to the new.
The Miniver’s have 3 children; two boys and one girl. The
eldest is Vin; played by Richard Ney; who is a student at Oxford and home for a
visit when the war breaks out. Since he is of age to serve, he enlists in the
RAF and enlists at the outbreak of the war. The other 2 are just children.
They are also neighbors to the formidable Lady Beldon;
played regally by Dame May Whitty; along with her granddaughter Carol; played
by the lovely Teresa Wright. We first meet them when Carol comes over to ask
Mrs. Miniver if she would consider coaxing the local stationmaster Mr. Ballard;
played wonderfully by Henry Travers; to pull his new rose from the competition
in the upcoming flower show sponsored by her grandmother. Lady Beldon has won
the prize for best rose for as long as the contest has been around. She is old,
and Carol argues that it would break the old lady’s heart to not win.
This sparks a spirited debate between Carol and Vin; in
which the young man is rude in his presentation of his argument that this is a
perfect example of what is wrong with the world. It smacks of the feudal system
as far as he is concerned. He storms off
after having made quite an impression on Carol. The Miniver’s are embarrassed at
their son’s outburst, but Carol is very gracious and you can see the beginnings
of a romance budding from the episode.
By this time the war is on and bombs are falling in nearby
towns and villages. The British are cornered at Dunkirk and all available boats
are rounded up to evacuate the troops and bring them home. Mr. Miniver takes
the family boat and joins the others for the daring rescue of several hundred thousand
soldiers.
While he is gone Mrs. Miniver is walking in the garden when
she spots a pair of boots sticking out from beneath the bushes. She realizes
that it is the enemy pilot who was shot down the previous day and is still at
large. He commands her to take him in the house and demands food; which she
gives him; before he passes out form his injuries. When he comes to he realizes
that she has called the police and that he is now a prisoner. She has taken his
pistol while he was out. But before the police arrive he harangues her with the
superiority of the Nazi’s over the British and she slaps him. This is one of
the best film slaps ever; until Sidney Poitier does his bit in 1967’s “In the Heat
of the Night.”
When her husband returns from Dunkirk she is silent about
her own adventure with capturing the German pilot, until the maid spills the
beans. Her husband; just back from his own brush with the war; is flabbergasted
that his wife handled the situation alone so well. Now he challenges her to go
meet Lady Beldon, who has arrived for a visit. That, he opines, will take real
courage.
Lady Beldon is old school and likes it that way. She lords
her position as the dowager of the town. She was married when she 16 years old
to a man who went off to fight in the First World War and didn’t make it home.
Now, when Carol and Vin are planning to marry, she is opposed to it for two reasons. The first is that Carol would be marrying beneath her station; which
Mrs. Miniver ejects as foolish.
The old lady then objects on the grounds that the boy may
never come home. Mrs. Miniver; in her inimitable way; convinces the older woman
that it is best to have a snatch at happiness than not. After all, didn’t she
marry at an even younger age? And, secondly, would she trade that love now,
even years later, for anything else in the world? Lady Beldon caves in and
declares that if Vin has any class at all, she now knows where he got it from.
That is as close to a compliment as the old woman has ever come.
When the flower show comes up it is a true test of the
changes the war is bringing to Britain. The old woman is adamant about winning
and has stepped up her campaign to have Mr. Ballard pull his rose; which he has
named the “Mrs. Miniver”; from the competition. He refuses. In his own way the
old man is in love with Mrs. Miniver and this is his only way to show that. He
is equally adamant about leaving the rose in the competition.
When the day arrives the judges judge and the old lady waits
for the results she knows will be forthcoming. After all, this is her contest
and always has been. She is the sponsor and feels she is entitled to win. But
the judges have figured out a way to make her do what is right.
When Lady Beldon gets up to announce the winner, she has in
her hands the judges written decision; which shows her in first place and the
Miniver Rose by Mr. Ballard as second. To be sure she gets the message they
place the two roses side by side where the audience can clearly see them. They
then place the trophy behind the Miniver Rose; as if to underscore their true
feelings.
Lady Beldon hasn’t got a chance. She can claim the prize or
admit that the other rose is the better of the two. But will pride let her? In
a wonderful scene, which always leaves me a bit teary eyed, she does the right
thing and even manages to endear herself to the people of the town, while still
holding on to her revered place in society. She is surprised that giving can
bring so much joy to everyone; including herself.
There is one last dark chapter left in the film. That comes
during an air raid when Carol is killed. Vin returns home and the family bury
her. The next Sunday finds everyone at the bombed out church where the Vicar;
played by Henry Wilcoxon is holding services under an open roof. The Miniver’s
file in and fill their pew. But Lady Beldon; with all of her wealth; is
accompanied by only a footman who covers her with a lap robe and then retreats
to the rear of the church, leaving the old woman alone in her pew.
Vin cannot help but notice that with all her wealth she
really has nothing. As the Vicar leads the congregation in a hymn Vin crosses
the aisle and shares a hymn book with Lady Beldon and the two are almost united
by their love of God, Country and the recently deceased Carol. Once again, this
scene leaves me teary eyed as they two close the gap between the classes with
their common grief.
This movie is a beautiful tribute to the changing of the
guard in England after the war, as well as a salute to the perseverance and charm
that have always managed to carry the British people through whatever crisis
has beset them. And did I mention that it’s also a great movie?
