critics consensus

An excessively sentimental piece of propaganda, Mrs. Miniver nonetheless succeeds, due largely to Greer Garson's powerful performance. Read critic reviews

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Mrs. Miniver Photos

Greer Garson (left) and Teresa Wright, starring in "Mrs. Miniver."

Pictured here in a scene still from the film are Henry Travers, and Greer Garson, in the film "Mrs. Miniver."

A scene still from the 1942 British wartime drama "Mrs. Miniver," featuring Henry Wilcoxon as the Vicar.

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Movie Info

A moving drama about a middle-class English family learning to cope with war, told in a series of dramatic vignettes. The family, headed by the lovely and gracious matriarch, 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.

Genre:

drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

William Wyler
Producer:

Sidney Franklin, William Wyler
Writer:

George Froeschel, James Hilton, Claudine West, Arthur Wimperis
Release Date (Theaters):

Jun 4, 1942 wide
Release Date (Streaming):

Jan 12, 2017
Runtime:

2h 14m
Production Co:

Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Sound Mix:

Mono
Aspect Ratio:

Flat (1.37:1)

Cast & Crew

Greer Garson
Kay Miniver

Walter Pidgeon
Clem Miniver

Dame May Whitty
Lady Beldon

Teresa Wright
Carol Beldon

Reginald Owen
Foley, Storekeeper and Air-raid Warden

Henry Travers
Mr. Ballard, Station-master and Bell-ringer

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Critic Reviews for Mrs. Miniver

All Critics (42) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (40) | Rotten (2)

It is simple and plain, sometimes deeply sentimental, sometimes oddly moving, and it will have a wide and prolonged appeal.

April 2, 2021 | Full Review…

Alan Dent
Guardian
Its power is through suggestion. Its drama is conveyed with that fascination which Is inherent in a narrative told through induction, rather than obviously.

April 2, 2021 | Full Review…

Edwin Schallert
Los Angeles Times
Never has there been a picture which pulses so strongly and so vibrantly of real, authentic life.

April 2, 2021 | Full Review…

Marjory Adams
Boston Globe
Mrs. Miniver is high-grade entertainment with a great appeal to national pride. But to claim-perhaps because of its subject matter-that it is the finest film in twenty-five years is but to perpetuate Hollywood's hyperbole and ignore past masterpieces.

January 22, 2020 | Full Review…

SMH Staff
Sydney Morning Herald
Under Sidney Franklin's watchful supervision and William Wyler's masterly direction the story has become the most stirring, heart-clutching picture of our times.

February 17, 2015 | Full Review…

Kate Cameron
New York Daily News
Mrs Miniver as a whole certainly is very silly sometimes... and yet, and yet. Sometimes through its sheer unselfconscious earnestness, it packs a punch.

January 14, 2014 | Full Review…

Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
A great picture.

April 13, 2021 | Full Review…

P.S. Harrison
Harrison's Reports
By far the best picture of the month and high among the best of the year is this charming and appealing story of an English family during this world war.

April 13, 2021 | Full Review…

Shadow Stage
Photoplay
For all its roses and frilly hats, Mrs. Miniver has a greater impact of reality than a dozen of some blood and thunder dramas. It's just that -- real.

April 13, 2021 | Full Review…

Zachary Gold
Modern Screen
Never has the screen more clearly demonstrated its ability to be powerfully articulate in the expression of human emotion or in the conveyance of the highest idealism in terms of utter simplicity than in M-G-M's beautiful production of Mrs. Miniver.

April 13, 2021 | Full Review…

Charles S. Aaronson
Motion Picture Daily
Cinema artistry of the higher sort transfers Miss Miniver to the screen in an absorbing human, and warm story of a family and the effects of war on their lives.

April 13, 2021 | Full Review…

John Stuart, Jr.
Motion Picture Herald (Exhibitors Herald)
At last there has been born of this war a picture that justly merits the description of great -- a picture that bores to the heart with a devastating emotional appeal and a dramatic impact that tear your innards out.

April 13, 2021 | Full Review…

Film Daily Staff
The Film Daily

View All Critic Reviews (42)

Audience Reviews for Mrs. Miniver

Jan 09, 2014

This Greer Garson's pinnacle and Walter Pidgeon is just along for the ride. I always find it interesting that the actor who plays her son here ended up becoming her husband in real life. It is certain propaganda for the war effort but nonetheless a good film.

John B Super Reviewer
Nov 30, 2013

A middle-class family endures World War II. Essentially propaganda, Mrs. Miniver exalts the bravery of common people in extraordinary circumstances. Of course, "common" in this uniquely British sense involves a life of luxury, and while the class issues of British society are treated tangentially, the most pressing aspect of the film is how the characters rise to their circumstances. Mrs. Miniver's courage when confronted by a marooned German soldier, Mr. Miniver's excursion on a fishing boat, and their son's flying missions are all examples of common bravery. Most of these scenes are subtle and individually compelling, but the film amounts to a simple extolling of the everyday, and as a result it becomes locked in its political message. One scene that bothered me from a feminist perspective involves Mr. Miniver smacking his wife on the bottom after he finds out she is responsible for the marooned German's capture. The patriarchal necessity that the man be the locus of courage was yet another reminder that this film is confined to its era. Overall, while there is some good acting, war propaganda can only go so far.

Jim H Super Reviewer
Aug 12, 2013

It takes a great deal of time for 'Mrs. Miniver' to get interesting, but when its emotional core starts to heat up, it's hard not to become invested in the characters. Yes, it is incredibly, almost annoyingly sentimental, but that sentimentality becomes bearable as the film progressed and kind of lends itself to the power of the final 45 minutes. Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon and (especially) Henry Travers are just wonderful in their performances.

Stephen E Super Reviewer
May 14, 2012

Its well acted but it is pretty shameless propaganda. Viewed in hindsight, I don't think it has much to offer outside of a exploration into how Hollywood helped sell the war effort in the 1940s.

Alec B Super Reviewer