Last night I watched Mrs. Miniver for the first time but I had already read the details in Inside Oscar. That might have been a small mistake. I knew that Greer Garson fell in love with the actor playing her son Richard Ney --a story the tabloids ate up back in 1942. Garson was huge that year. Think Nicole Kidman in 2001 and then amplify it. Not only was she in the highest grossing film of the year (this one) she had a second huge hit too in Random Harvest. For those who haven't seen this Oscar-showered film, here is a little clip. Greer Garson plays the title character. Her soon to be daughter-in-law Teresa Wright is at the top of the staircase with her (they both won Oscars for this). The happy fella in the scene is the aforementioned loverboy, Richard Ney. The knowledge that he and Garson were having a little affair made this clip unintentionally funny to me.
"I sort of don't know which way to turn..." (hee)
I watched Random Harvest and Mrs. Miniver back to back and am officially (at this moment) head over heels for Greer Garson. Nick had just watched them both as well since we're preparing for StinkyLulu's 'Supporting Actress Smackdown' this Sunday. Nick told me that Garson was lots of fun to watch and it's true. Both of these roles are the type that could be played very Jennifer Connelly-ish, a la mopey and tragically. Instead Greer brings real spark and unexpected humor to very traditionally stuffy roles like "grieving wife" and "war mom." I loved her in both films (though she is not, as the star, the actual subject of this upcoming 'supporting smackdown')
Mrs. Miniver is top notch all the way around, too. It takes some flack for being a "propaganda" film, debuting as it did in the middle of World War II and being filled with valiant and patriotric Londoners during the blitz. And it does in fact end with a clunky "fight for freedom" speech and a title card about purchasing war bonds. Yet within the war framing I found it to be a lovely, funny, and moving family drama. It won me over right at the beginning: Clearly the war is about to start and there will be upheavals aplenty but the filmmaker (the great William Wyler) still wants you to treasure (and not judge) the frivolity of Mrs. Miniver buying a silly hat that she can't really afford. The hat as it turns out is hideous but if you love freedom you'll want Mr & Mrs Miniver to have many more days filled with silly impulse shopping.
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7 comments:
What a great write-up of Mrs. Miniver... you liked it a little more than I did (mainly, I wanted the camera to be a little more expressive), but you've captured its appeal perfectly, and Garson's too.
Next for me: Mrs. Parkington, with Greer starring and Agnes Moorehead supporting her. Both Oscar nom'd. Could you die?
I was shocked, too, when I realized that GG hooked up with Ney. But I also have a hard time believing she's only 33 when these flicks were done... I just love her in the latter part of Random Harvest...
I've loved Greer Garson for a long time, and am glad I'm not alone. Interesting note: Charles Busch credits Garson as his main inspiration for many of his stage roles, and I think you can see the upbeat turn and humor in Garson's performances shining through Busch's best work.
I quite like Greer Garson - give the 1940s version of Pride and Prejudice a shot, I still say it's the best - but when I first saw Mrs. Miniver, I was 12 years old and it was the first time I thought "Wow, maybe the Academy used to get it wrong sometimes". Then enlightenment ensued.
William Wyler is one of my favourite Hollywood directors, but this is easily one of his worst pictures.
Random Harvest is also pretty paltry (though I suppose, at least you can laugh at that one, whereas Miniver is just an earnest abortion of a movie).
i should probably mention that it was silly of me to call this relationship a "little affair" --they did in fact marry not too long after Miniver
One of the great Hollywood jokes is that when Garson won for Mrs. Miniver, her acceptance speech ran longer than the movie! (one of the reasons they indroduced time limits on acceptance speeches)
Enjoyed a lot! » » »
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