"Mrs. Miniver" was, of course, one of the great war-time movie classics. This sequel -- filmed 8 years later -- is hardly a classic, but it is still a very good film. Films dealing with the war are almost countless. Films that deal with the home front AFTER the war are somewhat rare. So this film is in between that war period and the 1950s...the time in-between.
Greer Garson seems somewhat subdued here. Perhaps it's because of the terminal heart illness she has, or because she feels guilty for having a non-sexual affair during the war while her husband was away in the military.
Walter Pidgeon is...well...Walter Pidgeon. Perfect in the role of Mr. Miniver.
John Hodiak is very good as the man with whom Mrs. Miniver had an affair. I was interested in Cathy O'Donnell...she looked familiar...and I realized she played Tirzah in "Ben Hur". The one role I don't like here is that of Leo Genn -- a usually very good actor, who here has a rather inane characterization as a possible fiancé of Mrs. Miniver's daughter.
Yes, this is solid film...but it has one big problem -- pacing. Ever watch many British films from the 1940s and 1950s? You know that many were paced very slowly. Although this is an American MGM film, you're not going to be sitting on the edge of your chair. But if you don't shed a tear at the end, you're just a rock.
A weak "7".
Greer Garson seems somewhat subdued here. Perhaps it's because of the terminal heart illness she has, or because she feels guilty for having a non-sexual affair during the war while her husband was away in the military.
Walter Pidgeon is...well...Walter Pidgeon. Perfect in the role of Mr. Miniver.
John Hodiak is very good as the man with whom Mrs. Miniver had an affair. I was interested in Cathy O'Donnell...she looked familiar...and I realized she played Tirzah in "Ben Hur". The one role I don't like here is that of Leo Genn -- a usually very good actor, who here has a rather inane characterization as a possible fiancé of Mrs. Miniver's daughter.
Yes, this is solid film...but it has one big problem -- pacing. Ever watch many British films from the 1940s and 1950s? You know that many were paced very slowly. Although this is an American MGM film, you're not going to be sitting on the edge of your chair. But if you don't shed a tear at the end, you're just a rock.
A weak "7".