MissGreerGarson.com by Ed S.
The Miniver Story (1950)
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Some of Ed's favourite moments
- Well, this movie is certainly is a different type of Greer-fest.
- It has a rather sombre tone throughout. Everyone finds it difficult to cope with the end of the war (WW2 this time), and Kay Miniver herself has a serious medical problem.
- Greer plays a truly middle-aged woman in this movie, wearing drab clothes and looking matronly. She's still lovely, of course, as several people take pains to remind the audience throughout the movie. But in this Miniver movie she actually does look like she could be the mother of a grown child.
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There is an attempt in this movie to make as many direct
references to the original movie as possible.
The grandfather clock is still slow;
everyone at the dinner table starts talking
at the same time; Kay talks to Sophie on the phone;
Walter slaps her on the rump;
Greer gets a new hat.
- One scene I did enjoy a great deal was Greer's scene with Leo Genn (General Steve Brunswick). He also has a nice earlier scene.
- The scene with Tom Foley and Judy Miniver in the truck with a pig is also delightful.
- Greer's illness is not specified, and it's not really important. She does have one heart-wrenching scene where she's doubled over while Clem is in the bathroom completely unaware of her pain.
- Jan Struther wanted to distance herself from this movie. She had nothing to do with it. I do wish that they had found a happier way to revisit the Minivers.
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Michael Troyan, in the bio, gives an anecdote about a
suggestion that Greer made to explain away the fact that her
son Vin is not even mentioned in this movie. She
offered to say that "Vin ran off to Hollywood and
married Greer Garson and was never heard from again."
That episode is dramatized here.