Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
AS DEPRESSING AS POSTWAR EUROPE WOULD HAVE BEEN, November 27, 1999
I have to admit that I was not prepared for what this film was to be about: Post-WWII Britain and the harsh realities of piecing life back together after years of andrenalin-pumped chaos and drama. I think I was expecting this film to be lighter and more of an MGM "production" than what it turned out to be. In retrospect, I realize now that the best aspect of "The Miniver Story" is that MGM did not overglamourize Postwar England the way it glamourized WWII England in "Mrs. Miniver." Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon are still wonderful here as the genteel middle-class couple whose love can conquer all, including her can't-win battle with cancer. One could easily imagine the timeless "coming to terms with terminal cancer" scenes between husband and wife transposed into any modern-day story of partners dealing with incurable and/or degenerating diseases/conditions (AIDS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, leukemia, etc.). The strength of character and bravery (along with great acting and solid MGM production values) are the only similarities to "Mrs. Miniver" you'll read in "The Miniver Story."
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Garson Performance, June 2, 2004
By A Customer
A superb performance by Greer Garson--touching, gentle, wistful, sad, and hopeful at the same time. Her scenes with Walter Pidgeon are some of the best acting she has ever done, simple and heartfelt without the mannerisms(arched eyebrows, flared nostrils) she employed in "Mrs. Miniver" and some of her earlier films. This is an older Garson, at the height of her beauty as a mature woman in her mid forties. Later films began to reveal her age, but, in this film, superb photography allows her beauty to shine from within. What a terrific actress she was portraying the privations the British endured in the post war years as they coped with rationing, the damage from years of bombing, and the exhaustion that followed the war effort. Her own frequent experience with serious illness and her knowledge of what her relatives in England endured during and after WWII must have helped her with her portrayal in this film. This film is a must for Garson fans--not depressing or boring but a deep quiet film. Scenes like the staircase scene near the end remain with you. Garson's friend and mentor at MGM, drama coach Lillian Burns, was especially pleased with Garson's performance and cabled her congratulations when the film premiered. Not a great film, but an outstanding display of the work of great actors!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not what I expected...., August 14, 2008
I watched this movie directly after seeing "Mrs. Miniver" on Turner Classics, and expected something along the same lines, however I was a bit disappointed in the defeatest tone of the movie, and the fact that there was no accounting (unless I missed it somehow) of the absence of the oldest son Vin...also, Judy aged quite fast in this sequel! I was unhappy about the ending, and couldn't understand why we couldn't just have Greer and Walter dance off into the sunset...still, if/when it is available on DVD I will buy it.
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