The English film, Mrs. Miniver has been called by some the greatest movie ever made. A series of newspaper articles were written in London about the fictional character of Mrs. Miniver who saw the gaiety of a rather comfortable "middle class" life morph into the severity and sorrow of life in World War II. At the start, Mrs. Miniver was preoccupied with fancy new hats, her husband was equally taken by purchasing a new car. Their son, attending Oxford, is enraptured by the myriad of intellectual and social issues that are opening up to him, along with the affections for a young lady. During a church service where the family's minds seems to be on anything but the gospel, the announcement is made that England is at war.
Out of necessity, life changes. The horror of 9/11 brought on numerous comments about how America "would never be the same." It didn't happen, at least not the way it was envisioned. Our "war on terror" today has taken on a pre 9/11 strategy. Admittedly, this movie and the articles it was based on, were meant to encourage the English and challenge us. Admittedly also, I write often on the good but mostly bad influence that filmmakers can have but there is more than enough evidence of the determination of the British people and its army, navy and R.A.F, and the historical importance and accuracy of the happenings of "Dunkirk" that is pictured in this film.
England had its protesters and its dissenters but it also had Winston Churchill and an overall indomitable spirit that would not be defeated. There is a scene in the middle of the film that deserves relating. Mrs. Miniver captures a German pilot that crashed, held her at gunpoint and then collapsed from his wound. Mrs. Miniver's compassion is displayed on the young man that is very much like her own son in the R.A.F.. That compassion is given a dose of reality as the pilot responds to the compassion with promises that those who come after him will kill tens of thousands.
This movie was released in 1942. Churchill said that Mrs. Miniver had done more for the allied cause than a fleet of destroyers. (I've heard so many different variations of the quote that I don't know the exact wording) I researched the film for facts and saw a review that spoke of the improbability of the character, the "slick propaganda" and general silliness of parts of the movie. Here is part of our problem, whether we face more war on our homeland or not, there is sufficient evidence that we may find ourselves in a similar situation as the Miniver family and others and the same determination is indeed possible and may be required of us. There is a "false logic" that pervades much of debate today, if you can call it debate. As for criticism of the film, when challenged with a strong argument, the tactic is to find just one or two inconsistencies and then declare the whole argument (film) invalid. It works with a public that does not wish to work through issues to find truth. I won't reveal any more of the film in case you haven't seen it, except to say that it ends with a church service and the same hymn sung but a truer reverence (albeit incomplete,) different worship and different priorities.
Out of necessity, life changes. The horror of 9/11 brought on numerous comments about how America "would never be the same." It didn't happen, at least not the way it was envisioned. Our "war on terror" today has taken on a pre 9/11 strategy. Admittedly, this movie and the articles it was based on, were meant to encourage the English and challenge us. Admittedly also, I write often on the good but mostly bad influence that filmmakers can have but there is more than enough evidence of the determination of the British people and its army, navy and R.A.F, and the historical importance and accuracy of the happenings of "Dunkirk" that is pictured in this film.
England had its protesters and its dissenters but it also had Winston Churchill and an overall indomitable spirit that would not be defeated. There is a scene in the middle of the film that deserves relating. Mrs. Miniver captures a German pilot that crashed, held her at gunpoint and then collapsed from his wound. Mrs. Miniver's compassion is displayed on the young man that is very much like her own son in the R.A.F.. That compassion is given a dose of reality as the pilot responds to the compassion with promises that those who come after him will kill tens of thousands.
This movie was released in 1942. Churchill said that Mrs. Miniver had done more for the allied cause than a fleet of destroyers. (I've heard so many different variations of the quote that I don't know the exact wording) I researched the film for facts and saw a review that spoke of the improbability of the character, the "slick propaganda" and general silliness of parts of the movie. Here is part of our problem, whether we face more war on our homeland or not, there is sufficient evidence that we may find ourselves in a similar situation as the Miniver family and others and the same determination is indeed possible and may be required of us. There is a "false logic" that pervades much of debate today, if you can call it debate. As for criticism of the film, when challenged with a strong argument, the tactic is to find just one or two inconsistencies and then declare the whole argument (film) invalid. It works with a public that does not wish to work through issues to find truth. I won't reveal any more of the film in case you haven't seen it, except to say that it ends with a church service and the same hymn sung but a truer reverence (albeit incomplete,) different worship and different priorities.
