The Miniver Story

I do not think that William Wyler's classic was made with a sequel in mind.But the most amazing thing is to feature a terminally ill Mrs Minniver although the name of the disease is never mentioned (heart?)Toby and Judy characters are featured (But the former seems a bit too young now that the war is over) but Vin 's was ruled out ,which could be acceptable if they made at least one hint at him.

The film will appeal to people who liked the 1942 film :although she knows her days are numbered,Mrs Minniver wants to make the best of what is left for her to enjoy her children and occasionally to help them when they take a wrong turn (Judy who wants to marry a married man).My favorite line is when Greer Garson says that she wants to be back by Autumn cause it's one of her two favorite seasons and she won't be here when Spring returns...

People who like the Garson/Pidgeon (Not only "Mrs Minniver" but also "Madame Curie" ) couple should have a look at it.

Although this is not the best of sequels it is still watchable. The main problem is that the actors playing Toby and Judy are so unlike the ones in the previous film, also the character of Vin has been completely left out altogether. I have heard it stated that the character played by Theresa Wright is somehow brought back to life. This is totally incorrect. In the original film she played Carol who became the Minivers' daughter in law. That character does not appear in this film. Whilst not as good as the first Miniver film it still has its merits, mainly the performances of Greer Garson and Walter Pigeon who still convince as Kay and Clem Miniver. In my opinion it's worth a watch as long as you don't expect too much. The ending though is very effective.

Mrs Miniver, while not completely flawless, is a superb film and quite rightly received 6 Oscar wins and a further 6 nominations. It was a very powerful and touching film that was beautifully made and superbly acted and directed. I was expecting very little from The Miniver Story judging from what has been said about it. After watching, it was a far better sequel than expected though admittedly it was unnecessary and is nowhere near as good. The script is very soap-opera-ish, skim-the-surface quality and in places caked in over-sentimentality, something that Mrs Miniver- for a melodrama- managed to avoid. The story does have compelling moments and isn't completely tedious, but because this is no longer set in the war the drama is not as emotionally investing or as tense, the characterisations(especially the children, where there is an aforementioned glaring omission) even sketchier. You care about Mrs and Clem, particularly the former, but the rest we don't know enough about. H.C.Potter's direction is competent and gets the job done, but it lacks the tightness and nuances that made William Wyler's direction add so much to the film. The Miniver Story looks beautiful though, with sumptuous period detail and photography that is both moody and luminous. The music is nicely understated, and there are bright spots in the story. Parts of it are heart-warming, the ending is heart-breaking as is the scene on the staircase and there is a funny scene demonstrating the Home Run. The acting is good, especially Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon, Garson is very sincere and touching and Pidgeon acts with understated dignity, the two of them work wonderfully together. James Fox makes a very confident film debut and John Hodiak while not having a lot to do acquits himself well. Leo Genn and Reginald Owen are fine as well, in fact all the support cast are but you do miss May Witty, Teresa Wright and Henry Travers. All in all, not anywhere near as good a sequel and is somewhat unnecessary but while very problematic I found The Miniver Story better than anticipated. 6/10 Bethany Cox

I enjoyed this movie, though of course it is very different from the original. It was good to see their wonderful old house or the recreation of it, whichever it was. Garson is very appropriate with the effects of the changes her character went and is going through. Pidgeon takes up well.

The little boy (young James Fox) is darling, though it's funny to hear his strong British accent and expressions in contrast to the American actors around the family table. But of course I wouldn't want fakey British accents. John Hodiak is refreshing playing a wholesome character. Don't think I've ever seen him as one. And Leo Genn is a favorite. He plays against usual type here as well. The daughter reminds me of Teresa Wright in appearance, though of course she is a different character entirely.

No, I think they did a decent job, as hard as it is to do sequels. There is integrity in it. The Minivers have a solid marriage, with love that has deepened. Mother holds her own in the difficult crisis with her daughter, Judy. She's a strong woman who has been tempered and grown with life and difficulties, even tragedy. They both know what it means to come through.

Though the director is very different in this, I think the real difference is in the Mrs. Miniver character. What she did formerly was more interesting than what she has to do here. She's winding down here, instead of verving up as in the original. Guess they could have written some new challenge for her, but what it is, it is. And if you appreciate certain people and elements of the original, you can enjoy this film.

The previous poster wanted to know why Richard Ney wasn't in "The Miniver Story". I believe the reason for Mr. Ney's omission was probably on Greer Garson's part.

Mr. Ney had fallen in love with Greer Garson while filming "Mrs. Miniver". Although he played her son he was only 11 years younger than Miss Garson.

They had a stormy divorce which occurred a couple of years prior to filming this sequel. I guess that's why his character wasn't even mentioned. Miss Garson probably wanted to just wipe out all memory of him.