Where have you gone, Mrs. Miniver?

Names don't always tell the story.  Would Marion Morrison and Archibald Leach have gone on to cinematic excellence if they'd not changed their names to John Wayne and Cary Grant?  Would Alphonso d'Abruzzo have won the role of "Hawkeye Pierce"?  Alan Alda did.  For you ancients, remember Ted Knight of the Mary Tyler Moore Show?  Tadeus Wladyslaw Konopka.  Welcome to America.

Last night, my bride and I snuggled on the couch to watch "Mrs. Miniver."  The title alone sent my boys screaming.  Had I said we were watching "The Two Towers" for the bajillionth time, I'd have sons coming out of the woodwork.  In the minds of three-quarters of progeny, there is perhaps no greater testosterone neutralizer than to marry Netflix with "classic", black-and-white, and a title that smacks of "Little Women."  Son number three tagged along because I guilted him into it, I enticed him with with "It's a World War II movie," and perhaps most effective of all, he had nothing else to do.

Background for those who haven't seen it.  It is a World War II movie in the purest sense.  It takes place during WWII, but more than that, it was released during WWII (1942) and has a breath-taking, pro-WWII message.  Winston Churchill suggested it did more to aid the war effort than a flotilla of destroyers.  The sermon/speech at the end of the movie (included at the end of this post) by the vicar so stirred the soul that Time and Look reprinted it, and FDR had it copied and air-dropped over Europe as propoganda.  Director William Wyler, born in Germany, admits that he hoped that his movie would motivate the United States to enter the war against his homeland.

Cutting to the credits:  It was a GREAT movie!

Hey, Hollywood!  What have you done for me lately? 

I have heard that "The Hurt Locker" was reasonably pro-Iraq War film, but with lavish profanity, how accessible is that to middle America?  The only qualifications "Mrs. Miniver" needs is that two scenes get intense during air raids and alcohol and tobacco use is the norm if that bothers you.  Beyond that, it could not be more pro-family (of the husband-wife-multiple kid kind), pro-religion, and pro-freedom/pro-country.  Where are the films that show the hellish face of terrorist Islam?  Where are the films that show the salt of the American church-going family?  Where are the films that laud personal sacrifice, understanding the weight thereof, and of personal responsibility?  Where are the films that I can enjoy with my wife and sons without enduring gratuitous violence, sex, or language?

Yeah, "Mrs. Miniver" has a lot to be desired as a title.  Compare that with "Gladiator" or "Braveheart."  But getting past the cover to plumb the depths of a quality story with an soul-stirring message--ah, now that's entertainment.  I guess that's why it's a classic.
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Take a moment to savor the vicar's speech at the end of Mrs. Miniver.  It occurs within his bombed-out church during a mass funeral of parishoners:

We, in this quiet corner of England, have suffered the loss of friends very dear to us - some close to this church: George West, choir boy; James Bellard, station master and bell ringer and a proud winner, only one hour before his death, of the Belding Cup for his beautiful Miniver rose; and our hearts go out in sympathy to the two families who share the cruel loss of a young girl who was married at this altar only two weeks ago.

The homes of many of us have been destroyed, and the lives of young and old have been taken. There is scarcely a household that hasn't been struck to the heart. And why? Surely you must have asked yourself this question. Why in all conscience should these be the ones to suffer? Children, old people, a young girl at the height of her loveliness. Why these? Are these our soldiers? Are these our fighters? Why should they be sacrificed?

I shall tell you why. Because this is not only a war of soldiers in uniform. It is a war of the people, of all the people, and it must be fought not only on the battlefield, but in the cities and in the villages, in the factories and on the farms, in the home, and in the heart of every man, woman, and child who loves freedom!

Well, we have buried our dead, but we shall not forget them. Instead they will inspire us with an unbreakable determination to free ourselves and those who come after us from the tyranny and terror that threaten to strike us down. This is the people's war! It is our war! We are the fighters! Fight it then! Fight it with all that is in us, and may God defend the right.