Wyler makes a similar visual point shortly thereafter. In the bell tower, Ballard and his friend are ringing the bells as they engage in a dialogue about the potential wartime cancellation of the flower show. After Ballard retorts, “There will always be roses,” Wyler cuts to a sarcophagus in the church before showing the parishioners streaming in for the Sunday service. This cut offers another indication that although the war will not destroy the spirit of the English, it will demolish their way of life. The death image is then repeated during the service. Wyler first shows the Minivers lined up in their pew and then cuts to the Beldons, with Lady Beldon closest to the camera and Carol to her left, lined up with another sarcophagus in an alcove beside her. Moments later, the vicar informs the congregation that the prime minister has just announced that the country is at war. During his remarks, Wyler cuts twice to the Beldon pew and includes the sarcophagus in the composition; the second time, in a more extended shot, it actually dominates the frame, almost dwarfing the women. In the forefront of the frame, the Beldon name, on a gold plate attached to the door of their pew, is lined up with the top of the figure on the sarcophagus, whose hands are held in a gesture of prayer. Again, the cut and the framing foretell the end of a class structure, as well as the death of Carol Beldon.
The most effective sequence of the second part of the film shows the Minivers in an air-raid shelter as the Germans bomb their town. The narrative strategy of the entire film forces the audience to experience this episode through the Minivers’ point of view, and Wyler's tight framing and use of low angles magnify the claustrophobic feel, practically imprisoning both the characters and the audience in the frame as they hear but do not see the destruction taking place outside. The scene becomes a bit heavy-handed when Mrs. Miniver reads a passage from Alice in Wonderland during the bombing, but Wyler recovers his artistic balance when the door of the shelter bursts open and the smoke from the bombs permeates the door frame behind the huddled family.20
This scene is followed by a sequence in which the Minivers greet Vin at the train station. This time, instead of returning home from college, he is returning from his honeymoon with Carol. Upon the couple's arrival, we see the destruction caused by the bombing—much of the Miniver home has been destroyed. This scene is followed by the flower show, where Lady Beldon demonstrates her democratic spirit by overturning the judge's decision and awarding first prize to Mr. Ballard. This sequence is the emotional high point of the film and, in all likelihood, is the precursor to the county fair scene in Friendly Persuasion, where another idyllic communal event is overshadowed by the outbreak of war. Characteristically, Wyler follows this scene with the death of Carol Beldon.
Carol's death comes as she is driving back to the Miniver house with Kay after the flower show. During the drive, which takes place at night, Wyler films the two women as if they are trapped in the car; the tight construction recalls the air-raid shelter scene, although this time, both women can see the destruction through the car window. They watch as a downed airplane bursts into flames and fear it might be Vin's. During the aerial battle, Carol is hit by a stray bullet from a plane and dies shortly after reaching the Miniver house. Wyler memorializes Carol's death by cutting from a shot of Kay holding Carol's body and sobbing to a shot of an empty staircase—an iconic image in Wyler's work and the setting for numerous moments of emotion and conflict. Although the staircase motif does not figure prominently in this film, it is the scene of one of its most joyous moments when Vin, home on leave, bounds up the stairs and stands grinning between his mother and his new bride. Now, however, it is bare and desolate. Only the clock that Clem is always adjusting bears witness to the tragedy—its time now literally “out of joint.”
The final scene takes place in the church, which, like the Miniver home, has been partially destroyed in the bombing. The vicar eulogizes those villagers whose lives were lost, including Mr. Ballard and Carol Beldon. He then turns to the congregation. In the final draft of the script, his speech is brief: “The homes of many of us have been destroyed, the lives of young and old have been taken, yet we gather here, those of us who have been spared, to worship God as our ancestors for a thousand years have worshipped him under this roof…a damaged roof, but one through which the sun now shines as it never did before.”21 He then reads Psalm 91, and the congregation rises to sing a hymn, “Our God Our Help in Ages Past,” as the film ends. Wyler, however, was dissatisfied with the speech and with Henry Wilcoxon's portrayal of the vicar, so he rewrote the speech to make it more rousing and patriotic. In the film version, the vicar tells his congregation to take the devastation of the Blitz as a test of their national will. The new speech goes in part:
Surely you must have asked yourselves 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?…
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!…
Fight it, then! Fight it with all that is in us! And may God defend the right.
Churchill was so taken with the film that he described it as “propaganda worth a hundred battleships.”22 After a private screening at the White House, Roosevelt ordered MGM to release it across the country immediately. The president was so impressed with the vicar's speech that he asked to have it broadcast over the Voice of America in Europe, translated into several languages, and air-dropped as leaflets over German-occupied territory.23 It was also reprinted in numerous publications, including Time and Look.
Mrs. Miniver was Wyler's greatest financial success. It became not only the top-grossing film of 1942 but also one of the biggest moneymakers in ten years—second only to Gone with the Wind. The film won six Oscars, including Best Director for Wyler. It was his first win in four nominations since 1936. When his name was announced, however, Wyler was already overseas, serving his country (like Vin Miniver) in the U.S. Air Force. His wife, Talli, accepted the Oscar for him.
Wyler did not finish Mrs. Miniver until February, and he was already anxious to join the war effort. In December 1941, he had applied for a temporary appointment to the U.S. Army and assignment to the Signal Corps, but he learned in March 1942 that “there is no vacancy at present in the Signal Corps to which you could be assigned if appointed.”24 He was confused and frustrated by this news, as a number of his colleagues, including John Ford, Frank Capra, and Darryl Zanuck, had already received military commissions. Wyler then appealed to Lieutenant Colonel Richard Schlosberg, head of the army's Photographic Division, who had recruited him some months earlier. Wyler told Schlosberg that he would be flying to Washington with Zanuck, who had received a lieutenant colonel's commission and was assigned to supervise training films. What Wyler did not know was that Schlosberg disliked Hollywood types in general and had no use for Zanuck in particular. Frank Capra had also been trying to secure a commission for Wyler and had recently received a major's commission himself. Schlosberg transferred Capra out of the Photographic Division and assigned him to Special Services, where he would supervise films designed to boost military morale. In his autobiography, Capra wrote that Schlosberg told him, “One Darryl Zanuck around here is enough.”25
The delays were grating on Wyler. A possible solution presented itself through Samuel Goldwyn, who received a message from Roosevelt that America needed a film about Russia, which was being threatened that winter by Hitler's army. In her memoir An Unfinished Woman, Lillian Hellman wrote, “The Russian news was very bad that winter of 1942, but all of America was moved and bewildered by the courage of a people who had been presented to two generations of Americans as passive slaves.”26 Goldwyn wired Mellett at the OWI to say that he would produce a documentary about the Russ
ian people and release it commercially. Wyler and Hellman were asked to prepare a film, and both were excited about the project. They both went to Washington, along with cinematographer Gregg Toland, to meet with the Soviet ambassador, Maxim Litinov, who told them that making such a film would be impossible without the cooperation of the Russian government, which, given the current situation, was unlikely. The next day, however, Foreign Secretary Vyacheslav Molotov approved the idea. Hellman and Wyler returned to New York the next day and met Goldwyn at the Waldorf Towers. The producer agreed that Wyler and Hellman should travel to Russia to see what sites could be photographed. It was also made clear that many of the resources needed to make the film—planes, cameras, crew—would be supplied by the Russians. Hellman described the meeting as “pleasant,” recalling that “the three of us were, for a change, in complete accord on all details.”27
The goodwill was soon shattered, however, when the issue of salaries arose. Wyler asked Goldwyn to pay his salary to his wife in monthly installments while he was in Russia. Goldwyn's face changed color, and Hellman tried to break the tension by saying that she wanted her salary paid in two installments—“half on the day we started photography, half on the day I arrived home, even if I came back in a coffin.” But Goldwyn exploded, accusing Wyler and Hellman of lacking political convictions and being unpatriotic for expecting to be paid for their work on this film. Wyler shot back, “This picture is being made for commercial release, and you intend to profit on it as you profit on any other movie. The Russians, as a matter of fact, are giving you a free ride.” Hellman added that the entire argument was “nonsense” and that they should certainly be paid for their work. Goldwyn was incredulous: “You call it nonsense to take money away from your government?”28 Wyler and Hellman finally left, quite sure that they would be compensated, and this impression was confirmed when Goldwyn called and admitted that Wyler was right. The arguments, however, stalled the project.29
Some months later, Wyler heard from Capra, who wanted Wyler to make a film for his Why We Fight series. Wyler chose to make The Negro Soldier and asked Hellman to write the script. In April, Capra sent him a telegram: “When can you leave for picture we discussed Hellman agreeable.”30 On the back of Capra's telegram, Wyler noted, “Tried to reach you by phone. Am dubbing and scoring picture [Mrs. Miniver] for final preview end of next week which I would like to attend. Can leave by plane Sunday April 19th. If very urgent will of course leave sooner.”31 Two weeks later, Wyler telegrammed Capra: “Arriving Monday morning ready to work. Will call you upon arrival. Please don't forget hotel reservations.”32 Capra told him that he would be attached to Special Services as a civilian “expert consultant” at a salary of $10 a day.33 While these discussions were taking place, Hellman wired Wyler that she had asked Goldwyn to finance the film, and he was willing to do so. She had also asked Paul Robeson to appear in it. Her plans fell though, however, when Wyler opted for two other writers, Marc Connelly (The Green Pastures) and Carlton Moss, a black actor-writer who had worked with Orson Welles at the Federal Theater in Harlem.
After some delays, Wyler received orders that he would be traveling to Kansas City, Fort Riley, New Orleans, Alexandria, Camp Claiborne, Montgomery, Tuskegee, Fort Benning, and Fort Bragg to gather background information.34 Wyler was put off by the South, however, where Moss could not stay in the same hotels or ride in the same railway cars as Wyler and Connelly.35 At Tuskegee, George Washington Carver refused to see Wyler, although he agreed to speak with Connelly. Discouraged, Wyler began to lose interest in the project. He wanted to participate more actively in the war effort, and an opportunity soon came his way.
In June, screenwriter Sy Bartlett took Wyler to a party at the home of Major General Carl A. Spaatz. Spaatz had been ordered to organize the Eighth Air Force for combat, and his unit would be based in England. Wyler introduced himself to Spaatz and convinced the general that his efforts should be recorded on film. Spaatz, who was no doubt aware that Mrs. Miniver had just opened to great acclaim, agreed and turned Wyler over to his chief of staff, Brigadier General Claude E. Duncan. Wyler reported to Duncan's office at Bolling Field, where he was assigned the rank of major and subjected to a physical examination. He was found to be “22 pounds over ideal weight for age and height. But…recommended for General Military Service with waiver for weight and waiver for insufficient number of teeth.”36 On June 13, he received orders to proceed by military airplane or rail to Wright Field, Ohio, on temporary duty in connection with air force technical matters. He was accompanied by First Lieutenant Jerome Chodorov (who had worked on the script of Dodsworth).37 Wyler's creative team also included cameraman William Clothier, an aerial photographer who had worked on Wings for William Wellman; cameraman William Skall, who had been recommended by an air force officer; and Harold Tannenbaum, a sound man at RKO who had served in the navy during World War I.
Wyler received orders to fly to London on July 23, with a stopover in New York, along with Chodorov, to purchase sound and motion picture equipment. Upon arriving in London, Wyler had difficulty finding a flat, so he decided to stay in a room at the Claridge Hotel, which was also home to a number of British film executives, including Alexander Korda. The hotel was conveniently located, only a short walk to both General Spaatz's headquarters and Wyler's office. His orders were to “organize and operate the activities of the Eighth Air Force Technical Training Film Unit,” produce films for “public morale and education,” and record “events of historic value.”38
He quickly outlined five projects that interested him and began his research. Those five original projects were Nine Lives, the story of a bombing mission and the crew of one ship; Phyllis Was a Fortress, based on the experiences of Lieutenant Paine and the crew of a B-17 on a bombing mission to Meaulte, in occupied France, on October 3, 1942; R.A.F.-A.A.F., about the cooperation between the air forces of Great Britain and the United States; Ferry Command, about ships that delivered bombs; and The First Americans, about several members of the Eagle Squadron, who were the first Americans to fight in the war. Two of these projects contained the basic form of Memphis Belle, the first film Wyler would direct for the air force and one of the most acclaimed American war documentaries.
The story of the British and American air forces occupied most of Wyler's attention in the spring of 1943. He sent a detailed memo to the commanding general of the Eighth Air Force and enclosed a first draft of a story written by lieutenants Terrence Rattigan and Richard Sherman, “both prominent playwrights in civilian life.” The story concerned four airmen—two Americans and two Brits—and “intends to dramatize the following facts: a. The striking force of combined air power and the importance of this theater of war. b. The comradeship of British and American airmen. c. The harmony and cooperation that exists between the two Air Forces.”39 In the same memo, Wyler requested that Thornton Wilder, who was attached to the commanding general of the Army Air Forces, be assigned temporarily to the Eighth Air Force so that he could write a shooting script. He also requested that Lieutenant James Stewart be brought in to play one of the characters. The commander of the Eighth Air Force was very interested in the film and approved it the same day.
Back in September 1942, however, Wyler was still trying to beg, borrow, or steal equipment. That month, he met John Ford, who had two camera crews. Sick with envy, he managed to borrow some equipment from Ford. In early November, Wyler requested that he and his officers be put on flying status. To capture the real experience of the air war, he felt he needed to be aboard a plane on an actual bombing mission. His oft-repeated commitment to realism was articulated in a 1943 memo: “It is intended that the approach to these themes and the telling of the story be very realistic and represent a true picture of the life of combat crews.”40 Major General Ira B. Eaker agreed that Wyler needed to go on missions so that his films could “portray the U.S. Army Air Force carrying the air war to the enemy.” He went on to say, echoing Wyler's sentiments, “These films are conceived as documentary motio
n pictures exploiting the human element as contrasted to factual newsreel material.”41 To achieve flying status, Wyler and his officers had to undergo gunnery training at Bovington, and the required approval did not come through until February 1943.
Meanwhile, on November 3, 1942, Wyler's plans sustained a serious blow when he learned that all his equipment had been lost in transit while en route from Wright Field, Ohio. He would have to make do with forty handheld 16mm cameras obtained in London, and the finished film would have to be blown up later to 35mm.
In December, Beirne Lay was assigned to help Wyler negotiate the military bureaucracy by taking over the unit's logistical operations. Lay was a graduate of Yale and the author of the novel (and subsequent screenplay) I Wanted Wings. After the war, he wrote (with Sy Bartlett) Twelve O'clock High and Strategic Air Command. Lay recognized that Wyler was an artist and should be allowed creative freedom. One of Lay's earliest decisions was to transfer Chodorov back to the United States. Chodorov wrote his own request to be “relieved from his present temporary assignment,” stating that the change was “for the good of the service.”42 According to Lay, Wyler wanted all the combat footage to be shot during actual combat, and Chodorov argued about the need for so much authenticity.
Wyler and his crew finally attended gunnery school, where they also took courses in aircraft recognition. Learning these skills was difficult and, for Wyler, life threatening. The New York Times reported on February 4 that he “narrowly escaped serious injury when a 50-mm aerial cannon with which he was training exploded near his face.”43 This experience did not deter Wyler from going on his first bombing mission with the Ninety-First Bomb Group stationed at Bassingbourn. He reported on February 26 for his briefing and learned that the primary target would be the harbor facilities at Bremen, with the naval base at Wilhelmshaven as a secondary target. Wyler was assigned to a B-17 called the Jersey Bounce, piloted by Captain Robert C. Morgan. This was not Morgan's usual plane. Normally, he piloted the Memphis Belle, another B-17 that had been grounded for repairs after sustaining damage during a bombing mission over the submarine facilities at Saint-Nazaire.
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