“Mrs. Miniver” topped the fiction lists last quarter. As you suggest the movie is a masterpiece of propaganda as well as a great all-around movie. It was Best Picture in 1942, if I am not mistaken. An interesting side note is that Greer Garson starred in the film versions of both “Mrs. Miniver” and “Random Harvest.” She wound up marrying the actor who portrayed her RAF fighter pilot son in the former.
Yes, it was and one of the movies it beat out was 'Random Harvest', which, had the same three screenplay writers as 'Mrs. Miniver'. The movie also beat out 'Pride of the Yankees'. My all-time favorite actor, James Cagney, won best actor that year for 'Yankee Doodle Dandy'.