Rating: 
Summary: film masterpiece
Review: i just have to get my 2 cents in on this fabulous movie that i have seen dozens of times.. everyone has pointed out that this is one of the greatest casts every assembled for a film. while all of the stars are standouts dana andrews performance was worthy of an oscar. i believe it was a terrible oversight for the academy to have overlooked this fine actor. Before his death about 10 years ago, i wrote a letter and tried unsuccesfully to locate him to let him know how much i had appreciated his fine work in films. He was never appreciated enough. There are two other dana andrews performances you should see if you have not already - "laura" with gene tierney in which he plays the part of the wonderful detective mark mcpherson and also "my foolish heart" with susan hayward where he gives another wonderful poignant performance as a soldier named walter dreiser. hopefully, people will see and enjoy these performance by a truly gifted but overlooked actor..
Rating:
Summary: The American Odyssey
Review: It's been said that Homer's "The Odyssey" could just as easily be named "The Homecoming." Wyler's film follows the homecoming experiences of not one but three veterans of the second World War. As much as I love Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," I can have no regrets that virtually all of the academy awards for 1946 were given to Wyler's rather than Capra's film. Nowhere has deep-focus photography (courtesy of Greg Toland) been employed more effectively in cinema and in no film is there a musical score as exhilarating yet complementary as that provided by Hugo Friedhofer. Although the cinematography, editing, and music are in many respects the true stars of this masterwork, the acting certainly rises to the occasion, particularly the perfomances of Fredric March, Dana Andrews, and Teresa Wright. And, of course, the casting of Harold Russell, an ordinary citizen-navyman who had lost both hands in the war, was and remains one of the most brilliant calls in Hollywood history. Far from a period piece about WW II, the film remains a living treasure that should be required viewing for anyone interested in the power of cinema at its purest.
Rating:
Summary: A moving character study of the aftermath of war
Review: This outstanding 1946 film looks at WWII from a different perspective. It examines the plight of soldiers returning after the war. It follows three servicemen who meet on a flight back to their hometown. The story is well crafted, depicting men from very different backgrounds, each from a different branch of the service and each with a different challenge to face.Fred (Dana Andrews) was a bombardier, a dashing captain in the Air Corp. He is coming home to a beautiful wife (Virginia Mayo) and no job prospects. His wife loves to party, but his job as a soda jerk can't keep pace with her penchant for spending. Al (Frederic March), a former banker, was a sergeant in the infantry with a wife of 20 years (Myrna Loy) and two grown children. He comes home to a distant wife and a troubled marriage. He is a banker with a heart, which evokes derisive scrutiny from his boss and the other bankers. Homer (Harold Russell) was a sailor who lost his hands in a fire onboard ship. He is returning to his parents and his long time girlfriend Wilma (Cathy O'Donnell) feeling certain that she will never be able to love him with his disability. William Wyler (Wuthering Heights, Roman Holiday, Ben-Hur) is one of the most renowned directors in filmmaking history, having won four Oscars in twelve nominations. His direction here is superb. This is a compelling character study with nuance, sensitivity and insight. The scenes of the uneasy moments of reunion were stirring, especially in the case of Homer, who was tormented and insecure about how he would be accepted without his hands. Wyler takes us right into the most intimate thoughts and feelings of these families as they attempt to deal with challenges for which they are not totally prepared. The scene where Wilma sees Homer without his prosthetics for the first time is one of the most touching and poignant ever filmed. This is a candid look at the issues of the day. The film addresses the burgeoning Communist threat and the sense of betrayal at the actions of our former Soviet allies after the war. It refers frequently to the nuclear threat and the fear of mass destruction. Most importantly, it shows how difficult it was for servicemen to adapt to a world that had become accustomed to getting along without them. The acting was outstanding across the board. Frederic March was excellent as the banker trying to hold together a troubled marriage. He gave a towering performance and won an Oscar for best actor. Andrews, who wasn't nominated (and should have been), also gave a fabulous performance as the glamorous flyboy who comes home to discover he has no skills and can't get a job. Harold Russell won a best supporting Oscar for his portrayal of the sailor trying to regain his self-respect after the loss of his hands. Russell actually lost his hands in the service in an explosives accident during a training exercise. He is amazingly dexterous using his prosthetics. His portrayal of Homer had such affability, depth and sensitivity that it is difficult to believe this was his acting debut. This film was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won seven including Best Picture, Best Actor for March, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor for Russell. It is ranked number 37 on AFI's top 100 of the century. I rated it a 10/10. For anyone who enjoys a powerful and emotional character study, this classic is a must-see.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, just see it
Review: I used to give credit to any movie that could make me cry. Then I began to realize that not every movie was doing it honestly. "The Green Mile" made me cry, but how hard is that when you take a cute little mouse and squish its guts in close-up? "The Best Years of Our Lives," however, had me tearing up within the first fifteen minutes, and by the end I was a bawling idiot. And yet this is one of the most elegant, restrained, perfectly crafted movies I know. I saw it in 1977, before Reagan, before the Iran hostages, before the belated respect for Vietnam vets. It showed me like nothing else ever had what the country was like in the mid-1940s, the U.S. of my parents (between WWII and the culture that immediately followed) before the liberal 60s and 70s of my youth. And the scenes! Andrews in that junked bomber, the contentious drug store customer, Russell showing his girlfriend how he goes to sleep, Loy knowing by the silence that March has returned home -- goosebumps. Even if you don't like black and white or old movies or Virginia Mayo, see this one. (Oh, and that last shot, and the last words of the film cut off with a kiss -- chills!)
Rating:
Summary: One of the best pictures of our lives
Review: The story of three American veterans of WW II and their adjustments to civilian life remains as poignant and moving today, as when it was first released. The three veterans (Fredric March, Harold Russell, and Dana Andrews) all from the same town, but different backgrounds, journey home together on a military transport plain. Fredric March's character, Al Stephenson, is a mature married man with a good profession, a beautiful wife (Myrna Loy), and two grown children (Teresa Wright and Michael Hall); Harold Russell is a disabled Navy veteran (he lost both hands in battle) unsure of where he stands in life and with his high school sweetheart (Cathy O' Donnell); and Dana Andrews is the "glamour boy" bombardier who comes home to find that the civilian world, which includes his wife (Virginia Mayo), cares little about his exploits as a caption in the Air Force. The journey each man takes is both engrossing and entertaining. It's hard to believe this movie is almost 3 hours long; it moves along so quickly. With a dream cast of top talent from 1940s Hollywood, director William Wyler gets superb performances from the stars as well as the most minor bit players. The action begins with a night on the town with March, Loy, and Wright celebrating March's return home. During their celebrating, they run into Russell and Andrews at Russell's uncle's (Hogey Carmichael) tavern. Having celebrated a bit too much, Loy and Wright load March and Andrews into their car to take them home. They drop Andrews off at his wife's apartment building, but he doesn't have a key to get in, and in a drunken stupor collapses outside its entrance. Loy and Wright proceed to load Andrews back in the car and take him in for the night. The relationships between all the main characters reach a level of poignancy without being overly sentimental, which is no easy feat, especially with what must have been tough stuff to watch for an overwhelming majority of the audience when originally released. Russell and O' Donnell's scenes are moving and sensitive, as are Loy and March's. Even though Andrews arrives home physically intact, his lot seems to be the worst of the group. Married to a self-centered-woman who doesn't love him, he longs for a relationship with someone like Peggy Stephenson (Wright). Things get complicated when the feelings are mutual, with Wright beginning to have strong feelings for Andrews. There are many wonderful moments in this film. Roman Bohnen as Andrews's father is terrific as a man who has a tough time expressing his genuine love for his disillusioned son. When he reads the official letter recounting his son's bravery to his wife (Gladys George), it's an incredibly powerful moment. Another wonderful scene is Wright's visit to the store where Andrews works as a salesman at the perfume counter (as well as at the soda fountain). The good-natured flirting between them seems both honest and real in the hands of these two pros. One could go on and on about the wonderful score, the great Gregg Toland cinematography--from the opening shots from the transport plane to the aircraft "graveyard,"--but this is one wonderful whole that is equal to the sum of its parts; everything falls together seamlessly. Top talent at their peak; run don't walk to get a copy of this classic Best Picture winner (1946).
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Post-WW2 Story Deserved The Oscar
Review: Seeing The Best Years Of Our Lives makes me even more appreciative of our surviving WW2 Vets-you have my thanks & my gratitude for fighting to keep America safe. I don't get to watch this movie often, but on the rare occasions that I do, it never fails to move me and there is always something new to catch my attention. The entire cast is top-notch & you can't take your eyes away from this film. Frederic March, Dana Andrews, Harold Russell, Myrna Loy & Teresa Wright are all outstanding in their roles. Teresa Wright also played a supporting role in another William Wyler masterpiece-Mrs. Miniver. They sure don't make 'em like this anymore, folks-so please get this film & treasure it. Very highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Great film
Review: This is a great film, I just have a question about this recently released DVD, does it have to be turned over like the first DVD, or is the entire film on 1 side?
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Summary: Billy Wilder said it best...
Review: Just before legendary director William Wyler died, equally legendary director Billy Wilder was interviewed about his feelings about Wyler's films, from "Best Years of Our Lives" to "Roman Holiday" to "Ben Hur" to "Funny Girl." Wilder, a tough cookie who hates schmaltz and sentiment, the director of such classics as "Some Like it Hot," "The Apartment," "The Seven Year Itch" and "Sunset Boulevard," suddenly waxed poetic, expressing great affection for "The Best Years of Our Lives," noting that it was one of the best films he had ever seen. He reacted the way I reacted. He said that it was the only film that he could remember (of course, this was well before "Saving Private Ryan" was released in 1998), where he and the entire audience were drenched in tears within the first 10 minutes. It was an unforgettable experience for him, and he recognized immediately that "The Best Years of Our Lives" was obviously a deeply personal work for Wyler, where every scene, every frame, every note of music and word of dialogue, rang true with authenticity and emotion. This was Wyler's territory. He knew the material through and through. And many of the scenes that were shot mirrored his own experiences when he returned home from war. This is why, after so many viewings, I still can't get over the fact that no matter how many times I say to myself, "I'm not going to be moved by this or that scene," I fail miserably. I just can't help it. To say that this is a great film is an understatement of the highest order. And yet I can only count on one hand the number of friends I know who have seen this film from start to finish. I think the running length has something to do with it. You never see it on commercial television at all and unless you're lucky enough to have cable, you'll miss it entirely. And it's not a film that people are banging down the doors of Hollywood or Blockbuster Video to rent. The wonderful thing about "The Best Years of Our Lives" is that it still holds up beautifully in the year 2000, unlike a lot of films that seem awkward or stilted. Fredric March, as the patriarch of the family (in an Oscar winning role), is stupendous. His acting and delivery of lines seems effortless and spontaneous, not the product of a script recited from memory. And to have Myrna Loy as his partner and the wonderful Teresa Wright playing his daughter (the latter an Oscar winner a few years earlier in "Mrs. Miniver"), how can you lose? Like all great films, time has no meaning. The story sweeps you along like a great wave -- a ride -- that you never want to end. The famous "long hallway homecoming shot" that appears in the first 10 minutes of the film -- I don't care that it's the scene that most people remember and is usually the ONLY scene that turns up in any highlight reel of greatest films ever made -- it gets me every time. And the ending, the last line from the movie, the one uttered by Dana Andrews -- despite the sentimental setting -- is so fabulously understated and cynical and yet filled with such hope, that you can't help but be -- what I describe as being -- "happily devastated." It's a wonderful ending that purposely leaves you guessing about what will become of the characters played by Teresa Wright and Dana Andrews, but you can't help but feel that their future looks bright in spite of their apparent state of destitution. I just wish more people would see this film. There's a treasure chest of great movies from the past that people overlook every day. This is one of them. I pity the people who still buy or rent movies based on slick packaging and liner notes alone. I would rather pay $8 or $9 to see this film on the big screen or less than $20 to own this film so I can see it on a little screen -- than pay $3.79 to rent junk that has a good looking box -- and a few great critical reviews from people you've never heard of. Some films are good enough to rent, but only a few films are good enough to buy. "The Best Years of Our Lives" is a film to BUY. Please trust me, you can't go wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Classic wonderful film!
Review: this day in age of the internet , computer & etc of our era today.we take these marvels for granted somewhat in retro of yesterday of are grandparents . this film beautifully capture their era, the way they must have felt coming home to old friends , family & just the way of dayly living how it was at that time & trying to get jobs . if you love film loir / classic films then it's a must have in your collection great film , the thing should have won 20 oscars i think. i'm proud of my grandparents who fought in the war ,i think you should to, way too go WII vets i salute you. never take freedom for granted, what a great country. highly recommend!
Rating:
Summary: It's all about coming home.
Review: As the USA let out a sigh of relief with the end of WWII in Europe and in the Pacific, it was time to start putting the everyday American's life back together. With the end of the war came demobilization, and millions of discharged soldiers headed home. That is what this movie is all about. Coming home. The home they came home to was basically unchanged. The problem, though, was that they had changed. This movie tells the story of three men -- an infantry sergeant, an air corps officer/bombardier, and a sailor -- all returning to the same home town someplace in the midwest. The sergeant returns to his family, his children grew up while father was away, and he works to fit back into the work-a-day world at the bank where he was an exec before the war. The air corps officer, we soon learn is someone from "the other side of the tracks." He returns to his wife who, apparently, loves his uniform and partying more than she loves him. Things are rough. He also finds that while he left his former assistant is now his superior. The sailor is crippled, having lost both hands in a ship-board fire. He is working on rehabilitation, but finds that his girl, who has been waiting while he was away, is still waiting. Therein lies his problem. One that many servicemen faced -- making their way while dealing with a disability resulting from military action, and coming to grips with the transition back to civilian life. This movie tugs on the heart strings of America. It paints a picture faced by many a returning serviceman: challenges in civilian life, finding work, rekindling close relationships with family, and dealing with the occasional inappreciative civilian. While I am not of the generation that served during WWII, I'd like to say THANKS to all those who answered the call to serve (during WWII and in all other conflicts where American military was involved), to protect the rights and freedom that too many of us so often take for granted. Thank you for your sacrifice, for your lives. Watch this movie, it is one of the best movies ever made. 5 stars. Alan Holyoak
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