The Best Years of Our Lives

Rating:
Summary: Good Film which is Longer than Average for 1940s Hollywood
Review: The Best Years of our Lives is a very eye-opening film concerning the difficulties of World War II veterans in returning to the States after their tour of duty. Three returning veterans meet on a flight to their "small town" (which seems rather large from the air as they approach). However, one of the men (who had seved with the Navy) has lost his hands in the war, and now has what is constantly referred to as "hooks;" this is by far the most touching and interesting tale of the three interwoven threads in the film, yet relatively little time is afforded to this tale.

Each man returns to a family and a romantic interest. The treatment of these issues, however, seems at odds with Hollywood fare and the Production Code system and the influence of the Legion of Decency (affiliated with the Catholic Church) of the time. There is a very touching scene with the man with the "hooks" being undressed and helped into bed by his romantic interest in his bedroom (with his parents across the hallway) well before they are married. The daughter of another returning military man falls in love with the third returning veteran even though the latter is already married; the film can be read as ambiguous at the end, but one can easily infer that they WILL get married soon (once an aforementioned divorce is finalized).

Various issues facing the return of veterans are brought to the foreground in this film. Memories (rather, nightmares) of combat and the loss of comrades, lack of interest in the medals and commendations, handling naysayers, acquired interests in smoking and drinking (heavily), apprehension at seeing family and friends once more, and - especially - the lack of job possibilities are all quite prevalent throughout the film.

Except that this film is well over 2-1/2 hours in length, this is a good film overall. The Scene Selection portion of the DVD is especially well-constructed, easily allowing users to find where to begin again if they cannot watch the entire film in just one sitting. This is certainly not a Citizen Kane, but is still a good example of 1940s Hollywood filmmaking.

Rating:
Summary: The definition of "Classic"
Review: This is probably the best post-war film ever made, not shying away from the real difficulties that faced military men returning from World War II. It was actually made to educate civilians to these problems. This effort on behalf of the country's servicemen earned eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Frederic March, and two for Harold Russell (Homer)--one for Best Supporting Actor, and another for "bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans."

This is the story of three soldiers played by Frederic March, Dana Andrews, and Harold Russell (in his debut role). These three were able to survive in a military setting, but when they arrive home they find that they have changed, and yet everything else is still the same. They deal with their discoveries in wildly different ways.

I was watching this film wondering why one has to go back fifty years to find a film with the poignancy, truth, and quality of this one. There have been wars since then, so why haven't there been movies like this one? Yes, there's Coming Home, but what else, and that was over twenty years ago. And does a movie have to be about war to be a deeply emotional--not romantic, but everyday emotion?

If you are looking for something like that--a film with real drama, believable characters, excellent writing, and unintrusive direction--you must see The Best Years of Our Lives.

Rating:
Summary: great movie
Review: i had to watch this movie for my u.s.history class, so i felt a bit doubtful at first about watching it. However, it turned out to be a great movie with an interesting plot and realistic characters that i just ended up loving. It's not a war movie, but a movie about three guys that come back from ww2 and their adjustment to regular civilian life,including their struggles with employment, family, girls, etc. This movie was pretty long (it came on 2 tapes..) however, the time just flows by when you're watching it, since you get so involved with the story. I almost panicked when the first tape ended, since i thought the movie just stopped..but fortuneately the words "Please insert second half of The Best Years of Our Lives" came on (or something like that, don't quite remember the exact wording). The movie never makes you feel bored, on the contrary, you don't even remember yourself while you're watching it. No bathroom or snack breaks at all, i was so absorbed into it. It also isn't overly dramatic or anything..it's just a great movie with sad parts, funny parts, love parts, etc. The Best Years of Our LLIves is a GREAT MOVIE, so go rent it and watch it!

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, terrible DVD
Review: This is a great movie. One of the most touching examinations of foreign war's effect on the homefront ever filmed. There is no doubt that it can still speak to audiences today. However, this is a terrible DVD. The picture quality is poor. It is filled with scratches and lines. Even if these things were inevitable with age, the presentation is not even in letterbox. Here's the kicker. About an hour and a half into the movie you have to turn the disc over! There have been a couple of other DVD's of this film released in the past couple of years. Buy one of those.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Years of Our Lives
Review: I remember being required to sit through this movie in high school 20+ years ago. It took an entire week to work our way through the film. The first day, we watched impassively; by the end of the week, it had made an indelible impression on all who watched.
Although some of the dialoge seems melodramatic in these jaded times, the performances are outstanding. Even Harold Russell's little sister, who can't be more than 10 years old, does a wonderful job of conveying the sense of love and wonder toward her terribly wounded brother.
This is one of the very best "war" movies ever made, without even one battle scene.

Rating:
Summary: Same review, at least 2 different DVD's!
Review: Caution! The reviews for this DVD title are identical for two different releases of the DVD. How is one to tell the difference in DVD quality if the reviews don't differentiate between them?! We don't need reviews of the story line - those are available anywhere - we need to know how good the DVD is and what extra material is included.

Rating:
Summary: Good if dated film, mediocre DVD
Review: A famous film which is now starting to look its age a little. The performances are fine (especially Frederick March), although the script is a little on the pat side.

I was disappointed with the transfer, which varies scene-by-scene from fairly good to only reasonable. This is an inexpensive DVD (albeit from MGM), so don't expect a transfer like that given to say Citizen Kane (which was made 5 years earlier). This film probably deserves better treatment, although I must say it didn't hold my attention as much as I had hoped.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful Drama
Review: The Best Years of Our Lives was released in 1946, just a short time after the end of World War II. The men who served overseas in the war came home to a hero's welcome and seemed to have the world at their feet. That rosy scene of hero worship faded and the men had to cope with coming back to the routine of normal life and the remembrances of the horror of war. The Best Years of Our Lives examines how three men from a small Midwestern town deal with returning home from the war. Frederic March is sterling as a husband and father of two who spirals down into melancholy and depression. Dana Andrews is a dashing bombardier who at home is reduced to working as a soda jerk and whose wife parties all the time and lives beyond their means. Harold Russell was a real veteran of war and first time actor. Mr. Russell lost both of his hands in combat and he provides realism to his role that no actor could give as he actually went through the trials and tribulations he faced in the film. Instead of a being a rah-rah, war is a great and happy experience film, the movie shows the dark side and ill effects war has on people. It is a powerful and moving film that still resonates over a half century later. The film walked away with seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director for the legendary William Wyler, Best Actor for Mr. March and two Oscars for Mr. Russell, one for Supporting actor and a special award for the role, thus becoming the only person to win two awards for the same role in the same year.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best 10 movies ever made. Period.
Review: If you really want to see the best of the era, this is it. The cast is brilliant and Fred March is superb. You can go on and on about it, but you just have to see it to know what I mean.
The photography, story and musical score is the very best there is in movies.

Rating:
Summary: Better Than Citizen Kane
Review: One of the best films ever made in Hollywood. This should be studied and promoted over and above Citizen Kane.

A trio of soldiers returning home after WWII confront the reality of love and the impact the war has had on their former way of life.