The Best Years of Our Lives-1946
Director William Wyler
Starring Frederic March, Myrna Loy
Scott’s Review #858
Reviewed January 20, 2019
Grade: A
Many films emerged during the 1940s that depicted horrific events occurring during the violence of World War II. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) is the first film to focus on the aftermath of the war and the lasting psychological effects placed upon soldiers and their loved ones.
The film may teeter toward the soap opera territory. Still, it is powerful, dramatic, tender, and heartfelt, allowing its audience to experience the challenges of those who serve their country following their service.
Director William Wyler, who also created the similarly themed Mrs. Miniver (1942) again treads into the family drama genre, but this time stages the drama in small-town America rather than outside London.
While Mrs. Miniver focuses on the ravages of the existing war, he chooses to delve into the after-effects that offer more range and complicated situations. The result is a heftier and more cerebral experience.
The story revolves around three United States servicemen attempting to readjust to civilian life upon their return home from the battlegrounds of World War II. Homer (Harrold Russell), Al (Frederic March), and Fred (Dana Andrews) all reside in the same small town of Boone City, USA.
The men were acquaintances but did not serve together in the war as each had a different rank and duties.
Al has the most going for him with a loving wife Milly (Myrna Loy) two children in tow and a stable household. He is promoted to Vice President of a local bank, but despite this achievement is a heavy drinker and prone to anger.
He is enraged at the poor treatment of veterans trying to obtain bank loans and in the United States for hindering veterans’ attempts at rebuilding their lives. His adult daughter Peggy (Teresa Wright) is a prominent character as she begins a flirtation with Fred.
Fred is unskilled and must return to his menial job as a drugstore soda jerk much to his selfish wife Marie’s (Virginia Mayo) chagrin. Homer has lost both hands in the war and wears mechanical hooks for hands rendering him insecure and troubled.
His days as a respected high school football quarterback have sadly ended though he has unflinching support from his fiance, Wilma (Cathy O’Donnell).
The trials and tribulations of many of the characters begin to mount as one character fights with another over a dispute about the meaning of the war. Another character plots to ruin a marriage and embark on a plan to rescue a character from another.
The plots run the risk of being too daytime drama-like except that the underlying point of the troubled veterans is always at the forefront and their challenges to be taken seriously.
A poignant moment is a crucial scene when one character admits that they have “given up the best years of my life”, a frustrated testimonial and proof that war can ravage not only the lives of the veterans but of their loved ones.
Wyler pulls no punches in harboring a clear message to the film. The viewer will undoubtedly ponder the film’s title, “The Best Years of Our Lives” and realize that this is open to different interpretations and not only a positive connotation.
The most powerful aspect of The Best Years of Our Lives is that actor Harold Russell, playing a military veteran was a disabled military veteran. This realism of a man portraying himself and the terrible effects the war had on him makes his character my favorite and highly empathetic.
His Academy Award wins for Best Supporting Actor are emotional and deserving as a win for Best Picture and seven other wins.
Featuring a topic just beginning to gain awareness post World War II, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) is a grand Hollywood film containing all the trimmings of good classic drama.
Under the surface, the film is dripping with relevance, social commentary, and the psychological trauma that veterans face upon returning home and how some are damaged beyond repair. The rich American-style film remains a worthy watch on the cusp of nearly a century since production wrapped.
Oscar Nominations: 7 wins-Best Motion Picture (won), Best Director-William Wyler (won), Best Actor-Fredric March (won), Best Supporting Actor- Harold Russell (won), Best Screenplay (won), Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (won), Best Sound Recording, Best Film Editing (won)