Truly Dreadful Film

Brilliant and touching

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

I won't go into the story which has been extensively covered in other reviews. What I will say is that this film deserved every one of it's seven Oscars. It is unashamedly sentimental at times, but is perfectly acted by a superb cast. They don't make films as good as this anymore, and I think it should rank in the top ten of anyone's list of favourite films. Very highly recommended.

An article in Time (7 August 1944) about the return of injured veterans, provided Goldwyn and his wife with the idea for the film. Accordingly, Goldwyn asked Mackinlay Kantor, a former Air Force correspondent who had been stationed in England, to write an original story based on his experiences. Kantor delivered the result, a 434-page novel entitled "Glory For Me", written in blank verse, in January 1945. Goldwyn then handed it to Robert E. Sherwood to use as the basis of a screenplay.After shooting for more than 100 days at a cost of over $2,000,000, Wyler edited his 400 reels to 16 - 2 hours and 52 minutes worth. Even though he was frustrated in his wish to cut it down by a further half-hour, Wyler considered it the best film he had yet made. His technique is faultless: His use of the mirror stratagem re-appears, this time in duet for the comic purpose of doubling the image of Fredric March in the megrims of the morning-after; the window enclosing remote (and now relevant) action can be found in the drugstore sequence where it brackets the managerial office with the busy salesroom below; the sparingly-used close-up has a poignant effect when it rests upon the wistful countenance of Harold Russell or details Teresa Wright's shattered face, caught in a moment of anguish.A particularly impressive episode is Derry's visit to the bomber graveyard - Wyler composes a symphony for this scene out of visual and orchestral effects. The music is excellent, Friedhofer's musical motifs frequently growing out of the scene itself, be it Hoagy Carmichael's piano jingles, Marie's strident radio, or the jungle rhythms of a nightclub band.

Coming back form the war is one of the most popular movie themes of all times, especially for the Americans, since they didn't have the experience on fighting on the home ground for more than 200 years. Cultural and emotional shocks for both the veterans and their family and friends is the subject for one of the best movies that describes the returning of warriors after the WWII, William Wyler's "The best years of our lives". Centered around three totally different stories, the crafty director manages to cover all the angles and to show that the things and the people are not who and how they seem like at the first look. The toll of war is basically same for all three men and their families, regardless of their approach, mental posture and starting and ending points. Although basically tragic, this post war syndrome story ends with a strong positive message for the generation of "baby boomers" it was meant in the first place. "The best years of our lives" is a solid, real and strong script that manages to avoid most of its inevitable pathetic.

This film, expertly and passionately directed by William Wyler, is a fascinating glimpse of America immediately following World War II when scores of veterans returned home from dangerous and distant battles overseas. The story is centered on three servicemen who had each endured combat on land, at sea, and in the air and who found themselves back in their home town of Boone City, which was patterned after Cincinnati. Having dreamed for years of reuniting with those they loved in the familiar, peaceful environment of civilian life, are they adequately prepared for the transition from one world to another? Each of the men carry their battle scars, both physically and mentally, from the battlefield to Boone City.Aside from Wyler's outstanding direction, the screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood was very perceptive and often very touching. As moved as I was by the exchanges between Homer and Wilma during the film, I didn't realize just how powerful the impact of their dialogue was until I re-read the words in the "quotes" section on this website. I'm not ashamed to say that I bawled like a baby when I read these words, and that has been a rarity for me at least the past 50 years, maybe even more.I can't employ enough superlatives for the cast, both the leads and the support, especially the three men who played the vets, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, and, last but never least, Harold Russell, a non-professional actor who managed to capture not only one but two Oscars for his very credible portrayal of disabled Homer Parish. I also agree with the one reviewer who stated that of the three leading men, the best was the guy who didn't win an Oscar at all, Dana Andrews, in what may be the best role of his lifetime. That having been said, March's drunken speech before the bank bosses at the Cornbelt Loan and Trust was one of the movie's several high moments, not to pun, and initially made me very anxious but then finally relieved.The three lead women, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, and Cathy O'Donnell were excellent as well. While this very important role launched O'Donnell's all too brief career ("They Live By Night", "Ben-Hur"), it was eventually stifled by producer Samuel Goldwyn only because she married the older brother of director Wyler, with whom Goldwyn was feuding, before she tragically succumbed to cancer at the young age of forty six. Virginia Mayo fought for the role of Marie Derry, the selfish, unsympathetic wife of Fred (Andrews), who had fallen in love only with his uniform. I'm glad that Mayo landed it because no one could deliver Marie's nasty, sneering lines as forcefully as she did. "There are drugstores everywhere!" Ouch!