jc-osms A really interesting and remarkable film, all the more so for being made in almost the immediate aftermath of the Allied victory of the Second World War when you'd expect Hollywood to produce celebratory even triumphal movies. Instead the viewer is presented with the intertwining stories of three battle-scarred veterans, ex-banker Fredric March, who tries to blot out his memories of the war from a bottle, shop assistant Dana Andrews, sufferer from PTSD, who low-status civvy-street return to the same lowly, indeed lower status job doesn't satisfy the ambitions of his floozy wife Virginia Mayo and young Harold Russell, a real-life vet and first time actor whose hands got blown off in a bomb explosion. Complications arise in particular when Andrews reciprocates March's daughter's attraction to him.The film trails its future intentions in its opening scene when Andrews returning pilot is unable to pay the fare of a regular flight back home, his place on the plane taken by the next in line, a rich middle aged businessman who can afford the cost of extra luggage which he gets carried around for him a black attendant. The way that nations treat their returning fighting forces still makes the news today, but back then was seen to be particularly patronising, unsympathetic and miserly. All three men struggle to adjust to everyday life and come up variously against snobbery, condescension and ignorance, but with all of them too, their wartime experiences have scarred them crippling them emotionally and making it hard for them to fit back into society after five years away.For me however, I just could have done without the romance that springs up between Andrews and Wright, which, sensitively written and played as it was, seemed to belong to a different, melodramatic if still modern movie with its outlook on divorce. Similarly, the happy ending that all three men get seemed a little too much to be playing to the gallery, because I'm pretty sure that it wasn't the case for many a returning vet at the time.The acting by all is sensitively and intuitively played, not forgetting the fine work by the women too, Mayo, Wright, Myrna Loy as March's worldly-wise wife and Cathy O'Donnell as Russell's loyal fiancée while director Wyler, ably assisted by master cameraman Gregg Toland is a masterclass in understatement. It would have been easy for Wyler to milk certain scenes and lapse into sentimentality but he never does so. A box office smash on release and much garlanded with Oscars, it's an excellent, engrossing and perceptive study of how the war affected the lives of both active participants and their families back home.

frankwiener 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!

Takethispunch After World War II, Fred Derry (Dana Andrews), Homer Parrish (Harold Russell), and Al Stephenson (Fredric March) meet while flying home to Boone City (a fictional city patterned after Cincinnati, Ohio. Fred was a decorated Army Air Forces captain and bombardier in Europe. Homer lost both hands from burns suffered when his aircraft carrier was sunk, and now uses mechanical hook prostheses. Al served as an infantry platoon sergeant in the Pacific. All three have trouble adjusting to civilian life.Al has a comfortable home and a loving family: wife Milly (Myrna Loy), adult daughter Peggy (Teresa Wright, who was only thirteen years Loy's junior), and college freshman son Rob (Michael Hall, who is absent after the first one-third of the film). He returns to his old job as a bank loan officer. The bank president views his military experience as valuable in dealing with other returning servicemen. When Al approves a loan (without collateral) to a young Navy veteran, however, the president advises him against making a habit of it. Later, at a banquet held in his honor, a slightly inebriated Al expounds his belief that the bank (and America) must stand with the vets who risked everything to defend the country and give them every chance to rebuild their lives.

851222 Greetings from Lithuania."The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946) is a one amazing single motion picture. I just saw it for the first time now at the end of 2016, 70 years from its original release and i can safely say - this is an absolutely must see movie for everyone. I loved everything in this picture. Writing, of course, comes in the first place. It is a superb one, highly involving, sometimes painfully true and always plausible. Magnificent acting by 4 central actors. Yes, i do believe that there are 4 magnificent performances, first of all of 3 lead men - Fredric March (Al), Dana Andrews (Fred), Harold Russell (Homer) and a terrific performance by Teresa Wright as Peggy who i think was under rated for this performance - i can't remember when i have saw more natural, charming and all the way great performance by a lady from a movies before 1946 - i won't believe that anybody didn't had a bit crush on this charming young lady. And of course directing was amazing, as well as the story itself which is sometimes hard to watch, sometimes hard to not laugh and always amazingly told and inspiring.Overall, all in all "The Best Years of Our Lives" is great, great movie. At running time almost 3 hours i was captivated from start till the very last frame. The movie ended perfectly, i can not recommend this movie any higher to anyone who hasn't witness it yet - do your self a favor and watch it - this is a unforgettable motion picture. Great movie.