One of the best pictures of our lives.
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
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Reviews Counted:8
Fresh:8
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.1/10
Consensus: An engrossing look at the triumphs and travails of war veterans, The Best Years of Our Lives is concerned specifically with the aftermath of World War II, but its messages speak to the overall American experience.
Synopsis: Perhaps the most memorable film about the aftermath of World War II, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES unfolds with the homecoming of three veterans to the same small town. The leads all touch emotional... Perhaps the most memorable film about the aftermath of World War II, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES unfolds with the homecoming of three veterans to the same small town. The leads all touch emotional truths: Myrna Loy seems able to express longing, joy, fear and surprise--mostly with her back turned--in a particularly poignant welcome home. The movie never glosses over the reality of altered lives and the inability to communicate the experience of war on the front lines or the home front. A landmark achievement. WWII vet Harold Russell, who lost his hands in the war, is the only person to win two Oscars for the same role, Best Supporting Actor and a special Oscar "for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance." [More]
Starring: Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright
Starring: Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Hoagy Carmichael, Virginia Mayo, Harold Russell, Cathy O'Donnell, Gladys George, Roman Bohnen, Charles Halton, Ray Collins
Director: William Wyler
Director: William Wyler
Producer: Samuel Goldwyn
Composer: Hugo Friedhofer
Reviews for The Best Years of Our Lives
Surprisingly modern: lean, direct, honest about issues that Hollywood then studiously avoided.
This is intelligent, admirably unsentimental and utterly involving for its full three-hour running time.
It is seldom that there comes a motion picture which can be wholly and enthusiastically endorsed not only as superlative entertainment but as food for quiet and humanizing thought.
Latest News for The Best Years of Our Lives
June 22, 2007:
AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15 other lists every few years. And then last night they... More...
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