The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Directed by William Wyler. Starring Dana Andrews, Fredric March, Teresa Wright, Harold Russell, Myrna Loy, Cathy O’Donnell, Virginia Mayo, Roman Bohnen, Hoagy Carmichael, Gladys George, Walter Baldwin, Minna Gombell, Dorothy Adams, Don Beddoe, Michael Hall, Ray Collins.

Sterling tribute to American servicemen returning home from WWII and readjusting to civilian life, focusing on three veterans that live in the same town: bombardier Andrews, infantry sergeant March, naval petty officer Russell. Sensitive, humane treatment, but not one sealed in wax as a well-meaning monument to the returning heroes of the armed forces; it finds the specifics to these characters in intimate yet relatable terms, paints them as real people instead of superheroes, and avoids most of the cheap maneuvers that could have turned it all into a melodrama. Overextended at times without ever becoming monotonous, and though some of its impact has been muted by similar-minded but harsher productions (and imitators) to come, it remains a moving statement about the toll taken both abroad and back home on those who served during wartime. Won seven Oscars in competition, including Best Picture, Director, Actor (March), and Screenplay (Robert E. Sherwood); in addition to earning actual war vet Russell a Supporting Actor prize, he was also given an honorary Oscar for “bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance,” and remains even today one of the great “amateur” film performances (it would be 34 years before he appeared in another film). Also known as Home Again and Glory for Me; remade for television in 1985 as Returning Home.

88/100