The Best Years of Our Lives

“The Best Years of Our Lives” is a 1946 film about three veterans struggling to adjust to civilian life after WWII. The film won seven Academy Awards.

One of the few older best picture Oscar winners that still holds up significantly today. It demonstrates much of the best work that I have yet seen that director Wyler accomplished as a filmmaker & the performances & dialogue have an immediacy that grabbed my attention straight away. The very first scene between March, Andrews, & Russell had a believability in the characters interaction that was rare in those days & for the most part this carried through the entire film. My primary criticism was the background music which, being fairly typical in films at the time, often detracted from the genuine atmosphere of the rest of the film. The issues presented were done with more realism & imagination than I have yet seen in films of its type for 1946.

A simple yet great portrayal of three lives. Pieces of time from three ordinary lives. But it's the realness of these three characters, that make the film so gut-wrenchingly emotional.

I'm just assuming hundreds, if not thousands, of movies just like this came out in the mid to late 40s. War weary soldiers return home and struggle to assimilate. I enjoyed the relationship between the 3 soldiers mostly; the relationship, career, and family struggles the endure fail to resonate at all for me.

Heartbreaking beautiful film about life in America after WWII.

"The Best Years of Our Lives" is probably the most authentic and genuine look at the reality veterans faced when returning from an event like WWII. This movie has great characters that all feel so real and I found myself completely invested in what would happen to them. It is completely bold that this movie came out in 1946, so close to the events it is portraying. It must have been a relevant film back then, and it definitely is one of those classic movies that has a timeless feel. Overall, it is a long journey to watch, and sometimes it does feel a bit exhausting to watch, but it is a captivating drama that stands the test of time and is worth experiencing.

A masterly effort demonstrating the savagery of war in its aftermath and lingering effects. Written well, acted even better, and a "war film" that shows the most important aspects of how individuals and families dealt with emotional and physical harm that war inevitably engenders. Holds your interest throughout, with the incomparable Myrna Loy and Frederick March ably supported by Dana Andrews and a uniformly great and believable cast.

I consider this film to be the best war movie ever made, and there isn't a single combat scene or a single shot fired in anger. If you are a veteran, and especially if you are a combat veteran, this film will reverberate within you and touch your soul. You'll instantly identify with the characters of this film. This film is just as relevant today as it was in the post World War II years, and if there are wars and combat veterans coming home in the distant future, will be relevant two hundred years from now. If you are a veteran and want to see an accurate portrayal of your story and your experiences this is a must see. If you wish to gain some understanding of the veteran homecoming experience it's a must see as well. As a film about the American experience, this ranks among the very greatest.

A deeply empathetic movie that draws you into it's characters experiences with remarkably subtle performances. The first act alone had me tearing up several times. I think the later acts are encumbered by the crow-barred romance between Derry and Peggy, but the moments shared between the returning veterans (and of course whenever Myrna Loy is on screen) are well worth it.

A multidimensional film that sneaks up on you. Great performances -- notably from Frederic March and non-actor Harold Russell as a disabled former sailor (he won an Oscar), and a lot more humor than you may be expecting, and a humanity that sticks with people. At the risk of overselling it, there's a reason this is on so many lists of Hollywood's greatest films. William Wyler was a director who didn't have an obvious personal stamp. He just made great movies and this may have been his best.