The Best Years of our Lives

THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (PG)
D: William Wyler
Samuel Goldwyn
USA 🇺🇸 1946
182 mins
 
Drama/War
 
W: Robert Sherwood [based on the novel 'Glory For Me' by Mackinlay Kantor]
DP: Gregg Toland
Ed: Daniel Mandell
Mus: Hugo Friedhofer
PD: George Jenkins & Perry Ferguson
Cos: Irene Sharaff
 
Fredric March (Al Stephenson), Myrna Loy (Milly Stephenson), Dana Andrews (Fred Derry), Teresa Wright (Peggy Stephenson), Harold Russell (Homer Parrish), Virginia Mayo (Marie Derry), Cathy O'Donnell (Wilma Cameron), Hoagy Carmichael (Butch Engle)
 
One of the best war films ever made doesn't actually deal with the conflict itself, but the aftermath of the events and the affect it has on it's men.
Three soldiers come home after World War II and return to their small community to find it incredibly difficult to adjust back to civilian life following their experiences overseas. 
Each serviceman has their own story; Al Stephenson returns to his wife and family and his old job as a banker; Fred Derry's wife has left him and he has no career prospects and struggles to find meaningful employment and Homer Parrish returns home with hooks for hands, hoping to settle down with his fiancé and plan a marriage (Homer was played by Harold Russell, a real life amputee).
Complete with a fantastic cast, this war drama is considered one of the all time classic films and with good reason.
One of the best films of our lives.
10/10

Harold Russell, Dana Andrews & Fredric March in The Best Years of our Lives
Harold Russell, Dana Andrews & Fredric March in The Best Years of our Lives
Did You Know:
To avoid awkwardness when he first met his fellow cast members, Harold Russell made a point of reaching out with his hooks and taking their hands, thus putting them at ease with his disability.