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Movies / On DVD / The Best Years of Our Lives
The Best Years of Our Lives

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The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

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Reviews Counted:35

Fresh:34

Rotten:1

Average Rating:8.6/10

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.

Runtime: 2 hrs 52 mins

Genre: Dramas

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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Best Years of Our Lives

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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It may be corny, but you'd have to be a real cynic not to be drawn in.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
02/19/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is intelligent, admirably unsentimental and utterly involving for its full three-hour running time.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
07/07/04
David Parkinson
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Overlong, perhaps, but this tender and occasionally tough look at the plight of returning war veterans is one of Wyler's best films.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
12/18/02
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

No review available.

comment Comment
10/15/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
07/29/03
Josh Gilchrist
Josh Gilchrist
Billings Outpost (Montana)

It's priceless -- one of those pictures every producer hopes to make.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/05/02
Boxoffice Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I'd call this the best American movie about returning soldiers I've ever seen -- the most moving and the most deeply felt.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
12/12/06
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

The film is very proud of itself, exuding a stifling piety at times, but it works as well as this sort of thing can, thanks to accomplished performances by Fredric March, Myrna Loy, and Dana Andrews, who keep the human element afloat.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
12/12/06
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

Surprisingly modern: lean, direct, honest about issues that Hollywood then studiously avoided.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/04/08
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Este belíssimo estudo sobre as seqüelas sociais e psicológicas da guerra (para não mencionar as físicas) permanece atual mais de 60 anos depois de seu lançamento, impressionando não só pelas atuações, mas também pelo virtuosismo estético.

comment Comment
04/30/09
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

No review available.

comment Comment
03/08/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

I found it notable mainly because its massive 172 minutes are exclusively devoted to exploring characters, rather than showing any giant-sized, dazzling "epic" scenes.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
01/29/09
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Wyler and Goldwyn have made a glorious 'intimate epic,' one worthy of every honor bestowed upon it.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
02/10/05
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com

The film captured the mood of post-WWII America so well that even harsher critics like James Agee failed to see the film's dramatic flaws, instead stressing its realism and black-and-white deep focus photography by Gregg Toland.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
07/22/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment 1 Comment
02/18/07
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

comment Comment
10/06/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

The very best kind of soap opera, detailing the problems and heartaches of people we come instantly to care about.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
01/01/00
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

One of the greatest Hollywood films ever produced.

Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
06/14/03
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

No review available.

comment Comment
07/26/02
David Poland
David Poland
Hot Button
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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June 22, 2007: AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
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