Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946)
Director: William Wyler
Honors:
Academy Award for Best Editing
Academy Award for Best Screenplay (Adapted)
Academy Award for Best Score
Honorary Academy Award for Harold Russell
Golden Globe for Best Picture
Special Award Golden Globe for Harold Russell
Best Film - New York Film Critics Circle
After many years of fighting in a war abroad many American
soldiers would return home to find themselves battling a new hardship, the
readjustment to home altered during the war. This is the focus of the picture
produced by Samuel Goldwyn and directed by William Wyler, capturing the
struggle of servicemen who left home and returned to greatly different
circumstances. This passion project is full of heart that shares the strife of
“heroes” who return to find themselves hindered for their service time and the
emotional struggle of not quite finding a way to fit back into civil life. In
the end, it was clearly a demonstrative product that garners great critical
praise and features a unique look at outcomes of war.
The Best Years of Our
Lives is a drama about three US servicemen who struggle to readjust to civilian
life following World War II. Three servicemen from different branches of arm
forces befriend each other on their travels home in a small All-American town,
each with their own unique need to readjust to civilian life. Al (Fredric
March), a middle-aged infantryman, returns to his loving wife, Milly (Myrna
Loy), adult daughter Peggy (Teresa Wright) and good position at a bank, but
must witness the injustice of servicemen struggling to find opportunities or
investments in their war veterans. Fred (Dana Andrews) a decorated bombardier
captain, returns to little respect from his young, attractive wife, Marie
(Virginia Mayo), who has more affection for him as a man of uniform than a
civilian. His lack of discernible working skills from before the war and years
lost to service keep him from finding a decent paying employment and respect in
the work place. Homer (Harold Russell) a naval petty officer with mechanical
hooks for hands after losing them in battle, struggles with his self-conscious because
of his highly visible handicap, including questioning his relationship with
sweetheart fiancée, Wilma (Cathy O’Donnell). |
| Harold Russell, a double hand amputee brought authenticity to the picture's drama. |
All three find new lows in what was supposed to be a happy
reunion with life at home. Al spins into alcoholism, Fred the struggle for
livable work and a divorce from his materialistic wife, and Homer falls into a
great depression and consideration of breaking off his engagement. With their
intertwined friendships, the three find new beginnings. Fred encourages Homer
to confront his fear and marries the loving Wilma, Al family and friends aid in
his emotional support, and Fred finds true love in Al’s daughter, Peggy, who
truly loves and cares for him for the kind man he is.
Simply put, this picture was one of the more powerful movies
of its day. Artfully constructed by one of the industry’s great directors,
William Wyler, who had spent the war years working for the United States Army
Air Force. Exploring the new issue of servicemen changed physically and
emotionally battle, the social shifts in American culture leading to less than
familiar reunions, this motion picture presents emotions many may not have
understood or have thought of. Masterfully written, telling three distinct
stories intertwined to deliver various angles, performed by a cast of renowned
actors, The Best Years of Our Lives captures
audiences with an emotional feature about the unexpected changes due to war service time.
For years, general audiences have heard stories and seen the
glorified images of war from afar while their young men and women were off serving
the cause. While at home they were urged to help support the effort by making
their own sacrifices including the purchase of war bonds, rationing goods and
food, and the reevaluation of the work force and home lives. For US audiences,
further separated from the battles in Europe and the Pacific, war must have
seemed even more distant. Now with the war won and the boys returning home from
the front, people were looking to getting back to normal as soon as possible
and are confronted with the issue that normal may never return as they wished.
 |
| Teresa Wright, Myrna Loy, Fredric March, and Michael Hall portray the Stephenson family |
When producer Samuel Goldwyn was inspired by a Time Magazine
article about servicemen returning to civil life, commissioning a possible
movie story idea, resulting in the publishing of the novella “Glory for Me,” and
its adapted screenplay. Wyler was the ideal director for the job, with his
résumé of noted Hollywood features, his most recent Hollywood being the war
aware Mrs. Miniver. Following this
1941 picture Wyler served as an Air Force bomber pilot while producing documentary
filmmaker for the war department, allowing him to see much of the war up-close.
He brought his own experience and eye of a servicemen’s point of view to
the production. For the production he made sure the film felt real, having the
costume consisting of off the rack clothing and sets built actual size instead
of costumes made costume and the more spacious sets common in Hollywood
features.
With our three main characters we are presented three
different type of men, and actors for that matter. The character of Al was an
upper middle-aged man who has ripped from his comfortable life to fight, portrayed
by Fredric March, a well-seasoned movie star from long before the war. Here he
would win his second Academy Award for Best Actor, his first coming from 1932,
portraying a man that saw the injustice for those now hindered by their great
sacrifice.
 |
| Dana Andrews with Teresa Wright |
Dana Andrews is probably the most relatable of their three
male leads, portraying Fred, the ill-skilled every-man who makes good in combat,
but returns to his lackluster life at home. Representing a great deal of
returning men, Andrews was the benefactor of stardom from not serving during
the war and becoming one of many new leading men in Hollywood during the war
years. His performance as the clear nosed, do-well American male looking for a
break resonated with a great many men.
The third leading male character was initially to be about a
man suffering from war shock, but with Wyler’s casting of Harold Russell, a
double amputee with no acting experience, the character was deepened with a new
layer that could be seen, as well as heard. His portrayal of Homer, the
all-American teenager athlete that joined the Navy only to return thinking he
was now a helpless man, becomes the most sympathetic character in the picture.
With Russell’s lack of acting experience, which can be detected at times
throughout the feature, his performance becomes a bit more authentic with his
lack of refinement. The shock of having a genuine double amputee would grab the
attention of any audience, especially in 1946, something you just did not see
in a polished Hollywood picture. With his inspirationl performance Russell was
honored with special awards by both the Academy and the Golden Globes. On top
of that Russell won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, a sentimental victory for
the non-professional actor who was perceived as a long shot to win the award.
He would be the only performer ever to win two Academy Awards for the same
acting performance, his only true acting job as he never focused on acting in
the future.
It may be noted that actress Myrna Loy was given top billing
for the feature due in part that she was the biggest name attached to the
picture. Being one of the Hollywood’s most successful actresses at the time,
Loy was a major name to attach to the marquee. The 40-year-old performer had once
quit acting to focus on helping with the war effort, making her return to the
pictures in 1945 in her successful role in the Thin Man series of picture. This shifty reunited her to audiences,
almost as if the actress had never left the business temporarily.
 |
| Goldwyn (left) with his Thalberg Memorial Award and Best Picture Oscar. Russell (center) with his two Oscars. |
The Best Years of Our
Lives opened to all around critical praise, easily becoming the most
massively praised picture of the year. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, it
won seven, including Best Picture and Best Director. On top of that was Harold
Russell’s Honorary Award and Samuel Goldwyn receiving the Irving G. Thalberg
Award, thanks in part to his prominence from this wildly successful picture.
Along with numerous awards the film was a gigantic box office success both in
America and the UK, becoming the top grossing picture of the of its time,
second only to Gone with the Wind
all-time for a short period. It was clear to see that this film’s message was
well received by audiences of the post war period and it continues to do so
decades later.
The Best Years of Our Lives continues to be noted on many
top movie lists and is praised as one of the very best pictures in American
cinema. Its emotional story, heartfelt message, and inspiration to those who
have sacrificed resonates well beyond the post-World War II era. It continues
to remind us that freedom is not free, sadly even well after the battle is won.
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