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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Great Movie But Too Bad About the DVD!
This movie is almost 3 hours long but as a testament to how good it is you don't really feel it. From the beginning you can tell you are watching a classic; from the great score to the excellent script and cast it's hard not to be caught up in the story and to be touched by it as well. Despite its age, the film ages well because it covers themes that are still relevant today such as loyalty, adapting to new environments, self-sacrifice and lack thereof etc. This movie stands the test of time and despite repeated viewings will still amuse, entertain and touch most of us to the core.
Unfortunately, this DVD version of this great film is an unworthy version to pay any respect to this classic. It hasn't been restored well and so many picture quality imperfections exist and the sound quality is just Dolby Digital Mono which should be improved. There are no Special Features to speak of as well making you wonder if you are better off getting the VHS. Here's hoping that they will consider another restoration project for this film to vastly improve the picture quality and the sound quality by adding Dolby Digital 5.1 or THX Surround options plus some Bonus Features worth shouting about.
In the meantime, while this film is a true classic, you may want to wait for an improved DVD to surface so as to get the most enjoyment that you can from your viewing experience. Perhaps a Blu-ray version may be just the excuse to restore this film to the quality that it surely deserves. As for me I'll be keeping a lookout for a well-restored version and perhaps you should too.
Rating: 
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Deeply Moving American Masterpiece
Although this movie was made in 1946, it is still fresh, real, and deeply moving today. The story involves the adjustments military men have to make when they come home. (This was before we knew about post-traumatic stress disorder.) Surely the men and now, women, who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will each have their own stories.
William Wyler must have been a terrific director for actors because he got such spontaneous, naturalistic moments from this cast. I found this quality of acting unusual in a film of that time. The cast is terrific--each one gives a deeply moving performance. Myrna Loy is so charming and at once sophisticated and sweet, tender and tough. She makes you think about what the wives who were left at home to raise their children alone had to cope with. Harold Russell's performance, as others have said here, is worth the price of the DVD. I knew nothing of him, if he was a real amputee, a professional actor, or what, until I read the reviews. He has an amazingly open, beautiful face and the sunniest smile you'll ever want to see. The marriage scene which shows each detail of the hands, clasping each other, giving the ring, brought tears to my eyes!
Dana Andrews is great as the young, carefree, ex-soda jerk who married a blonde bombshell but comes to realize he may have made a mistake. Frederick March is wonderful, too, as the ex-banker who returns to face a wonderful family, but there are still problems. We see that he drinks too much and this is probably the only problem that isn't spelled out and resolved. Teresa Wright is luminous as his grown daughter who falls in love with Dana Andrews. I have found her acting a bit sappy in other films but here it rings true. Virgina Mayo is gorgous and certainly convincing as the girl who just wants to have fun.
I really enjoyed the appearance of Hoagy Carmichael, a very cool guy, who gives additional class to this film.
It plays for three hours and I was glued to the screen for the entire time. As a snapshot of a moment in America's history and as a universal human picture, it has great value.
Rating: -
Surprised. . .
I was very surprised to see a relationship between a girl and a married man included in a film made during an era where innocence was still reigning. The story line is good, the acting is great, but I wish that whole relationship would have been different.
Rating: 
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"I'm glad to see you've all pulled through so well."
The world changed as a result of WWII, and it directly affected many people's lives. The soldiers that returned home faced a similar situation as the veterans from WWI. They found their jobs had been taken, their outlook on life had changed, and sometimes their families had been dismantled. The Best Years of Our Lives addresses the return home from war and the affects combat had on their daily lives. We follow Al Stephenson (Frederick March) home to his wife (Myrna Loy) and daughter (Teresa Wright). Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) returns to his new wife (Virginia Mayo). Homer Parrish (Harold Russell) comes home without hands and startles his family and fiancee Wilma (Cathy O'Donnell).
This film is a long and indepth look at the readjustment from a soldier's life to a civilian's life. We see the men returning to work, the disappointments that they face, and the changes they make. The movie has romance, heartache, and comedy which makes it appealing to a variety of audiences. This is one of those movies that was obviously made to contend for the Oscars; it won Samuel Goldwyn his first for best picture. It features a talented cast and well-written characters, and the direction is supurb. One will recognize many scenes from various film compilations and homages.
Rating: -
Brilliant Film
If you want to know what people exerienced coming back from World War Two, no other film captures the essence of the realities of the immediate days just after the war than this, period.
The inclusion of an actor who really suffered injuries during the war makes it all the more authentic and relevant... even today.
Buy it and prepare to be hit with some clever writing, acting and also some sobering realities of America at the end of the Second World War.
It stands up very well for a sixty year old film.
