"The Best Years of Our Lives" **** (out of ****)Given that it is the fourth of July I felt I should honor the holiday by celebrating a truly American film. A film which celebrates this country. It sounded like a cute idea but which movie should I write about? I thought about Frank Capra and the American idealism presented in films such as "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" or "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" but eventually decided I wanted to write about a war film.
"The Best Years of Our Lives" is not exactly a war movie. It deals with WW2 but only the aftermath of it. It is about three soldiers returning home discovering how much has changed on the home front. For me it is one of the two greatest films made dealing with what life was like back home during the war. The other is the sadly forgotten "Since You Went Away".
"The Best Years of Our Lives" is not too well remembered either. Directed by William Wyler the film was released in 1946. Right around the actually time soldiers were returning home from the war. And several experiencing what these characters were feeling. The film tackles three social and economic problems all soldiers may or would face as represented by the three starring characters.
First we have Al Stephenson, (Fredric March) a banker and the oldest of the three returning soldiers. He is married to Milly (Myrna Loy) and has two children; Peggy (Teresa Wright) and Rob (Michael Hall). Al's problems are emotional. He represents the soldier who no longer recognizes civilian life. At one point he tells his children he's going to need time to get to know them again. He says he has no idea who they are.
Al is no longer content staying at home spending a night in with the family. He feels the need to lose himself, to be active in an attempt to take his mind off of his memories and experiences on the battleground. As soon as Al comes home he tells his family lets all go out and celebrate. By celebrate Al means his wants to get so drunk he forgets his name. Drinking won't solve his problems but it will at the very least delay his having to face his real problems.
Our second soldier is Homer Parrish (Harold Russell). Homer is a double amputee. He represents the physical effects the war had on those who served. In real life Russell was a war veteran who lost both of his hands.
Before the war Homer was going to marry his childhood sweetheart Wilma (Cathy O' Donnell) but since he lost his hands he feels others will treat him differently. He no longer shows the girl affection even though she does nothing to suggest she would not want to marry him. Homer does not want others to feel pity for him and is afraid Wilma will not be able to deal with the challenges of living with him when he will be very dependent upon her.
Finally there is Fred Derry (Dana Andrews). Fred comes from a poor working class family. Before the war he worked as a soda jerk. His biggest problem is finding a job. He represents the finical set-back soldiers faced. During the war, as the men served, women were now in the workplace doing jobs usually associated with men. And any man who was rejected from serving were also in the workplace. But when the soldiers returned, who was going to give up their job? People may have been proud of their soldiers and happy to see them come back home alive but secretly resented them because what did it mean for their jobs?
When we first meet these characters they are all sharing a taxi going home. But instantly the conflicts are set-up. Homer is the first to be dropped off but before he leaves he suggest why don't they all go to a local bar which his uncle owns. Al and Fred know what he is doing. He's stalling for time, wanting to avoid the inevitable meeting with his family and girlfriend. But when Al is the next to be dropped off, he isn't so eager to return home either.
One of the film's best scenes is when Homer shows Wilma what life would be like if they married. He tells her to follow him to his room. Homer was given two hooks to replace his hands. He has figured out a way to remove the harness which is attached to them and places them on the bed. He explains to her once he does that, that is when he feels the most helpless. He can no longer reach for anything. If he should need to open the door he can't. If he should want to put the harness back on, he can't. At that moment he is dependent upon others. Homer does this to deter Wilma but she is not. She still wants to marry him.
Viewers might feel Homer is not a complete character. That he is only used to tug at our heartstrings. That is not true. Homer is a real character. He faces a conflict and grows as a character. His very appearance is not used for sympathy. Russell even won an Academy Award for "Best Supporting Actor" and an honorary award for "bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans".
Another important scene is when Al is working at the bank. He is put in charge of small business loans. A returning soldier comes to him and asks for a loan. He has no money. Al gives him the loan. The bank is upset. They are afraid Al is going soft because the man was a veteran. In public they say they support the troops and value their service and in private their feelings are, don't give them any money, at least not the bank's money.
When "The Best Years of Our Lives" was released it was the biggest box-office success since "Gone With The Wind". It was nominated for 8 Oscars and won 7 of them including "Best Picture" (beating such films as Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life" and Howard Hawks' "The Big Sleep") , "Best Director", "Best Actor" (March), and "Best Screenplay" (Robert E. Sherwood).
It is sad more people have not seen this film. "The Best Years of Our Lives" reminds us what people have done for this country and what we owe them. Life is not easy returning back from a war. We can never know the effect seeing battle has on someone. Plus this is simply a great piece of film making with great acting. I haven't even begun to dissect this film and all its brilliance. "The Best Years of Our Lives" is one of the masterpieces of cinema.
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