Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»790. The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)

    790. The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on December 21, 2014 170-179 mins, 1946, 8 - 10, Dec 14, Drama, Movies Of 2014, Review, Romance, United States
    8.1 Engrossing
    • Acting 8.1
    • Directing 8.1
    • Story 8.1
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Myrna Loy

    Director: William Wyler

    Running Time: 172 mins


    The Best Years Of Our Lives is an American film about three World War II veterans who return to their old lives in a small suburban town, however they discover that they, and their families have changed considerably over the last 4 years, leaving their process of readjustment a whole lot harder than they first imagined.

    This is a fascinating and hugely enjoyable classic. It’s an engrossing and human tale of the world of ex-servicemen readjusting to normal life after war, as well as an interesting look at class divides in American suburbia, brilliantly topped off with a delightful romance story right in the middle that makes this a film perfectly enjoyable for anyone.

    The most interesting thing about this film was how it detailed the feelings and experiences of the veterans during the early phase of returning to normality. The story not only presents all of the expected hardships of the situation, such as accepting other people’s preoccupations with triviality and trying to forget the war, but there’s also a whole heap more of issues that this film tackles with respect to these men’s struggle to return to their day-to-day lives.

    That’s also one of the saddest aspects of this film, how the men, after having sacrificed so much for their country, are returned to normal society having had their old lives totally torn away from them. This is evident in all three veterans, but mostly in the working class man, Fred, who, despite being kind-hearted and very strong, suffers enormously due to his lack of wealth upon his return to society, which really was saddening to see.

    The cast is also absolutely fantastic. You could say that there is a main character, played by Dana Andrews, but to be honest, it’s an ensemble cast, in which every single performance is fantastic. Non-professional actor Harold Russell is fantastic and inspiring, Fredric March, Myrna Loy and Virginia Mayo are fascinating, and Teresa Wright, playing the mature young woman in search of love, was an absolute joy to behold, and, in my opinion, by far the best person in the whole film.

    And then, the romance in the film is just the icing on the top of the cake. It’s a hugely uplifting tale of a love that is hugely taboo in suburban society of the time, and is by far the most exciting part of the movie, lasting powerfully right up until the beautiful finale, keeping me engrossed the whole way through, and absolutely delighting me whenever the going got tough somewhere else in the story.

    However, there is one issue with this film: the running time. At nearly three hours long, it’s an epic, but the scale of the story is not so epic, being about small town life and individuals, which made me think that it didn’t really merit such a long running time. Also, the pacing of this film is extremely slow, and while it picks up towards the end to some extent, it is occasionally a little bit of a heavy watch.

    Having said that, I can’t escape the fact that I love this film, because it’s so interesting, so well-acted and with such a lovely romance, and that’s why it gets an 8.1 from me.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.5
    Review
    November 9, 20210

    3542. The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

    8.1
    Review
    July 7, 20210

    3403. Shimmer Lake (2017)

    8.3
    Review
    August 15, 20160

    1452. Song Of The Sea (2014)

    8.6
    Review
    October 10, 20150

    1115. The Walk (2015)

    8.0
    Review
    December 24, 20160

    1593. Tokyo Godfathers (東京ゴッドファーザーズ) (2003)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.