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The Best Years of Our Lives

Play trailer Poster for The Best Years of Our Lives 1946 2h 52m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 105 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Fred, Al and Homer are three World War II veterans facing difficulties as they re-enter civilian life. Fred (Dana Andrews) is a war hero who, unable to compete with more highly skilled workers, has to return to his low-wage soda jerk job. Bank executive Al (Fredric March) gets into trouble for offering favorable loans to veterans. After losing both hands in the war, Homer (Harold Russell) returns to his loving fiancée, but must struggle to adjust.
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The Best Years of Our Lives

The Best Years of Our Lives

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Critics 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.

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Critics Reviews

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Paul Jones Atlanta Journal-Constitution 2d
It is warm and human, almost to the extent of being documentary. Go to Full Review Roly Young Globe and Mail 2d
Best Years is a long picture that never hurries itself, goes into a great deal of extraneous detail, but never allows your interest to lag. Go to Full Review Manny Farber The New Republic 2d
This is one of those rare films in which a pose or a gesture stands out so significantly that you feel that the cameraman had as much to do with the story as the director and writer. Go to Full Review Buffalo News Staff Buffalo News 2d
Problems of the returning war veteran are depicted sympathetically and intelligently. Go to Full Review Mercury Staff The Mercury (Australia) 2d
4/4
Harold Russell's work is superb and will gain the sympathy of any audience. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ashley T. @ashvsfilm Jan 22 Poignant and uplifting but also emotional. Impactful story told about veterans coming home right after ww2. Still relevant to veterans to this day. Highly recommend. Bring tissues. See more Craig W. @CJWolfe27 Dec 27 This is one of the better movies ever made, it is fantastic See more Barbara R Nov 18 This movie is nearly 80 years old and has aged SOOO well! Each of the veterans has a great story-young love, impetuous love, mature love and even though I've seen it twice in six months, I'm still bawling like a baby. You will care about each and every one of them, promise! My other favorite of all time is "Its a Wonderful Life". So if you love that, this is a poignant touching movie! See more mark g @Mark_Alan_G. Nov 12 As close to perfection as any movie ever and the definitive post-WWII film. Tremendous performances by an incredible cast. So many films before it were so wrapped up in the heroism of veterans, but none before this focussed on the difficult transition so many of these proud heroes faced. In this movie, three different veterans face three different and difficult post-war transitions. In the end there is optimism, but by no means are their outcomes glorious. See more Perry B @Louiswin Aug 31 The Best Years of Our Lives tells the story of three men returning from World War II, each struggling to adjust to life back home. Resuming normalcy isn’t as simple as they’d hoped, but the film handles their journeys with honesty and heart. One scene between Homer and Wilma later in the movie is especially touching—truly one of the sweetest moments ever put on film. A beautiful, emotional classic. It truly deserved to win the Oscar for Best Picture released in 1946. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jun 7 Success in 2 hours and 52 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fantastic cast and crew members!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! William Wyler is the director and starring Fredric March as Al Stephenson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Read all reviews
The Best Years of Our Lives

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Cast & Crew

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William Wyler

Director

Fredric March

Al Stephenson

Myrna Loy

Milly Stephenson

Dana Andrews

Fred Derry

Teresa Wright

Peggy Stephenson

Virginia Mayo

Marie Derry

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The Best Years of Our Lives

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) "The Best Years of Our Lives" stars Dana Andrews and Virginia Mayo as Fred and Marie Derry. Director William Wyler shows off his motor scooter skills while on location filming the drama "The Best Years of Our Lives." "The Best Years of Our Lives" stars Teresa Wright as Peggy Stephenson and Dana Andrews as war veteran Fred Derry. "The Best Years of Our Lives" stars (l to r) Dana Andrews, Myrna Loy, Frederic March, Hoagy Carmichael and Harold Russell. "The Best Years of Our Lives" features Harold Russell and Hoagy Carmichael. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Fred, Al and Homer are three World War II veterans facing difficulties as they re-enter civilian life. Fred (Dana Andrews) is a war hero who, unable to compete with more highly skilled workers, has to return to his low-wage soda jerk job. Bank executive Al (Fredric March) gets into trouble for offering favorable loans to veterans. After losing both hands in the war, Homer (Harold Russell) returns to his loving fiancée, but must struggle to adjust.
Director
William Wyler
Producer
Samuel Goldwyn
Screenwriter
MacKinlay Kantor, Robert E. Sherwood
Distributor
RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co
Samuel Goldwyn Company
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 21, 1946, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 1, 2012
Runtime
2h 52m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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