Review of Best Years Of Our Lives, The

Introduction

It`s not often that I agree with the decision making body of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in their award giving. But `The Best Years of Our Lives` deserved every one of its seven Oscars, despite stiff competition in the year of its release (1946, with stiff competition including the wonderful `It`s a Wonderful Life`).

It`s another of those movies that you wonder at the courage and conviction of those who financed and promoted it. It`s anything but standard Hollywood fayre, with a running time in excess of two and a half hours, and including some of the grittiest drama ever committed to celluloid. It`s quite possibly the most powerful and sympathetic movie ever made about the after effects of going to war. Bankrolled (incredibly) by Samuel Goldwyn, and directed by safe-bet William Wyler, this tale of three service men returning from three years service in WWII to Civvy Street was superbly scripted by Robert E. Sherwood. It`s a tough story well told with three tales cleverly intertwined to create an incredibly powerful, emotive drama with much to say both about the effects of war, and the societal after-effects as our three central characters adjust to the disinterest and cruelty of a civilian world that has carried on regardless in their absence.

It`s a two-act affair, with the opening scenes showing three servicemen returning to the same hometown. Each from different walks of life; their only common ground is their shared war experience. One is a standard army infantry man, a Sergeant who in Civilian life was a Senior Bank Clerk, has been married for twenty years and who has late-teen children. The second is a suave pilot, outranking both his travelling compatriots, who in civilian life was merely a soda jerk with a glamorous but frivolous young wife. The third is a young sailor who has a young fiancé - but who has lost his hands in service. As they fly over their hometown they are philosophical about what might greet them after years away in service.

The second act, which is really the dramatic thrust of the movie proper, is what happens next. Their intertwining stories are played out with a gritty realism never before seen in movies of this scale. The former banker finds readjustment difficult and relies on drink to blur the reality of his return home. (There is a moving address to his banking colleagues that shows he`s a man of principal and spirit, and the part is played superbly by Al Stephenson). The ex-Captain (Dana Andrews - yes, a chap) returns to his life as a soda jerk, and to try and re-kindle the love of a marriage less than 20 days old on his departure, but to no great success. It`s clear that his real affections lie elsewhere (bank clerks daughter), whereas his wife`s affections also lie elsewhere - or anywhere for that matter!

Perhaps the real star of the show here is Harold Russell who received a `Best Supporting Actor` award for his portrayal of double-amputee ex-navy man, Homer, as well as an honorary statuette making him the only individual ever to have won two Oscars for the same performance. In truth, his acting is curiously under-played, almost wooden - but Russell was a genuine amputee who had lost his hands in service and was discovered in a training film about the rehabilitation of double amputees. His incredible dexterity with two hooks is constantly exploited in the movie, rendering him almost entirely capable of most things and yet constantly the recipient of unwelcome sympathetic looks and comments. The scene where he finally allows his fiancée Wilma to see his bedtime preparations is genuinely tender and extremely moving.


Nearly 60 years after it`s initial release, the film still looks incredible. Deep-focus is used to dramatic effect on several notable occasions where the foreground action is actually less significant than the background. The closing scenes are most notable in this respect.

There are some other ingredients that probably warrant a mention too. Hoagy Carmichael, the jazz pianist and vocalist, plays a bar turn and does this rather well, and with great ease. Also, adding to its air of authenticity, are a number of real products on display (Coca Cola) as well as a genuine Woolworth storefront. This was pretty much a first and may well have been the catalyst for the insidious product placement that has spoilt many a fine movie to this day. (I suspect that no sponsorship money changed hands on this occasion as it merely adds to the realism of the movie.)

Video

An incredibly good print, painstakingly preserved and transferred. For a movie this age, it rarely gets any better than this, though it is presented here in 4:3. There are (very) occasional blips but these may have been reel change cues, but overall the transfer is just stunning.

Audio

The audio is often a little thin by today`s standards, but this is a fine reproduction so very little gripe here. The score is very impressive with little of the two and a half hours (plus) of the movie left without musical underscore and punctuation. A very impressive piece of work.

Features

Well, other than chapter options, language and subtitle options, there is nothing here. But it would be surly to complain with such great reproduction and compression for such a long movie - and for a cinematic classic of this calibre, the lack of filler material shouldn`t be a barrier to purchase.

Conclusion

This is one of those classic movies that I had never got around to seeing. This DVD release offered the perfect excuse to see what I had been missing. I tend to be a little cynical about the hype surrounding classics of this ilk - that often descend into sentimental and syrupy melodrama. But this movie does nothing of the sort. It`s gripping, compelling and highly emotive - with a great cast, a really extraordinary screenplay, tight direction and some incredible deep-focus cinematography. It tackles some difficult, though universal, issues in an intelligent, sympathetic way - and despite it`s epic length, is completely captivating. Very highly recommended!