Review of The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) by Max N — 31 Jul 2008

This movie has held up through time. It is a very good introduction into the issues and problems dealing with re-adjustment from the war front to the home front. It covers both the physically visible wounds and the invisible wounds that war can cause to the psyche. The notion that most returning vets feel that society and life kept right on humming along and now they are back but they no longer fit in due to their own changes and those who filled in the vacuum of their departures. The role of the banker is especially telling as his entire perspective on life has been altered.

I would recommend this to everyone, and I have. At times it may drag a bit but sticking with it gives you both a snap shot in time and of an experience. That it was made in 1946 is remarkable given the notions about war and readjustment at the time. The tone of this movie is much more akin to modern sensibilities in the post-Vietnam era.