Review of The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) by Jon G — 27 Nov 2007

The message is universal, and heartbreaking--how it feels when men return home from war and cannot convey the lingering agony to their loved ones. William Wyler gives us three portraits--a handsome B-25 bomber who received a medal of honor after losing his crew, a middle aged infantryman who spent four years away from his wife and two children, and a young naval officer who lost both of his hands.

Never does the film stray into melodrama, and never do we feel any less sympathetic to their situations. The cast is superb, with great Oscar winning performances by Frederic March as the father and Harold Russell, who is particularly unforgettable as the naval officier.