The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
- Directed by
- William Wyler
- Genre
- drama film, war film
- Country
- United States
- Runtime
- 2h 52m
- Rated
- NR
- Rating
- 7.7 of 10 from 750 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
Three American servicemen return home after World War II and try to adjust to civilian life. They each face different personal and social challenges as they reconnect with their families and communities.
poignantearnestthoughtfulemotionalquietly intensegroundedbittersweethopeful
What happens
The Best Years of Our Lives (also known as Glory for Me and Home Again) is a 1946 American epic drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Harold Russell. The film depicts three United States servicemen returning from World War II and re-adjusting to societal changes and civilian life. The men come from different military branches, with different ranks that do not correspond with their civilian social class backgrounds. The film is credited for its portrayal of post-World War II era hardships and of reincorporation of veterans into society after their often traumatic terms in the US military. It is one of the earliest films to address such issues, dealing with concerns such as PTSD and a resurgence of isolationist policy. There are prescient references to nuclear destruction, and to reintegration policies with veterans that extended into the Vietnam War era and beyond. The Best Years of Our Lives was a critical and commercial success, winning seven Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (William Wyler), Best Actor (Fredric March), Best Film Editing (Daniel Mandell), Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert E. Sherwood), and Best Original Score (Hugo Friedhofer). In addition, for his role as Parrish, Russell won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He had received an honorary Oscar for ''bringing aid and comfort to disabled veterans through the medium of motion pictures.'' The special award was created because the Board of Governors wanted to salute Russell, a non-professional actor, but assumed he had little chance for a competitive win. It was the only time in Oscar history that the academy awarded two Oscars for the same performance. In 1989, The Best Years of Our Lives was one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It was the highest-grossing film in both the United States and United Kingdom since the release of Gone with the Wind. In 2004, it was named the sixth most-attended film of all time in the UK, with over 20 million tickets sold. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
More like this
Till the End of Time (1946)
From This Day Forward (1946)
The Searching Wind (1946)
Sergeant Mike (1944)
Les démons de l'aube (1946)
G.I. War Brides (1946)
Tomorrow Is Forever (1946)
Since You Went Away (1944)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.