The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
On the topic of war films, one of the richest American dramas of the 1940s was a moving, personal three-hour epic about the experience of U.S. veterans after World War II. The film’s release, not long after the end of the war, made it one of the rare Oscar winners to comment on the contemporary period. Despite the 172-minute length, The Best Years of Our Lives is an enriching piece of work that looks at soldiers trying to transition from a literal battlefield to a figurative one, that zone of domestic conflict.
However, the film is not preachy or overbearing. Rather, William Wyler’s poignant drama is sympathetic to and honest with all of its characters. The film is also full of strong performances, including Fredric March and Myrna Loy, and is likely one of the most attended movies in American history, with 55 million tickets sold.
In some noteworthy Oscar trivia, the Best Supporting Actor honor went to Harold Russell, a non-professional actor who played Homer Parrish, a man with hook prosthetics for hands due to injuries from battle. Russell, who served with an American airborne division, lost both of his hands during the war. That Oscar night, Russell took home an honorary Oscar for “bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans.” Little did the Board of Governors know, but he was going to win another statue later than evening.