The Best Years of Our Lives: Amazon.ca: Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Cathy O'Donnell, Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Russell, Gladys George, Roman Bohnen, Ray Collins, Minna Gombell, Gregg Toland, William Wyler, Daniel Mandell, Samuel Goldwyn, MacKinlay Kantor, Robert E. Sherwood: DVD

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Winner of seven Academy Awards, including best picture, director, actor, and screenplay, William Wyler's brilliant drama about domestic life after World War II remains one of the all-time classics of American cinema. Inspired by a pictorial article about returning soldiers in Life magazine, the story focuses on three war veterans (Fredric March, Dana Andrews, and Harold Russell in unforgettable roles) and their rocky readjustment to civilian life in their Midwestern town of Boone City. Capturing the contradictory moods of America in the mid to late 1940s, this three-hour drama spans a complex range of honest emotions, from joyous celebration and happy reunion to deep-rooted ambivalence and reassessment of personal priorities. A movie milestone when released in 1946, The Best Years of Our Lives still packs a punch with powerful, timeless themes. --Jeff Shannon

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Customer Reviews

51 Reviews

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (51 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and just as relevant today as it was in 1946., July 3 2011

By

ElyseAli - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best Years of Our Lives (DVD)

This review is for the MGM release of The Best Years of Our Lives DVD in 2000.

There's nothing wrong with the transfer quality. The picture and sound are perfect.

The most gut wrenching, moving, and poignant subject as it was in 1946. It's human. A film portraying average people and families who are working to create a new normal for themselves. Trying to connect again. Imagine coming home after fighting a war. Maybe the person you love still loves you. Maybe people will understand what you've seen and done. You're a fly on the wall watching them trying to adapt to coming home.

I didn't find the length of the film unbearable. I can watch it through without a problem. The acting is great. The story is great. I find it moving and it is worth the money and time to watch it.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must on any top ten list!!, Mar 7 2005

By

Robert Badgley (St Thomas,Ontario,Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Best Years of Our Lives (DVD)

This is one picture that I never tire of after repeated viewings and I have seen this picture MANY times over the years.
This pictures' theme which centers around the trials and tribulations of three WW2 vets returning home and their efforts to reintegrate back into civilian life is as timeless as the picture itself.And it plays as well today and speaks the same truths as it did back in 1946.
Director William Wyler did a masterful job of keeping everything taut and focused as the movie unfolds before us.
Harold Russell who plays a navy vet whose hands and forearm have been lost in an aboard ship battle won two Oscars for his portrayal.And this for a man who really had no formal training as an actor.He landed the part after being spotted in a Naval training film explaining how he lost his appendages.
Dana Andrews did a wonderful job playing the returning AAF bombardier.His moods and reactions to an unwelcoming civilan population hit the mark everytime.
And screen veteran Frederic March playing an army sergeant I thought stole the picture on many occasions.He infused his character with just the right combination of emotions.His is the one we see with the most potential for an easy re-entry into society but as time progresses it's painfully obvious he is dealing with as much "crap" as his two other friends.All three have their own seperate stories which unfold wonderfully but all are inextricably bound by their attempts to just be accepted for who they are now,not what they were.They don't necessarily want to forget their pasts(how can they?),they just want to move on.
And as we watch them we empathise and sympathize with them all the way.The picture works on so many levels with the characters touching us all in some small way that it easily elevates it above your average run of the mill war picture.
And it's easy to see why this picture hit home poignantly touching a nationwide nerve just after the war.
The movie is rounded out by a stellar supporting cast as I can find no real fault with any of them from relatives to children.All played it straight down the middle and under Wylers' hand give no more nor no less than each scene needed.Watch out for brief and uncredited cameos by bigband leader Gene Krupa singer and Anita O'Day.
This is one movie that is a must see AND must own.It clocks in at an impressive 170 minutes but you find yourself so engrossed with the plot and characters that in the end it seems more like 70 minutes.One of the best movies ever made and in my top ten.

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5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Film., July 5 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Best Years of Our Lives (DVD)

I was fortunate enough to see this movie on TV a few nights ago, and I must say that it is one of the best films I've seen for YEARS. It's hard to believe that I've never heard of this movie. Even though I was born more than 30 years after this movie's release, it melted my heart unlike any film I've seen. I was very surprised by some of the material in the movie. It seemed way ahead of its time, with topics like alcohol addictions, the questionable results of WWII, etc. It's definately a movie that I'll be adding to my DVD collection.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb (and Still Relevant)
I'm usually reluctant to watch old movies no matter how good they're supposed to be. I'm thankful that for some reason I decided to at least watch the beginning and see if it... Read more

Published on July 4 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Correction to Jeff Shannon's Review
The Best Years of Our Lives may have perhaps drawn from some things in a Life Magazine article on returning vets, but the plot is really based on MacKinlay Kantor's 1945 novel... Read more

Published on May 21 2004