The Best Years of Our Lives

Released: November 21, 1946

Studio: RKO

Genre: war/romance drama

Box Office (numbers in millions):

Domestic: 23.65 Worldwide: ?

Adjusted for Inflation:

Domestic: 539.60 Worldwide: 803.50

Directing: William Wyler

Screenwriting: Robert E. Sherwood

Starring: Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Harold Russell, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Cathy O’Donnell

Review:

This was the kind of story “Hollywood typically avoided.” ^MSN In this “landmark, classic drama,” ^FS “Robert Sherwood’s script from MacKinlay Kantor’s book perfectly captured mood of postwar U.S.; still powerful today.” ^LM Three World War II veterans return home to their small town and “face a number of emotional conflicts, and try to put their lives back together,” ^VD “attempting readjustment to peacetime life and discovering that they have fallen behind.” ^FS

The three servicemen “from different strata of society” ^AFI’98 are “an Army Sergeant (March) who turns to drinking, an Air Force major (Andrews) who is rejected by his wife (Mayo), and a seaman who has lost both arms (Russell) and agonizes over his relationship with his girlfriend (O’Donnell).” ^FS It “was the right film at the right time – mirroring the experiences of so many soldiers adjusting to a new life.” ^A07

In his first picture, “Harold Russell, a non-actor and war veteran who was an actual amputee,” ^FS was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. The Academy didn’t think he’d win, but wanted to give him an honorary Oscar for “bringing hope and courage to other veterans.” ^LM He ended up winning, which made him the only actor to win two Oscars for the same role. ^MSN

Sources:

^FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films”
^LM Leonard Maltin “100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century”
^MSN MSN Entertainment (7/19/2018). “100 Best Movies” by Shahnaz Mahmud
^VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists:

Dave’s Movie Database Lists:

Box Office:

Awards:

Oscars:

Wins: 7, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Fredric March), Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Harold Russell), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Musical Score, Best Film Editing. A Special Academy Award for Russell for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance in the film.

Nominations: 8, including Best Sound Mixing