starring Frederic March, Dana Andrews, Harold Russell
directed by William Wyler
170 minutes
Three servicemen from the same hometown but who served in different units and different services arrive back home at the same time. They cross paths numerous times as they adjust to life after the war.
Air Force Captain Fred Derry (Dana Andrews), still suffers from nightmares of seeing a friend killed in battle, returns home to find his wife working at a nightclub. He barely knew her when they got married, just before he was sent overseas. He has trouble finding the sort of work that pays enough for him to keep his wife happy.
Platoon Sergeant Al Stephenson (Frederic March), an infantryman with a drinking problem, returns home to his wife, adult daughter, and teenage son. His employer is happy to rehire Al but Al has some trouble adjusting partly because of his drinking habit and partly because his experiences in the war have given him a new perspective on how to approach his job.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Homer Parrish (Harold Russell) lost both his hands in a battle in the Pacific. He played basketball and football when he was in high school. His girlfriend has remained faithful to him and he still loves her. Despite having learned how to live with the prosthetics (hooks) that replace his hands he has trouble seeing how they can remain together.
The Best Years of Our Lives won several Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor. The Academy Award for Best Director went to William Wyler. It was the sixth time he was nominated for the award and the second time he won it. He went on to be nominated six more times for the Academy Award for Best Director and won the award one more time. All three times he won the award the movie also won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
The Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role went to Frederick March. It was the fourth time he was nominated for an Academy Award and the second time he won one. It is the only one of his five Academy Award nominated performances that I have seen. The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor went to Harold Russell. He was the first of two people that was not an actor who won an Academy Award for acting.
This was not a short movie but it does not drag. There are some places where it feels a little preachy. On the whole this is an excellent film. There were a number of scenes (throughout the movie) that really got to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment