The Best Years of Our Lives

1946
U
2h 50m

IMDb RATING

8.1/10

74K

YOUR RATING

Dana Andrews, Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Virginia Mayo, and Teresa Wright in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Play trailer1:46

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99+ Photos

Epic Feel-Good Romance Drama Romance War

Three World War II veterans, two of them traumatized or disabled, return home to the American midwest to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed.Three World War II veterans, two of them traumatized or disabled, return home to the American midwest to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed.Three World War II veterans, two of them traumatized or disabled, return home to the American midwest to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed.

Director
- William Wyler
Writers
- Robert E. Sherwood
- MacKinlay Kantor
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.1/10

74K

YOUR RATING

Director
- William Wyler
Writers
- Robert E. Sherwood
- MacKinlay Kantor
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Top rated movie #227

Won 7 Oscars
- 25 wins & 4 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 1:46

The Best Years of Our Lives

Photos135

+ 129

Oscars Best Picture Winners, Ranked

See the complete list of Oscars Best Picture winners, ranked by IMDb ratings.

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Storyline

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Trivia
For his performance as Homer Parrish, Harold Russell became the only actor to win two Academy Awards for the same role. The Academy Board of Governors thought he was a long shot to win, so they gave him an honorary award "for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance." Later in the ceremony, he won for Best Supporting Actor.

Goofs
When Al introduces his wife and daughter to Fred and Homer at Butch's, he refers to Dana Andrews as Homer and Harold Russell as Fred. This was intended as a consequence of Al being drunk.

Quotes
[after Peggy tells her parents that they never had any trouble in their relationship]
Milly Stephenson: "We never had any trouble." How many times have I told you I hated you and believed it in my heart? How many times have you said you were sick and tired of me; that we were all washed up? How many times have we had to fall in love all over again?

Crazy credits
The character played by Ray Teal (the Axis sympathizer whom Homer Parrish attacks at the soda fountain) is listed in the credits as "Mr. Mollett". However, the character's name is never mentioned or otherwise alluded to.

Alternate versions
The film was modified to play on a wide screen and reissued on February 3, 1954.

Connections
Edited into Chain Lightning (1950)

Soundtracks
Among My Souvenirs
(1927) (uncredited)
Music by Edgar Leslie
Lyrics by Lawrence Wright
Played on piano by Hoagy Carmichael

User reviews375

Featured review

10/10

Over 60 years old and still a classic!

In 2004, I wrote the following statements on an IMDb message board when a user wondered if The Best Years of Our Lives was a forgotten movie:

***** To me watching this movie is like opening up a time capsule. I think in many ways "The Best Years of Our Lives" is probably one of the more fascinating character studies and it holds up extremely well as a look at life in the US in the mid-1940s after WWII. I believe "Coming Home" and "The Deer Hunter", both released in 1978, were the most recent films that were closest in capturing the numerous issues of military men returning from war that were brought up in "The Best Years of Our Lives".

What really impressed me was watching the movie in its entirety when I was in college around 1980-81 and many if not all of the college students applauded at the end of the movie.

This movie still packs a wallop and I'm very happy to read in other posts other users feeling of a movie that will definitely stand the test of time. *****

I'm very happy to see the movie ranked near the top 100 movies on IMDb and AFI. Also, though it was in competition with what eventually became a Christmas classic, It's a Wonderful Life, arguably, The Best Years of Our Lives' Oscar wins, including Best Picture, were very well-deserved.

I've just seen the film again in 2005 and after almost 60 years, The Best Years of Our Lives is still a powerful, beautifully acted and well-crafted motion picture.