The Best Years of Our Lives

Drama | English | 172 minutes

Info

Three World War II veterans return home to their families in a small midwestern town. Adjusting to civilian life isn’t going to be easy. Al Stephenson, a highly respected banker, is questioned about loans he is making to returning veterans with little collateral. He develops a drinking problem; Air Force Captain Fred Derry suffers from PTSD and has frequent nightmares. His party-going wife Marie wants a divorce; the most damaged is Naval Petty Officer Homer Parrish who lost both his arms in combat. He considers breaking off his relationship with Wilma, the woman he loves and promised to marry. The three were World War II heroes. They survived. But now they must deal with different challenges – adjusting to the uncertainties of a changing peace-time world.

Cast

Fredric March (Sergeant Al Stephenson) / Myrna Loy (Milly Stephenson) / Dana Andrews (Captain Fred Derry) / Harold Russell (Petty Officer Homer Parrish)/ Cathy O’Donnell (Wilma Cameron) / Virginia May (Marie Derry)

Why Stream This Film?

Seventy-six years after it opened, The Best Years of Our Lives still remains one of the most searing films about the traumas felt by three servicemen returning home after World War II.

Rotten Tomatoes Score (Critics Consensus): 98%
Metacritic Score: 93

Accolades

Academy Awards: Winners, Best Picture; Best Director (William Wyler); Best Actor (Fredric March); Best Supporting Actor (Harold Russell); Best Screenplay (Robert E. Sherwood); Best Film Editing (Daniel Mandell); Best Scoring (Hugo Friedhofer)
Golden Globe Awards: Winner, Best Picture
National Board of Review: Winner, Best Director (William Wyler)
New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Winner, Best Film; Best Director (William Wyler)
The Best Years of Our Lives was one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

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