The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
96%RT Audience Score: 93%
Awards & Nominations: Won 8 Oscars
21 wins & 4 nominations total
An engrossing look at the triumphs and travails of war veterans, The Best Years of Our Lives is concerned specifically with the aftermath of World War II, but its messages speak to the overall American experience.
If you’re looking for a movie that’ll make you laugh, cry, and think all at the same time, then The Best Years of Our Lives is the one for you. It’s all about what happens to war veterans after they come home, and let me tell you, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. But even though it’s set after World War II, the themes are still super relevant today. It’s like the filmmakers knew that America would always be dealing with the aftermath of war, and they wanted to give us a heads up. Plus, the acting is top-notch. You’ll feel like you’re right there with the characters, experiencing their triumphs and travails. So grab some popcorn and get ready for a wild ride through the best years of our lives (or at least, the best years of some people’s lives).
Production Company(ies)
The Samuel Goldwyn Company,
Distributor
RKO Radio Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Ontario International Airport – 2900 E. Airport Drive, Ontario, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Approved
Year of Release
1947
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:2h 52m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 1946 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 18, 2000
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Dana Andrews, Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Harold Russell, directed by William Wyler, written by MacKinlay Kantor, Robert E Sherwood, drama, World War II veterans, aftermath of war, American experience, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Marjory Adams, Mae Tinee, Philip Hope-Wallace, Herman G Weinberg, Times (UK) Staff, Helen Bower, André Bazin, Brian Eggert, Howard Pearson, Matt Neal, Virginia Wright, Nancy Philips, MPAA rating, Samuel Goldwyn, RKO Radio Pictures, Mono sound mix, Flat (1.37:1) aspect ratio, Al Stephenson, Milly Stephenson, Fred Derry, Peggy Stephenson, Marie Derry, Homer Parrish, critic reviews, audience reviews, deep focus, mise-en-scène, Gregg Toland, post-WWII, psychological trauma, obstacles, veteran soldiers, different backgrounds, returning from war, visual compositions
Worldwide gross: $23,656,620
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $362,556,146
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 422
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 39,537,202
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $2,100,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $32,184,137
Production budget ranking: 1,121
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $17,331,158
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $313,040,851
ROI to date (est.): 632%
ROI ranking: 199
Myrna Loy – Milly Stephenson
Dana Andrews – Fred Derry
Teresa Wright – Peggy Stephenson
Virginia Mayo – Marie Derry
Harold Russell – Homer Parrish
Director(s)
William Wyler
Writer(s)
MacKinlay Kantor, Robert E. Sherwood
Producer(s)
Samuel Goldwyn
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 8 Oscars
21 wins & 4 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (93) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (91) | Rotten (2)
The Best Years Of Our Lives is an eloquent tribute to returned veterans [and] a magnificent, brilliant contribution to motion pictures as an art.
April 14, 2021
Marjory Adams
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Every member of the cast Is so much like some one you know, every one so natural and likable, as real and pathetic as any human being close to your heart, but Fredric March, Dana Andrews, and Harold Russell give faultless performances.
April 14, 2021
Mae Tinee
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
The playing is magnificent — especially that of Fredric March.
April 14, 2021
Philip Hope-Wallace
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
It has everything it should have — a literate and often sharp and honest script by Robert E. Sherwood, supple direction by William Wyler, and is ingratiatingly played by at least one actor — Frederic March.
April 14, 2021
Herman G. Weinberg
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
This long American film is a gallant and sincere attempt to examine the difficulties of ex-service men in returning to civil life.
April 14, 2021
Times (UK) Staff
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The film, throughout, presents the American scene with homely, familiar touches.
April 13, 2021
Helen Bower
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
Nonetheless, these reservations are not intended to diminish the eminent merits of The Best Years of Our Lives, in which the mastery of one of the world’s greatest directors is ever on display.
February 25, 2022
André Bazin
L’Écran Français
The Best Years of Our Lives remains so singularly honest in its description of veterans that Wyler’s treatment cannot help but supply an editorial on the social landscape of postwar America.
February 12, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Splendid producing, acting, directing of a realistic, down-to-earth plot such as this results then in a living portrayal of what peoples actually are experiencing today.
August 16, 2021
Howard Pearson
Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
Very much of its time in some ways, but what makes it memorable is how ahead of its time it was in the ways that really mattered.
July 25, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Matt Neal
ABC Radio (Australia)
The Best Years of Our Lives is the most rewarding picture in a long, long time.
July 13, 2021
Virginia Wright
Illustrated Daily News (Los Angeles)
The Best Years of Our Lives is a fine example of what Hollywood Is capable of doing once they set their minds to it.
April 14, 2021
Nancy Philips
Austin American-Statesman…
Plot
The story concentrates on the social re-adjustment of three World War II servicemen, each from a different station of society. Al Stephenson returns to an influential banking position, but finds it hard to reconcile his loyalties to ex-servicemen with new commercial realities. Fred Derry is an ordinary working man who finds it difficult to hold down a job or pick up the threads of his marriage. Having had both hands burnt off during the war, Homer Parrish is unsure that his fiancée’s feelings are still those of love and not those of pity. Each of the veterans faces a crisis upon his arrival, and each crisis is a microcosm of the experiences of many American warriors who found an alien world awaiting them when they came marching home.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Harold Russell, who played Homer Parrish, was a real-life veteran who lost both of his hands in a training accident during World War II. He was awarded two Academy Awards for his performance in the film, one for Best Supporting Actor and an honorary award for “bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans.”
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