I am a veteran of two wars, Desert Storm and iraq. That movie captured the feelings I had coming home both times. The movie put me back in time like nothing else I have ever experienced.

When I first saw this movie I loved it. I saw my father , who is a Veteran from WWII. I asked him about this movie and he told me that life was just like that after the war. I can only imagine what it was like for these men who SAVED THE WORLD.

It wasn't Samuel Goldwyn who read the article about veterans having trouble readjusting to society after the war. It was his wife who read the article and then showed it to him. Goldwyn also had an interesting encounter with Harold Russell. One day on the set, he said to Russell "You're doing a really good job and we're all very, very pleased with you. When Goldwyn left, Russell thought to himself "What a nice guy." A moment later, a janitor who'd worked in the studio for a long time came up to Russell and said "I've been here 30 years and that's the only decent thing I've heard that son of a bitch say to anybody."

One of the most moving films I've ever seen. I still cry at Wilma helping Homer get ready for bed.

One of the best movies I've ever seen.

Still incomprehensible how Dana Andrews did not win an Oscar for this.

Every actor who played was awesome. Myrna Loy.....and Harold Russell, Dana Andrews and Frederic March.....and the stunning Virginia Mayo. What a cast.

In a 1970's interview Bette Davis said this was her favorite film.

I must add - the music was outstanding.

Yes, indeed. One of the most moving, excellently acted movies ever. Powerful, dramatic, movie-making at its best.

I think one of the last credited actors, the actor who played March's character's son, died this year. He may have been the very last, most have been gone for decades.

The Greatest Post WW2 Movie ever made. I cried when Wilma buttons Homer's Shirt! The soundtrack music is so beautiful and very powerful.

Don't miss this one. "The Best Years of Our Lives" is a powerful film about soldiers readjusting to life after WWII. The story by MacKinlay Kantor is also excellent.

I weep when i even think of this film. It remains in my heart. It's perfect in every way.

Yes, yes, yes..the music underscores this...and also the scenes with the other two soldiers. I recall (toward the end) the airplane graveyard, where Fred is walking, and when he gets up into the nose of the plane..and the music changes, becoming ominous and scary, as Fred's anxiety starts to rise, along with his memories.

I love this movie. I think it is an ultimate of the vets coming home from war. It shows the up and downs of what they return to civilian life. Some society wasn't willing to accept the veterans return to home. It shows post trauma many of many what they when they served. It's a great coming home movie

By veterans, for veterans. Read your uncle's memoirs, thank you so much Ben for doing three generations of great work.☘️♥️

Beautiful film.

I really love this movie 😊👍💜🇦🇺

In my top10 even top5 best movies. I remember seeing it in the 60’s on tv with commercial interruptions it would take all night to see it but it stuck in my head as one of the greatest films of all time. Never gets old. Netflix needs to have it on their menu but I don’t think that will happen. Too much walking dead crap that people enjoy today

My very best movie, bar none

The ending always brings tears to my eyes so happy for Homer

Billy Wilder hailed TBYOOL as “the best-directed film I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Just a brilliant film well acted and is a timeless classic as a veteran myself like my father and Grandfather's, great uncles and great grandfather it's so appreciated.

Bette Davis commented that it was the best film to ever come out if the Hollywood Studio System.

A great movie

Here are a couple of other behind-the-scenes stories. 1. Wyler hated Hugo Friedlander's score when he heard it. Wyler felt it was too lush for the humble story he was telling. A fellow veteran friend changed Wyler's mind, telling the director to leave the music in. 2. After Wyler finished shooting the airfield scene he thought he needed a transition that wasn't in the script (it went from Fred packing his bags to arriving at the airfield). Wyler asked screenwriter Robert Sherwood to "come up with something" to bridge the scenes. Sherwood wrote the beautiful scene of Fred's dad finding the letter from General Doolittle that hailed Fred's bravery. 3. When the film previewed, Wyler and editor Daniel Mandell took notes assuming they would have to trim their nearly three hour cut. The audience response was so positive not a frame was removed from the film.

Outstanding interview with Mark Harris. I'm ordering his book pronto.

I read "Five Came Back." BRAVO 1) it's impressive that Homer's father first helps Homer remove his prosthetics and then Homer goes up to his room, looks at pictures of himself having played football and basketball, and only then does the movie bring Wilma into the scene to help Homer. 2A) This was preceded by the kids having annoyed Homer to the point where he shoved his arms through the glass to the door to the garage. 2B) Let's not forget the tasteful introduction of Homer at the ATC. "What's the matter, sailor, crippled?" 3) Homer was found after his having done "Diary of a Sergeant" which was dubbed with a voice other than his heavy Boston accent. It might have been worthwhile to get a voice coach, but that would only likely have intimidated Harold Russell. 4) my understanding is that Harold Russell was, at one point, "directed" but then people were told by William Wyler to leave him alone, to let him work off his instincts. 5) even the minor characters 4 superb. Roman Bohnen played a father who was probably a drunk from having been in his own War. The scene where he reads to Hortense recitation is one of my favorites. 6) there are additional minor characters like Woody, Cliff, like the guy picking a fight with Homer in the drugstore, the foreman at the end. I enjoyed the few minutes with Bullard, the new manager of the drugstore, Sticky, Sticky's gal Friday, even the extras in the drugstore who were eating at the counter. And let's not forget Hoagy Carmichael. People were professional character actors who made a living doing these kinds of rolls, must have enjoyed this production.

Correction. This is "The Best MOVIE Of Our Lives."

"Emotionally accurate" That's a great way to describe the movie. Very few of the relationships were one dimensional.

Wyler was one of the greatest film directors who ever lived. He made more actors deliver their very best performances than anyone else. The idiotic critics who say he did not have an "auteur" quality to his films are fools. As a story teller he was without peer. His body of work stands as some of the greatest films ever. He may not have had an "auteur" feel to his films because he let the story dictate the style and let his ego get out of the way.

This was one of best and most realistic film ever made about WWII. Most of the films of the era were propaganda films showing John Wayne single handed wiping out entire Japanese battalions . A good documentary on this subject was a film called " GOING HOLLYWOOD: THE WAR YEARS(1983)". Narrated by Van Johnson

I have seen that documentary, "Five Came Back" and it is very good I very much recommend it. These film directors did not have an easy time and put their lives in danger a number of times. John Ford was actually on Wake Island when the Japanese attacked. Look at film that they shot during that attack. The camera is shaking because he was scared to death. He and everyone else on that island were thinking there was a good chance they would be killed and survivors captured by the invading Japanese. No one on the island knew that the American carriers were out there to fight the Japanese carrier group. -- William Wyler no only went on missions in B-17's. Including the Memphis Belle. He lost his hearing on just one mission. Imagine being up at 25,000 feet in an airplane with open windows. The temperature up there is -40 to -50F. You have to wear an oxygen mask all the time, If for any reason that fails you die. if your electric boots or gloves fail you could get serious painful frostbite. The aluminum skin of that airplane would not even slow down any bullet or flak as it came though the plane. Wyler came from Mulhausen Germany, now in France. He and his family were all Jewish and from there, As soon as the town was liberated he rushed to see his family. But they were gone all gone. -- But look at the lives these men made before the ware and after. Wyler before the war made Mrs Miniver and The Westerner, After he made "The Best Years of Our Lives". George Stevens made musicals before the war. After the war he made "Giant". John Ford's movies were different too. There was a lot more consideration of the Indian's lives in his movies. There is no way he could have made "The Searchers" if he had not been in the war. That could only be made by a person that had seen how savage people filled with hate, on both side, can be.

It’s a classic I can watch over and over again. I tear up when Homer’s little sister calls out “homers home” and runs to him. They don’t make movies with these values. They were different people then.

The airfield scene is one of the greatest moments ever captured on film.

This reminds me of my father coming home after 24years in the Air Force. I loved hanging on him. I was 2 yrs old when he retired and I was the baby of the family. He never spoke about the war and wanted a normal home life. He was the happiest at home.

William Wyler had resonance with each of the three returning WWII veterans. Like Homer, he suffered a war-related disability. As a film director, he could relate to the financially successful banker, who returns home with a new perspective on those less affluent and like Fred, he experienced PTSD.

A true cinematic masterpiece. What's really interesting are the lengths that director Wyler went to invoke realism into this film. Remember the scene when Dana Andrew's father reads his son's letter of merit from the War Department? It's fascinating that Andrews has a stepmother named "Hortense." It's a small detail, but in almost every film made up to that point, a lead character would've simply had a biological mother and father playing in such a short scene - there wouldn't be any need to complicate the plot. Then the father's reaction after reading the commendation - extremely emotional, and stoic while taking a drag on a cigarette and the mother crying has to be one of the finest acted scenes in history, IMO.

Thank Franz Warman for his blaring brass for Dana Andrew's scene without text.

I love this. But, how they can talk about that closing bomber scene with Dana Andrews and just talk about it sonically rather than talk about the amazing score by Hugo Freidhoffer. That’s a crime. Here with that scene is all about the music. The orchestra is the sound of the engines, the composition musically is what makes that seem to work. The fact you didn’t mention it at all is an offense.

One of the greatest movies of all times

This is the best post war movie.

One of the greatest dramas to come out the classical Hollywood studio system of the thirties and forties. Fully comparable to *Stagecoach*, *Dodsworth* , or *Make Way For Tomorrow*

Outstanding movie.

1946 ... and we still have not learned sufficiently how to truly "welcome" combat veterans home. Given the extraordinary stress and impacts of warfare, maybe this is an impossibility. But, it doesn't remove the responsibility to make great effort.

it's amazing to me that they can discuss the power of the B-17 boneyard scene in terms of its sound, and neglect to mention Hugo Friedhofer's score -- which absolutely makes the scene in all the ways they discuss, a quintessential example of effective psychological scoring. that pressure inside Dana Andrews' head? that's the music!

Regarding the so-called gap in his filmography. In 1944 Wyler directed two very influential documentaries (or docudramas) "The Fighting Lasy" and "Memphis Belle". The latter was especially important as a depiction of the bomber war. Wyler flew many combat missions with the crews of the Eigth Air Force, collecting footage for the story of the Belle. I cannot help but feel that the Aircraft graveyard scene was a very personal essay about his experiences, close calls, and the trauma of losing young friends over Germany.

Thank you for such enlightenment. I must read Five Came Back. I’m reading William Wyler’s biography coincidentally, and indeed “Best Years of Our Lives” is beyond compelling. I wish every American would watch the film and enjoy the exquisite score.

It was Goldwyn's wife who read the article.

My second favorite movie of all time......after the brilliant "Hail the Conquering Hero....."

I know I'm in a minority on this, but I liked "Mrs. Miniver" probably more than Wyler did. There is the classic story of Lillian Hellman coming out of the screening room at MGM and turning to Wyler and saying, "Oh, Willy, how could you?" But do we, as Americans, ever look at something except under OUR perspective? "Mrs. Miniver" was definitely a story of Britain on her knees. And, the scene where Kay Miniver faces the young Nazi speaks strongly for the terror of the day.

Ben? Three Wives & Eve are back to back also. So you're related to Wyler, too. Thank you so much!

When I was a kid no matter what party you were you backed the president

My dad is in this pix. He loved all the men in this film.

Thye should remake this with modern veterans. This is one of the greastest and best movies ever made about returning veterans,

And our country was strong because we had people willing to give their all for freedom thank God for those people 🙏

For my money the best war movie ever made. No battle scenes, just the aftermath as seen through the eyes of three veterans who survived it.

*They 'missed the mark' of the 'scrapped bomber' scene...the 'Round Trip?' nose-art says everything...and the former 'Captain' realizes "I can't 'go home' again and if he'd had his 'Colt' with him...that would've been the finish for the 'Cap.'* ( *Obviously you can't put a scene like that in a movie, at least not in the America of that era...no one likes being 'slapped in the face' with the truth of what it means to face death every moment for years on end, to have been trained to rain 'Death from the Sky' and discover "I'm damned good at this! I somehow 'know' where the bombs will hit...and it pleases me no end to know how good I am at this" and return to a civilian life where he cannot function anymore...the idea of being a 'soda jerk' or 'department store flunky' fills him with disgust and shame, and finding his wife is nothing more than a 'conniving whore' who can't bear the sight of him because of his inability to find a job equal to his skills and experience* )

masterpiece...the only maybe was....frederick march too old for infantry grunt? those kids were just that kids...22 was old

This is why people become actors.

I agree Claudia , eventhough Ray Milland was excellent in "The lost weekend" , Dana Andrews was to me far more deserving for the Oscar Award , I mean ... Wow 😮, what a performance by him , as for William Wyler ... one of the greatest directors ever 🙌

An interesting thing is that the rich guy comes back from the war and gets a promotion, whereas the poor guy can't get a job and has to go back to being a soda jerk. Entrenched privilege. That's exactly what I have seen with servicemen returning from Iraq -- the rich ones got immediate big promotions and the poor ones had to start again at the very bottom, in spite of all their front-line experience and years of service.

Great film

There is another, similar movie, which focuses on a returning Marine in California, the title of which I cannot remember. Does anybody know what movie I am thinking of? Thanks if you can help.

NO IDEA he was nearly deaf.

Absolutely disgraceful that Mark Harris makes no mention of Hugo Friedhofer's magnificent music score, which is very much a part of the scene with Dana Andrews in the derelict airplane. Thumbs down.

Those god-awful, grating American accents of these commentators.

Harold Russell, only actor to receive 2 academy awards for the same role.