How war veterans never get rid of their wars but have to live with them anyway.

Rating: 9/10 (19 March 2015)

The main triumph of this film which makes it quite exceptional and unique of its kind is the performance of Harold Russell as Homer Parrish, who has lost both his hands in the war, which invalidity he shares with Harold Russell. It's a story and film about war veterans and without doubt the best of its kind for its humanity and extremely sustained restraint all the way in the exposure of very sensitive and personal affairs and feelings of the most delicate kind. All the actors are outstanding in their characterizations, Fredric March as the sergeant and former banker who can't quite control himself or his bottle, Harold Russell in the performance of his life, (the pajama scene must melt all hearts,) the only time ever an actor received two Oscars for the same part and well deserved, Dana Andrews as the noble war hero who is humiliated by his wife (Virginia Mayo perfectly abominable) but has the very good luck of finding the irresistible Teresa Wright instead and at her most charming, who is so much the better, and Myrna Loy finally as the sage and stable mother. The music is perfectly fit to illustrate the moods and the tensions, with Hoagy Carmichael crowning it, while the mastership of the direction of William Wyler in his slow and careful but very well thought out and intentional direction to bring out all the best and the truth of the story from his actors probably takes the prize. The film has a number of unforgettable scenes of singular eloquence, but I think my favorite would be Dana Andrews' revisit of his old pilot job in the junkyard, one of William Wyler's most impressive scenes, and there is an important forewarning of it in the beginning. This is a veteran film for all times which is inexhaustible in its humanity and which all people of all generations have something to learn from to improve themselves with. Finally I have never seen so many reviews for a film here, but a film like this just can't have a review too many.