A supremely likable drama, yet worthy of deeper reflection...

Rating: 9/10 (18 November 2013)

I love this film. Hollywood has rarely achieved more compelling - and likable - human drama. This is a glossy and romanticized slice of Americana, yet it tells a powerfully real story. It's got great screen stars - most notably Fredric March - doing some of the best work of their careers. And it has absolutely impeccable direction by William Wyler - so polished that you have to work hard to pull back and actually notice the sophisticated techniques at work.
The film's only limitation is one it can't avoid: it's of its time and place. This is a 1946 Hollywood film about the aftermath of global conflict that had only just ended. It's a work that tackles a deeply political topic, from within the period it tries to capture. This inherent difficulty comes through in one subtle way and in one overt scene.
The subtle slant comes from what we don't see. For example, we aren't shown the many soldiers who were far worse off than our three protagonists. Homer Parrish does mention that his own shocking disability is actually one of the milder ones he's seen. The film passes this off as casual heroism on his part, when it's in fact all the lip service that's given those who paid a much higher price than this film's relatively lucky trio. All three of whom swiftly find supremely happy endings - surely, not a statistically realistic outcome. This can be thought of as subliminal propaganda, no doubt, but it's mostly just artistic license - a way of sugar-coating some hard truths for the benefit of a war-weary public.
The one overt bit of actual propaganda comes in the scene in which Homer gets in a fight with a guy at the lunch counter, who dares to question the political rationale behind the war. If you listen carefully, this man actually says nothing derogatory regarding the troops. Although his manner is made deliberately obnoxious, what he says repeatedly is simply: "get the facts, learn for yourself." An admonition that should never be controversial, in a free society. Yet when Homer snatches away the man's flag lapel pin, the message seems to be that some topics are simply too important to be examined rationally, because, well... patriotism. Once you've spent enough lives, it's no longer acceptable to question whether the tactics were wise or the cause just.
We can only hope that this point of view may look a lot more dangerous now, than it must have in 1946. But, to its credit, the film can also be read another way. It does at least hint that the two servicemen are in fact over-reacting. That they probably should question the official narrative, but that their memories are still too painful. Is the scene helping create an attitude of denial... or consciously reflecting upon one that inevitably did exist? I suspect the subtlety is deliberate. Which is the most we could hope for in a mainstream film originating in this time and place.
Obviously, any film must be viewed in the context of history. The Best Years of Our Lives must have been a revelation in 1946. A landmark, in going as far as it did in recognizing that the human cost of a war extends far beyond the conflict itself, even for the 'victors.' But today it remains above all a brilliant bit of human drama, a supremely skillful telling of three intertwining stories about characters that are at once noble, likable and credible. It's a film that takes real effort to analyze, simply because it's so overwhelmingly enjoyable.