One of the best Hollywood films of our times...

Rating: Null/10 (3 April 2001)

This film was cherished by the post-World War II audiences because it spoke to them. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture, plus seven other Oscars as well, and it was the biggest moneymaker of its decade. These days, many people love it for what it says about its era--as if the movie is some kind of time capsule, which I suppose it is.
I personally can't say anything about that, because I wasn't born until over a decade afterward. However, for me this film's greatness is timeless. Its characters may be ordinary, but they're real. William Wyler, long after he had directed BEN HUR and WUTHERING HEIGHTS as well as countless other classics, regarded this movie as his best one. He's right. The sublime music score, the deep-focus cinematography, the humanistic writing, the exquisite casting, and virtually every element make it a contender for the most perfect Hollywood motion picture of the forties.
I think anyone who wants to be a better human being would like it.