Proves film-making is an important art form

Rating: Null/10 (26 June 2003)

One of the benefits of subscribing to Netflix is that you can work your way through older movies that you have not seen with no fear of wasting money. Therefore, I was working my way through the AFI's Top 100 Movies list and decided to give #37 a go, trusting the name Wyler.
Nothing could have possibly prepared me for the viewing experience. The Best Years of Our Lives is the finest movie I have ever seen. It is so close to flawless as to be unbelievable. I could write effusive paragraphs of praise under each of the following topics: direction, cinematography, lighting, editing, acting, and writing. But I will limit myself to one topic: emotional involvement.
The writing, directing, and acting add up to (almost impossibly) more than the sum of their parts. The effect is to draw the viewer into the the three interlocking stories to a frightening degree. This film packs such an emotional wallop that you will probably choke up at the least during one of the many moving scenes.
I personally relate most strongly to the character of Fred Derry. Los Angeles has too many Marie types and not enough Peggys. Are there any Peggys left?
Since I've seen the film, I ask every WWII vet their opinion of it. They all pipe up quickly and give praise, which, for the "silent generation", speaks volumes.
Whenever I get the feeling that the pursuit of acting and film-making is ignoble, immature and self-centered, I watch The Best Years of Our Lives and remember what can be done.
If you have not seen this movie and are a mature person of substance, then you have a unique experience ahead of you.