Wonderful movie about returning soldiers

Rating: 10/10 (31 May 2013)

When Robert Osborne introduced "The Best Years of Our Lives" on TCM years ago, he started it off by saying that some consider this to be one of the greatest films ever made. I was suspicious, as I had seen the film years earlier and thought it to be a good, not great film, but after that viewing, I now consider it to be a truly great film.
The film tells the story of four soldiers who return home to Boone City after the end of WWII. Al Stephenson (Fredric March) returns home to his wife (Myrna Loy) and daughter, Peggy (Teresa Wright). Al also has a son, but he disappears almost entirely by the middle of the film. Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) returns home to a wife (Virginia Mayo) who doesn't seem much like the woman he thought he married and alternatively he is drawn romantically to Peggy. Finally there is Homer (Harold Russell) who returns home to his family and girlfriend with the news that due to war injuries he no longer has his hands; instead two hooks are in their place.
The story follows these three men as they attempt to navigate the, not always smooth, transition from wartime to peacetime life as civilians. As evidenced by this film, not every problem was solved by the GI Bill. Memories (and wounds) of the war still linger. The film is not only a fascinating character study of soldiers but also of their loved ones as well. The way the film weaves the stories of these three distinct men together is a storytelling masterstroke. All of their stories fit together, yet are different (they come from different economic backgrounds, for example) and nothing seems forced.
Every member of the cast does a wonderful job from the leads to the actors in smaller roles like Virginia Mayo and Gladys George. March's performance is exquisite as he struggles to return to normalcy, especially at his job. Myrna Loy (has there ever been a classier actress?) is great as March's wife. Loy gives a restrained performance but one that radiates beautifully throughout the entire film. Harold Russell won two Oscars for his work here, one was honorary. Is it a great performance? No. But it sure is moving. The producer Sam Goldwyn and director William Wyler deserve credit for casting an actual amputee in the role. This is especially noteworthy when considering how frequently white actors played Asians and Native Americans in those days. When Goldwyn and Wyler could've cast anyone, they instead turned to Russell and the film is much better and more authentic because of that choice. Dana Andrews just might have given the best performance in the entire film. His part is probably the film's most complicated one. His character struggles perhaps the most both in terms of his personal life and in his job. Andrews successfully navigates this course so brilliantly; an honest, subtle, and charming performance.
Overall, this film is nearly perfect with the exception of the overreaching score. In my estimation, it is Wyler's best film as well as the best movie about soldiers returning home, and yes maybe one of the greatest American films of all time.