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** BLU-RAY UPDATE: The November 2013 Blu-ray issue of this title is a MAJOR UPGRADE from the DVD re-issue from January 2013. (See notes about that DVD below). Dirt, scratches and other debris have been digitally removed and the film now looks and sounds (DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0) gorgeous. The moment the opening credits roll, you know you're about to see the sharpest transfer of "The Best Years of Our Lives" ever released on home video. Keep in mind, however, that there's still some graininess present - which is common with vintage movies given the Blu-ray treatment - and I do not consider this a defect. While original negatives of old films never have the sharpness of movies shot today with high-resolution cameras, I'm not a fan of digital noise reduction - which removes details from each frame. All special features from the January 2013 DVD re-issue are also on this Blu-ray, with subtitles available on everything except the theatrical trailer. The 1995 interviews with Virginia Mayo and Teresa Wright were shot on video tape hence are NOT in high resolution - nor is the theatrical trailer, which is still ragged and has not been cleaned. Still, in my view, the November 2013 Blu-ray is now the "gold standard" for this title. Note also that this film is presented in its original 1:37:1 semi-square aspect ratio format. Like "Gone With the Wind," "Casablanca" and other Golden Age classics, "The Best Years of Our Lives" was NEVER shot with wide screen cameras.
** DVD UPDATE: The January 2013 re-issue DVD offers NO improvement in picture or sound quality from previous DVD releases (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo). Beyond cosmetic changes to the box - this edition brings back the 1995 interviews with Virginia Mayo and Teresa Wright that were on the 1997 HBO Video DVD release of this film - and improves the look of the English subtitles - which were all left off the MGM DVD release in 2000. The January 2013 DVD release is a "must" ONLY if you want everything previously released - on one disc. Remember, the 1997 HBO Video issue was a "flipper" - part 1 of the movie and special features were on side one, part 2 of the movie was on side two. The 2000 MGM issue had NO English subtitles and NO special features other than an old trailer. The January 2013 issue has the entire movie, subtitles and all the aforementioned special features on one side of the disc, with "no flipping" required.
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ORIGINAL CONTENT REVIEW BELOW.
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* Just before legendary director William Wyler died, equally legendary director Billy Wilder was interviewed about his feelings about Wyler's films, from "Best Years of Our Lives" to "Roman Holiday" to "Ben Hur" to "Funny Girl."
* Wilder, a tough man who hated schmaltz and sentiment, the director of such classics as "Double Indemnity," "Some Like it Hot," "The Apartment," "The Seven Year Itch" and "Sunset Boulevard," suddenly got emotional, expressing great affection for "The Best Years of Our Lives," noting that it was one of the best films he had ever seen.
* He reacted the way I reacted. He said that it was the only film that he could remember where he and the entire audience were drenched in tears within the first 10 minutes. It was an unforgettable experience for him, and he recognized immediately that "The Best Years of Our Lives" was obviously a deeply personal work for Wyler, where every scene, every frame, every note of music and word of dialogue, rang true with authenticity and emotion. This was Wyler's territory. He knew the material. And many of the scenes that were shot mirrored his own experiences when he returned home from war.
* This is why, after so many viewings, I still can't get over the fact that no matter how many times I say to myself, "I'm not going to be moved by this or that scene," I fail miserably. I just can't help it. To say that this is a great film is an understatement of the highest order. And yet I can only count on one hand the number of friends I know who have seen this film from start to finish. I think the running length has something to do with it. You never see it on commercial television at all and unless you're lucky enough to have cable, you'll miss it entirely. And it's not a film that people are banging down the doors to rent.
* The wonderful thing about "The Best Years of Our Lives" is that it still holds up beautifully, unlike a lot of films that seem awkward or stilted. Fredric March, as the patriarch of the family (in an Oscar winning role), is stupendous. His acting and delivery of lines seems effortless and spontaneous, not the product of a script recited from memory. And to have Myrna Loy as his partner and the wonderful Teresa Wright playing his daughter (the latter an Oscar winner a few years earlier in "Mrs. Miniver"), how can you lose?
* Like all great films, time has no meaning. The story sweeps you along like a great wave -- a ride -- that you never want to end. The famous "long hallway homecoming shot" that appears in the first 10 minutes of the film -- I don't care that it's the scene that most people remember and is usually the ONLY scene that turns up in any highlight reel of greatest films ever made -- it gets me every time.
* And the ending, the last line from the movie, the one uttered by Dana Andrews -- despite the sentimental setting -- is so fabulously understated, negative and cynical - and yet filled with such hope, that you can't help but be -- what I describe as being -- "happily devastated." It's a wonderful ending that purposely leaves you guessing about what will become of the characters played by Teresa Wright and Dana Andrews, but you can't help but feel that their future looks bright in spite of their apparent state of destitution.
* I just wish more people would see this film. There's a treasure chest of great movies from the past that people overlook every day. This is one of them. I pity people who still buy or rent movies based on slick packaging alone.
* I would rather pay $10 to see this film on the big screen or less than $20 to own this film so I can see it on a little screen -- than pay about $4 to rent junk that has a good looking box -- and a few great critical reviews from people you've never heard of.
* Some films are good enough to rent, but only a few films are good enough to buy. "The Best Years of Our Lives" is a film to BUY.
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The Best Years of Our Lives -- A Great Film!
Towards the end of the film when Dana Andrews is wondering through a field that is packed with aircraft that are being dismantled for recycling, this part of the film was done on location in Chino CA at what was then known as the USAAF Cal-Aero Field. It was a training center for air crews during the war and then used to recycle the planes after the war.When I was a teenager I was able to ride my bike there in the early 60's. I liked to do this because the buildings and control tower were all still there along with a few B-17's and a few other period aircraft. It was great fun to be able to go into the various buildings and of course the B-17s were there to be explored too. So William Wyler did film this on location when the actual recycling was taking place. Of course it's all gone now but it's a wonderful memory to know that I was able to explore the movie location.Since I'm a Vietnam Vet I think this film was as accurate as Hollywood could be in (1946) telling the story of returning veterans who received months of training for war and were then let go when it was over with nothing more than a handshake to help us "readjust" to civilian life. Although, in 2005 I was in a VA physical rehab ward for 3 weeks and got to know a WWII vet who was also there. When we talked about "getting over" the experience of going to war he told me, "You never really get over it." His telling me this was a great deal of comfort because it was a confirmation that there was nothing wrong with me. At least nothing that doesn't effect most war vets -- it's part of the price we pay for what we had to do.
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john mandley
A classic movie that will never age
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2021
