The Best Years of Our Lives: 1946

Although I've seen and heard several stories of returning Vietnam War veterans, I didn't know much about World War II veterans other than what is taught in high school history (the baby boom, the development of suburbs, women returning to the homes, etc.). The Best Years of Our Lives shows that the returning veterans faced many of the same issues as the returning Vietnam veterans. The film follows three veterans as they adjust to civilian life, and each man has a similar yet different experience.

Homer, the youngest of the the three veterans, lost both his hands during a battle. As a sailor, he explains that he didn't see much combat, but his battleship sunk and his hands were burned beyond repair. Homer has actual hooks in place of his hands, and while he's quite capable with them, other people cannot help but stare at him, as if he is a freak. Returning home, he must deal with his family's pity and figure out how to be with his girl.

Al is the oldest of the veterans, and when he returns, he has to reacquaint himself with his children, who are two years older. To cope with the shift back to civilian life, Al begins drinking, and his wife Millie struggles with helping him adjust. To complicate matters, his daughter has fallen in love with Fred Derry, the third veteran.

Fred's story is not atypical of the time; before he left for the war, he met a girl and married her after only knowing her 20 days. When Fred returns, Marie is not living where he thought she would be. He also learns that she has taken a job at a night club. Marie is clearly interested in having fun, and Fred wants to settle down in a home and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes apparent that these two people are not in love. Even worse, they don't even like each other.

Weaving their stories together, the film follows each man as he tries to find his place. Fred struggles with finding decent work, ending up in a low paying job at the drug store where he worked before the war. Al receives a promotion but doesn't like how his bank runs its business. Homer wants everyone to treat him like he's normal, but he has his own hang ups to get over. The film does an excellent job simply telling each man's story. At no point did I feel like I was being pushed to feel sorry for any of them. Instead, I wanted to know how each man would finally learn to cope and possibly even feel "normal" again.

Ultimately, the film has a happy ending while still being realistic. My only complaint about the film is the length (2 hours 40 minutes), but having finally finished it, I'm not sure there is much that could be cut without the film seeming incomplete.