It's easy to feel sorry for the folks at RKO who made this film. After all, it's very well made and I enjoyed it...but I also couldn't possibly see the film without comparing it with "The Best Years of Our Lives". This is sad, because "The Best Years" is one of the best American films ever made--and surely must have overshadowed "Till the End of Time". After all, "The Best Years" won the Best Picture Oscar (among many others)--and is a classic. Yet, despite this, they are BOTH excellent films about WWII vets returning and adjusting to civilian life.
The major difference between the two films is that the emphasis on "Till the End of Time" is much more on the physical and psychological damage incurred by these brave men. Sure, this is explored in "The Best Years of Our Lives", but it's also about the adjustment of the "normal" soldier as well. Here, in "Till the End", while many of the soldiers seem okay, as the film develops, you see that each is deeply scarred--and I really liked this aspect of the film. Even Guy Madison, who seems just fine, is scarred--it just isn't as readily apparent. Probably the most poignant of the stories is the smallest one--the lonely guy sitting at a coffee counter. He's shaking uncontrollably due to "shell shock"--and old way of referring to a type of PTSD where the person literally shakes horribly. His story is quite touching and is one of the very few depictions of this in film--even today. In fact, the phenomenon was not new--and I've seen film of WWI soldiers with shell shock and the guy in the movie did a great job of imitating someone with this affliction. Fortunately, however, there is a lot of hope in the film as well--not false hope or goofy optimism, either.
Overall, it certainly is not as good as "The Best Years" but who cares?! It STILL is an exceptional film. While the film lacks the wonderful direction of William Wyler (arguably the best director ever), it still has nice style and the acting is quite nice. A very enjoyable movie and one you should see in order to appreciate the sacrifices these men made.
The major difference between the two films is that the emphasis on "Till the End of Time" is much more on the physical and psychological damage incurred by these brave men. Sure, this is explored in "The Best Years of Our Lives", but it's also about the adjustment of the "normal" soldier as well. Here, in "Till the End", while many of the soldiers seem okay, as the film develops, you see that each is deeply scarred--and I really liked this aspect of the film. Even Guy Madison, who seems just fine, is scarred--it just isn't as readily apparent. Probably the most poignant of the stories is the smallest one--the lonely guy sitting at a coffee counter. He's shaking uncontrollably due to "shell shock"--and old way of referring to a type of PTSD where the person literally shakes horribly. His story is quite touching and is one of the very few depictions of this in film--even today. In fact, the phenomenon was not new--and I've seen film of WWI soldiers with shell shock and the guy in the movie did a great job of imitating someone with this affliction. Fortunately, however, there is a lot of hope in the film as well--not false hope or goofy optimism, either.
Overall, it certainly is not as good as "The Best Years" but who cares?! It STILL is an exceptional film. While the film lacks the wonderful direction of William Wyler (arguably the best director ever), it still has nice style and the acting is quite nice. A very enjoyable movie and one you should see in order to appreciate the sacrifices these men made.