IMDb > The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Best Years of Our Lives
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The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) More at IMDbPro »

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The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) -- Three WWII veterans return home to small-town America to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed.
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Robert E. Sherwood (screenplay)
MacKinlay Kantor (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Best Years of Our Lives on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 October 1947 (France) more
Genre:
Tagline:
THE SCREEN'S GREATEST LOVE STORY IS THE BEST FILM THIS YEAR FROM HOLLYWOOD! more
Plot:
Three WWII veterans return home to small-town America to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won 7 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(8 articles)
Nervous from the Service
 (From The Auteurs. 2 December 2009, 6:58 AM, PST)

Farber on Film: Introduction, Part 3 (Farber Before Negative Space)
 (From The Auteurs. 18 November 2009, 7:43 AM, PST)

User Comments:
An Extraordinary Picture more (176 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Glory for Me (USA) (working title)
Home Again (USA) (working title)
Samuel Goldwyn's The Best Years of Our Lives (USA) (poster title)
more
Runtime:
172 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
UK:U | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:15 (2002) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Australia:PG (alternate rating) | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #11972)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
William Wyler, who served as a major in the Army Air Force during World War II, incorporated his own wartime experiences into The Best Years of Our Lives. Just as Fred Derry did in the movie, Wyler flew in B-17s in combat over Germany, although rather than being a bombardier, as Derry was, he filmed footage for documentary films. Additionally, Wyler modeled the reunion of Al and Milly, in which they first see each other at opposite ends of a long hallway, on his own homecoming to his wife, Talli. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: In several shots when Fred moves around inside the nose of the B-17 at the airplane grave yard, the interior rocks unnaturally, indicating he's in a separate, detached set. more
Quotes:
Fred Derry: How long since you been home?
Al Stephenson: Oh, a couple-a centuries.
more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

Where is the airplane graveyard located?
Is this movie based on a novel?
Is there a reference to "the best years of our lives" in the movie itself?
more
14 out of 17 people found the following comment useful.
An Extraordinary Picture, 31 July 2003
10/10
Author: ss5921 from Baltimore, Maryland

Sometimes, but very rarely, a movie tells a story so well that it almost becomes difficult. This movie tells several stories so well simultaneously that it was the first few times a movie I could not watch to completion. It was too real....and the characters SO STRONG that watching it became a personal struggle. Seeing these three men and their families deal with their hardships, one in particular, often hit me too hard. Now, I have watched in its entirety without interruption several times, and I realize what I always suspected. This movie is a masterpiece. The writing, the acting, the blending of several stories without being even the least bit choppy, everything about this movie is exceptional. Seven Academy Awards? No wonder, it certainly must have deserved them.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Females under 18 fernandomassuy
al drops his shoes rpherst
Contrast among the soldiers? Der_Erlkonig
DEEP FOCUS? Olivilips
Al's speech at the Bank's board meeting; priceless abernahi
What are you thoughts on this sonia-abraham
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