Most of us were too young to remember or were
not born to have memories of the home coming at
the end of World War II. The Best Years Of Our
Lives allows us to go back to that time in a
way that no film made since can. The movie came
out in 1946 and provides an impression which is
not a reconstruction of the period like Saving
Private Ryan but a vivid result of the film
makers’ experience and mind set. Fifty years
ago America was a different place, and
people’s attitudes, expectations and
assumptions differed in many ways from
today’s. Still, there is a common human
reality that transcends time which makes The
Best Years Of Our Lives a reflection of many
aspects of the human condition.
The Best Years Of Our Lives is the story of
three returning service men and their families.
The movie recounts the difficulties the men
encounter getting back into civilian life after
being away from home and the experiences they had
in the war. It also shows the reactions of those
who stayed behind as the three attempt to fit
back in.
The three men have each been marked by the war.
The youngest, Homer Parish, lost his hands but on
the surface seems the most ready to adjust to
being at home. Al Stephenson, the oldest, seems
harder and uneasy with his family and his
prestigious job in the bank. Fred Derry, an air
corp "flyboy" who became an officer
during the war, has trouble both with his
marriage and finding a job. He is also burdened
with post traumatic stress, a condition that was
not recognized at that time. Watching this film
we can feel the tension, witness the
disconnection, and the struggle the three have
re-establishing themselves. While each has
changed and each has been emotionally hurt in
some way, none will talk about it and (most of
those around them won’t ask). This is a
pattern that still, too often, we see when
someone is dealing with a difficult reality.
In showing the experience of these three
veterans, The Best Years Of Our Lives
confronts an issue that has always existed: The
gap that forms between those who have gone
through life-changing experiences and those who
have not. Those who have gone away, like to war,
and have had a profound ordeal are different when
they return. In some way they will never be like
they were before. On the surface they may sound
the same and look the same, but something is
different. Even when there are visible changes,
as with Homer, who lost his hands, deeper
invisible changes are present that can cause a
feeling of alienation or uneasiness. People who
have not been through the experience either do
not realize that the person is different or,
confused, sensing the change, grapple to
understand. This can be very hard for someone who
sees and cares but cannot grasp the problem and
is not helped by the fact that the one who has
been changed does not want to talk.
There are many memorable scenes in The Best
Years Of Our Lives. Two stand out in relation
to the issue of the emotional gap. One concerns
Fred Derry’s medals. The other occurs when
Homer is confronted by his fiancé, Wilma, whom
he has avoided since returning home. Homer
underestimates Wilma’s courage,
comprehension, and commitment. (This
underestimation is common for people who are
afraid to talk about something that is troubling
them.) Homer also over-estimates his own
maturity. The war has changed him, in ways made
him a man. In other ways he is still a boy as
innocent and naive as Wilma. Not only do these
things become clear when the scene between Wilma
and Homer occurs, but a barrier comes down that
existed since he came home. The gap becomes a
little less wide.
The Best Years Of Our Lives is an excellent
film to view if one is confronting difficult
realities or dealing with a life experience that
has caused emotional pain. It’s a good film
to watch if someone has returned from a difficult
ordeal that has left some scares. The Best
Years Of Our Lives is affirming, without
being sentimental, and is strikingly honest. This
is a film that can provoke reflection and dialog.
Not rated by M.P.A.A.
Video available from H.B.O. Studios |
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