“The Best Years of Our Lives” is not an anti-war film in the way “All Quiet on the Western Front” is an anti-war film. It doesn’t call the specific mission into question or use first-person battle scenes (in fact it doesn’t use ANY battle scenes) to illustrate the paralyzing effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Rather, it deals with the far more personal and unsung subject matter of returning to life after the military and the stigma society places on veterans while hypocritically praising them in the same breath. In a sense, “The Best Years of Our Lives” is darker than those other movies because of the way it attacks the mind, as opposed to gory war films that attack the eyes.
Cinema veteran Frederic March plays World War II veteran Al Stephenson who, while not the leader or commander, is definitely the elder statesman of a trio of returning troops. Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) was a soda-jerk at a drugstore before becoming a proficient bomber pilot and Homer Parish (Harold Russell) is, on the surface, the worst off of the three after having had his hands replaced by prosthetic hooks due to a combat injury.
Their initial homecoming is shown in the back of a taxi as the three men, though returning to the same town, are literally and figuratively going completely separate ways. This sequence would not have worked nearly as well without the incredible performances by even the bit players:
Al rejoins his idealistic suburban family, complete with the “set” of children (son and daughter) and homemaker wife Milly (Myrna Loy). Though they are happy to see him, Al clearly has trouble identifying with his children, particular his daughter Peggy (Teresa Wright). He is welcomed back with open arms and a big promotion to the bank where he had worked prior to the war.
Fred comes home to his wife Marie who seems emotionally unavailable but independent, as she is making a decent wage on her own working at a nightclub, a job that indulges her outgoing tendencies. She doesn’t seem particularly thrilled to see Fred, but also seems more than eager to take him out and parade him around to her other partygoing friends, but even then she makes it clear that she only wants to be seen with him if he is wearing his dress uniform- indicating that she is both shallow and image conscious to a fault. Fred has a difficult time finding a job in the civilian sector where he can apply his military skills and is forced to go back to his old job at the drugstore. The differences in class and social standing are presented in a subtle but brilliant fashion with Al hearing how much more money he will be making with his promotion segueing into Fred being told how little he will be paid.
Homer’s parents try but fail to hide concern and pity for their son the first time they see his hands which not only brings down the happy reunion feel, but makes him seem insecure about them for the first time when his mother breaks down after trying to ignore the handicap. Homer uses his self-consciousness as an excuse to drive an emotional wedge between himself and his fiancée Wilma.
In one particularly painful scene, he is holed up in his parents’ garage practicing his marksmanship as best he can while a group of neighborhood children gossip and snicker about his condition. He finally lets his pain and humiliation rise to the surface by smashing out the windows with his hooks and shouting at the children; not only an out of character moment for the seemingly gentle Homer but also a very real conveyance of emotion. I don’t know if this was even a thought in William Wyler’s mind when he directed this film but I can’t help but notice that when Homer is shown reloading his gun and chambering a round, his disability forces him to have to angle the barrel towards his head. I completely interpreted this shot as a clear indicator that, should he choose to do so, suicide would be a perfectly feasible option for Homer.
“You want to see how the hooks work? Do you want to see the freak? All right, I'll show ya!" (Homer Parish, “The Best Years of Our Lives”)
As bad as Homer’s situation is, it becomes clear as the film unfolds that appearances can be deceiving as Fred and Al struggle with their own unique and less visible demons. Al increasingly shows signs of a drinking problem, most likely brought on as a coping mechanism for his memories of the war but also very possibly an addiction that may have been fostered by time overseas in the military. His drinking begins to creep into his professional and personal life- to the point of almost jeopardizing his job when he openly criticizes his boss at a celebration in his honor put on by his bank.
Al and Fred’s respective disorders overlap when Fred, after a night of drinking with Al, is forced to spend the night at the Stephenson house. Al’s daughter Peggy and Fred show signs of attraction to each other and even have some flirtatious exchanges. When she comes into the guest room the following morning to wake Fred up, she mentions that he had been shouting in his sleep. Though he was obviously suffering from flashbacks, the delicate nature in which it is referenced addresses the serious situation, but does so sensitively. Also, Peggy’s naivety to what was happening with Fred probably accurately mirrors society as a whole’s limited knowledge of “battle fatigue” at the time.
A very complex and human struggle-within-a-struggle emerges when Peggy meets and ends up resenting Fred’s wife Marie. She sees how poorly Marie treats Fred, immediately picks up on her shallow personality and voices her intentions to break up their marriage. Al and Milly, albeit strongly disapprovingly at first, almost seem to become strangely supportive of her objective, with their biggest concern being the potential disappointment Peggy may be setting herself up for. Though in her defense, Peggy recognizes not only the abusive nature of Marie’s treatment of Fred, but also Fred’s emotional fragility which Marie simply refuses to acknowledge.
There are several scenes in the film that quietly illustrate the fraternal bond the three ex-GI’s share (despite not actually having served together) without ever making that redundant concept a theme in the film. They often meet up at the bar Homer’s uncle owns, Al goes back and forth on his feelings towards the relationship that develops between Fred and Peggy but never once questions Fred’s character or intentions. In an almost climactic turning point, Fred loses his job attacking a man who is lecturing Homer on the wrongs of American involvement in World War II. This visceral response also carries an undertone of loyalty on Fred’s part to the war effort in general, considering how badly it has destroyed his own life.
His wife having left him for another soldier, Fred feels he has nothing else to lose and decides to run away from his life. He drops off a box of his war medals with his parents before getting ready to jump on the first military transport flight he can. Up to this point we have had no indication of Fred’s service record other than his seemingly advanced bombing skills. As it turns out he has been given numerous citations including the Distinguished Flying Cross for showing extreme valor while injured and badly bleeding. It is so important that the way we learn these things about Fred is through his parent’s reading his accomplishments off his citations- as it solidifies Fred’s character as someone who does not brag or inflate his own sense of self, not even to a deserved level. His refusal to view himself as a hero only serves to make him more admirable because of his modesty. Also, I don’t doubt there is also a part of Fred that would rather just ignore that chapter of his life altogether.
One of the film’s final scenes is artistically and metaphorically flawless. Fred is wandering around a scrapyard for discarded bombers where there are rows and rows of burnt out planes lined up uniformly to resemble tombstones in a cemetery. He climbs into the cockpit of one of the bombers and finally faces his condition head-on by immersing himself in surroundings that will doubtless bring him right back to the darkest recesses of his mind. He suffers intense flashback while curled up in the familiar surroundings. The duality of the plane’s purpose is stunningly portrayed as the cockpit on one hand seems like a tomb that is sealing him in, but also holds him tightly and provides a sense of comfort that almost gives the impression of a mother’s womb.
The abandoned planes also represent Fred himself. They are former instruments of the military that have been cast aside and outlived their usefulness to regular society. Fred soon realizes that this comparison is even more true, but in a positive way when a work crew foreman finds him and informs him that the planes are not going to be scrapped, but recycled to build homes. Fred seems to emerge from a trance when he realizes that he can create a new life for himself the same way the planes will create new lives and, literally, homes for other people. He is given a job on the work crew and instantly seems as though his soul has been purged.
The three tragic main characters emerge from their dark times and begin to rebuild their lives. Al overcomes his drinking and his marriage to Milly flourishes because of it. Homer finally realizes that Wilma will not leave him because of his disability and the two are married. Fred and Peggy have realistic expectations about the possible financial struggles they will face as a couple, but it is acknowledged that they in fact will be a couple.
The film ends on a light and positive note while simultaneously making sense of its title; the characters are entering into their best years, contrary to what Marie says to Fred earlier in the film, implying that she sacrificed the best years of her life for him. There is a strong theme of redemption, absolution and salvation that runs through this film and, while it may come off as a little corny and idyllic, the “happy ending” vibe succeeds in encouraging hope in spite of dismal circumstances which, while incredibly relevant when the film was released just one year after World War II, but is arguably even more relevant today.
I don’t ask people for favors very often, and I definitely think that if you are reading this blog then I am the one who owes you favors at this point, but I have to make a case here. This film was one of the only ones on this list I hadn’t at least heard of before seeing it. It was a hard movie to find a physical copy of and as it turns out it was one of the best I’ve seen. A movie this incredible should not be allowed to fade from memory the way it has already started to. Please, if you are so inclined I really encourage you to buy this movie or put it in your Netflix queue or watch it when it is on TV so it registers that people are paying attention. If your local library has a copy check it out just to keep the thing in circulation. This is FAR too important a film to be removed from the public consciousness any further.
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