‘The Best Years of Our Lives’

Mandwa Film Club of Lok Virsa shows ‘The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)’, story of three war soldiers returning home, on Saturday February 24 at 4 p.m.

William Wyler directed ‘The Best Years of Our Lives’ immediately after leaving the military service. WW II (World War II) had nearly left him disabled but he later improved his hearing. Producer Samuel Goldwyn had read an article in Time on returning war soldiers from WW II. Goldwyn first turned to war correspondent MacKinlay Kantor to write the script. This ended up with a long blank verse poem. Later Robert Sherwood adapted the poem as screenplay.

William Wyler was convinced that this was a great story to be told to the film goers. He almost entirely went by his instincts to realise that all three male characters of the film were aspects of himself. One of them had brain injury (which was not supposed to be shown to the American audiences in 1946 ).

William Wyler wanted this film to be accurate in deep level details-physically and emotionally. He asked all his actors to buy their own clothes in order to connect with life with authenticity. One major actor was asked to slim down as he had been on military diet.

There was no difference between actors and characters. The actors were made to look as they had returned from the war front. They brought hope and courage from the field.

William Wyler knew all this and he showed it as it should have been shown-a fabulous director. Life-size sets were constructed against large sets more suitable for camera movements but not realistic. The story of three WWII soldiers returning home to discover that the world had changed, came as food for thought and fortitude.

The film became more distinguished by winning seven Academy Awards (Oscar) including for Best Picture, Director and Actor. It also became a big commercial hit in USA and UK and turned out to be the highest grossing title since ‘Gone With the Wind’ (1939).

The last scene shows the trauma of the character when he realises that he has to go on with his life and the bitterness and the pressure from the past has to leave. That scene was filmed without dialogue with imaginative camera use and creative use of sound. Wyler created this through the language of cinema. The film runs for almost three hours.

Director: William Wyler

Producer: Samuel Goldwyn

Script: Robert Sherwood, MacKinlay Kantor

Cast: Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Harold Russel

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