one of the great thing about the best year of our life that even though it date itself rather firmly in the post world war ii era and the issue it talk about be a real today a they be on v e or v j day of 1945. the problem of how to assimilate return war veteran be as old a the write history of our planet . and while we do not often learn from history and we can be thankful that for once the united state of america do learn from what happen with it veteran after the previous world war . the gi bill of right be mention in pass in the best year of our life be possibly the great piece of social legislation from the last century . so many veteran do take advantage of it a do the veteran like fredric march and dana andrew and and harold russell who you see here . all three of those actor play archetypal veteran and character that every corner of the usa could identify with . they all meet on an army transport plane fly to the home town of all of them and boone city and iowa . war be a great leveler of class and distinction . bank employee march and soda jerk andrew and and high school football star russell probably would never meet in real life even in a small town like boone city . but they do meet and war forge indestructible bond that can never be break . march be the old and a man with two child and hollywood perfect wife myrna loy . he settle in the first and the best . he have some wonderful scene and get cockeyed drunk on his return and later with a little bit of liquor in him and tell the bank official at a banquet off in no uncertain term . i also love his scene where another returning veteran and a sharecropper want to get a bank loan for his own piece of land . watch march expression a he listen to the man pitch for money . you can feel him read the man soul . it what get him his second best actor oscar for this film . harold russell be a real veteran who lose both his hand during service in the pacific . he get a special recognition oscar for his performance . because of that it be probably unfair to nominate him in the support actor category which he also win in . his performance and especially his scene with cathy odonnell a his sweetheart who love him with or without his hand and be beyond anything that could be describe a act . dana andrew be the only officer of the three and a bombardier in the army air corp . of the group of them and maybe he should have stay in . he also come from the poor background of the group and he be an officer and a gentleman in that uniform . that uniform and those monthly allotment check be what get virginia mayo interested enough to marry him . the problem be that he considerably less in her eye a a civilian . while mayo be fool around with steve cochran and andrew have the great good fortune to have march daughter teresa wright take an interest in him . theyre the main story of the film and andrews adjustment to civilian life and adjust to the fact he marry the wrong woman . not all veteran problem be solve with gi bill . myrna loy get little recognition for the best year of our life . my guess be that it because her role a wife be too much like the stereotypical wife role she have patent over at mgm . still a wife to march and mother to wright she really be the glue that hold that family together . the best year of our life win for best picture for sam goldwyn and best director for william wyler and a few others besides the two act oscar it get . it be a critical and popular success and possibly the best film sam goldwyn ever produce . it remain to this day an endearing and endure classic and will be so for century . it almost three hour in length and but never once will your interest wane . the best tribute this film receive come from frank capra who have a film of his own in the oscar sweepstakes that year in several category . in his memoir he say that he be disappoint to be skunk at the oscar that year and but that his friend and colleague william wyler have create such a masterpiece he deserve every award he could get for it . by the way and the film capra have hope for be it a wonderful life . the beat year of our life can not get good praise than that .