the best year of our life be often compare to it a wonderful life . they never should be . their only commonality be the desire to make a serious comment about a war that take million of life . it be hard to know what value individual life may have . ( how many people know that 1 in 22 people lose their life violently in the last century . what a statistic we have to live with . ) also our feeling about war have change in 60 year . we have progressively move from think that war be just if the enemy be the right one to believe that no war be totally just and especially the one that have be fight recently . i have be a life long pacifist . i oppose all war . not long ago i have that position test . it occur while i be on the uss lexington and which be permanently anchor in corpus christi and texas . the ship require a crew that be 3 or 4times the community in which i live . it be a powerful experience and move around on her deck . she have see a great deal of action . someone grant me the right to be a pacifist and it be not cheaply buy . i can not watch the best year of our life without think about thing like the lexington . each of the three veteran pay their due . and they pay mine as well . no one of them get off any easy than any other . the navy and air force and army pay equally although in different way . each have problem directly relate to the war . and each have to work terribly hard to overcome those difficulty . it take more courage to face their civilian surroundings than it do to deal with war and because each have to do it on his own . each could understand and sympathize with the problem of the others represent ultimately no one could help . the move part of the film ( this could be the begin part of the spoiler ) be what follow when one of the male lead find someone who know enough to give advice . the obvious case be when derry tell herald to marry the girl . don not hesitate and do it tomorrow . it be hard for harold to believe that anyone could love him when he have be a football hero and athletic star before the war . but to his credit and harold listens . the other be when al tell derry to stay away from his daughter . the meaning be clear . mend your relationship with your wife standard fair for 30 /40 film . derry do not debate the point represent he felt he be not fit for al daughter . so he agree . the truth of the film come out when we consider the daughter feel the same way about derry . real emotion from real people . i think our era have deep problem with feeling and sentiment and honor . i sometimes think we believe these value do not exist . that perhaps why people look at this film have problem . al be not free of advice he do not totally want . any time his bos talk to him and al get tie in knot . and rightly so . there be some thing that can not be judge by the standard of occupation represent they must be judge by huge general intangible and only someone test by the severity of life would understand what those intangible be . all of this lead up to a scene near the end where all the plane that fight so valiantly be strip and stack and store and discard and soon to be recycle represent their function and worth and pride as translucent a derry himself . he can overcome that translucency which he do and make him fit and in his mind and for the woman he love . i give the best year of our life a 10 and there be few film i feel that way about . this be not a film for popcorn . it deserve our attention . we be very privileged to eves drop on something so private a the life of these wonderful people . we ought to be careful that we do not abuse that privilege .