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Review: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Posted on July 27, 2014 by 4 Star Films

Who in their right mind would make a film like this today? I mean it’s nearly three hours of incessant talking and character development. There are no explosions or special effects. There are not even any war scenes! And yet it is pure gold from William Wyler. He forces us to get to know these characters — all the details about them — and it is a pleasure.

In a year that boasted the likes of It’s a Wonderful Life, it is not simply a testament to the post-war sentiment, but also the power of this film, that led it to garner so much praise including a Best Picture Oscar.

Like Capra’s film, WWII plays a role here without actually focusing on the fighting. The effects of such a cataclysmic event were enough on their own. The Best Years of Our Lives chooses to focus on the point of view of three returning servicemen. However, it would be selling the film short to suggest that is all the film is about. It revolves around deeper issues such as family, camaraderie, patriotism, and of course romance. Over the course of the film each man must navigate his own path, and much of those pathways have to do with their romantic relationships.

Al (Fredric March) has been married 20 years and yet he returns to a home with a wife and kids who seem more foreign than the battlefronts he fought on. His loving wife Milly (Myrna Loy) patiently allows him to become acclimated and stands beside him as he stands up for his convictions at his bank.

Then there is Homer (Harold Russell), the double amputee, who is bracing for the worst as he returns to his family and the girl next door named Wilma. His way of dealing with the situation is to avoid those he loves because by not letting them get close he thinks that will allow them to move forward with their lives. However, Homer completely misjudges just how much his girl loves him. Wilma is the real deal, and she is prepared to remain faithful to Homer no matter the circumstances.

The final relationship is perhaps the most complicated of the lot. Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) is the complete antithesis of Al. He has little work experience, and he was a young man who only knew his wife for a handful of days before he went off to war. Now it is all coming back to bite him because Marie (Virginia Mayo) is not ready to patiently wait around while the former soda jerk tries to find a job. She wants money, nights on the town, and good times. Sparks fly and Fred finds himself drawn more and more to Al’s daughter Peggy (Teresa Wright) since his marriage is a loveless one. This relationship is perhaps the most agonizing to watch as Fred is torn apart, but he ultimately gets the girl who will accept him for who he is.

“The best years of our lives” may have been during the war for some, but that really does not matter, because with the right attitude humanity is able to move forward to make the best of the future. That is one of the merits of this film, it exudes hopefulness and despite their different lots, each character is able to find a little slice of joy.

No one personality outshines any of the others, but on the contrary, all the players add up to the perfect combination. I will shamelessly acknowledge that Teresa Wright is one of my favorite actresses and over the last few years I have come to really appreciate Dana Andrews. They really do deserve more credit and I hope this film continues to get the praise it deserves. It is a delectable slice of cinema and Americana.

5/5 Stars

The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)

Posted on July 21, 2014 by 4 Star Films

Although John Wayne was old enough to play the father, the dynamic between the sons of Katie Elder is a fun one, besides the fact that John Wayne and Dean Martin could never in a million years be brothers.

Otherwise this is a relatively typical western with a menacing bad guy who has control of the small western town facing the brothers who are in the right. However, the town ultimately turns against them thanks to corruption and the stupid bravado of an inexperienced deputy. The balance is finally returned and justice is dealt, but not without some bloodshed of course.

Besides Wayne and Martin, there were some memorable turns by James Gregory, George Kennedy, Paul Fix, and a few others.

3.5/5 Stars

Rio Grande (1950)

Posted on July 14, 2014 by 4 Star Films

The last installment of John Ford’s Calvary Trilogy. Not the best of him or Wayne for that matter, but it is still a worthwhile film. First, there is the tension in the paring between Wayne and Maureen O’Harra as they quarrel about what to do about their young son who is a member of Wayne’s unit. There is a supporting cast including the likes of Victor McLaglen, Ben Johnson, Harey Carey Jr., and Calude Jarman Jr.

While watching it I was just thinking how Ford has so many great looking films in both color and black and white. This one uses the latter as well as a Monument Valley backdrop to perfection. It just looks so beautiful in every shot and Maureen O’Hara does not hurt the eyes either for that matter.

Soon after Ford would pair again with a few of his stars to make another little film. Anyone for The Quiet Man?

3.5/5 Stars

The Men (1950)

Posted on July 14, 2014 by 4 Star Films

I was really drawn into this film and I appreciated Zinnemann’s realistic style in capturing Marlon Brando’s powerful screen debut. I would have rated this film higher because the topic was interesting, the performances were good, the supporting cast was respectable, and so on. The only thing is although Brando is a good actor and I really love Teresa Wright, they just seem wrong opposite each other. Wright was made for a Best Years of Our Lives and Brando for Streetcar or On the Waterfront. I will say I was surprised to see a young Richard Erdman, who is known to modern audiences as Leonard in Community.

3.5/5 Stars

Winchester ’73 (1950)

Posted on July 14, 2014 by 4 Star Films

Starring James Stewart and directed by Anthony Mann, this western follows the journey a special rifle takes in the old west. Stewart wins it in a competition but it gets stolen soon after. An Indian trader wins it in a card game only to have an Indian take it. Stewart, his pal, get pinned down with some cavalry by the Indians. They survive and the rifle is given to a young man with a girlfriend after Stewart is gone. A treacherous gunslinger coolly kills for it but then gives it up to the original bandit who claims it as his. In a final mountaintop showdown, Stewart faces off with his estranged brother who killed their father. He wins back his rifle and rides back into town to his friends. This is a good western with an interesting storytelling device. It was a surprise to see Will Geer, Rock Hudson, and Tony Curtis as unknowns.

4.5/5 Stars

Sophie’s Choice (1982)

Posted on July 9, 2014 by 4 Star Films

Starring Meryl Streep in a remarkable performance, the film opens in 1947 with the writing hopeful Stingo. He moves into a room in Brooklyn and quickly befriends the romantic pair of Sophie (Streep) and Nathan (Kevin Kline). However, as their friendship grows Stingo realizes the ghosts in Sohphie’s past since she was a Pole in a concentration camp during WWII. Nathan on the other hand can be both charming and cruel thanks in part to his own set of secrets. Stingo feels himself falling for Sophie but she realizes it can never be recalling her last shrouded memory. She was forced to make a choice that would haunt her and ultimately fill her life with tragedy. All I can say is that this film is made by the brilliant acting of Streep. Several of the scenes were very powerful as well. They brought up difficult issues that can be hard to answer.

4/5 Stars

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Posted on July 7, 2014 by 4 Star Films

Starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan with direction by Ernst Lubitsch, the film follows the events in a little shop in Budapest Hungary. Alfred Kralik (Stewart) is the most respected employee in the shop and when Ms. Novak (Sullivan) comes in he advises her no jobs are open. However, she does land one and thus begins their rocky relationship. They are constantly at each others throats arguing. Both of them want to end the conflict on a good note as they go their separate ways to marry people that they were corresponding with by letter. When Stewart is to finally meet his unknown lover, he is shocked to look in and see Ms. Novak. Through a series of events she finally figures out he was the writer of all her letters and the two former enemies fall in love. This unorthodox romance has good characters and comedic moments that make it enjoyable to watch.

4.5/5 Stars

Destry Rides Again (1939)

Posted on July 3, 2014 by 4 Star Films

This comedy turned dramatic western, starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich, begins in a town run by a saloon owner and inhabited by a sleazy song girl. Corruption and cheating reign supreme as the sheriff is killed and the town drunk takes his place. He turns right around and calls the son of an old friend, Tom Destry Jr., to be his deputy. Despite a comical entrance, and an abhorrence for guns this man is very different. Using his smarts and playing dumb, he is able to work for justice even though he seems to be helping the villains. He picks up the trail of the dead sheriff only to have the present sheriff shot as well. In the final unorthodox showdown, good fights bad and the womenfolk join the fray. Destry finally takes up his gun and is nearly killed, but he gets the town boss in the end. It carries another great cost however. Despite this tragic end, the film finishes on a lighter note. You will finish the film understanding that Destry knew a lot of people in his time.

4/5 Stars

The Shootist (1976)

Posted on June 30, 2014 by 4 Star Films

In his last film performance, John Wayne stars alongside Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, and James Stewart in this tale about a notorious old gunfighter, who comes to stay in a small western town. J.B. Books gets a medical diagnosis from an old friend, and the doctor confirms that he is slowly dying from cancer.

Books pays for a room in the home of a local widow (Bacall) where his reputation and actions one night scare off tenants. He receives a visit from the uneasy local sheriff (Harry Morgan), gets an offer for a book to glorify his life, has an old flame drop in on him, and old rivals and young guns are bent on killing him.

His lifestyle impresses the young man Gillom (Howard), but his mother openly disapproves of Books. Amidst all this, Books desires to live his last days in peace and he is waited on by Bond, and the two of them become to respect each other as her boy also comes to idolize Books more. The shootist sets everything up to die on his 58^thbirthday, going so far as ordering a special tombstone and sending three separate notes to different gunmen in town. He leaves his horse to Gillom and bids farewell to Bond before heading off for one last showdown.

In the saloon, he is met by three men bent on killing him. Books is wounded but proves his skill one last time. In a cruel moment, however, Books is gunned down right in front of the horrified Gillom, who in a single instant ceases to be an innocent boy and becomes a man.

This film was the perfect swan song for Duke because in many ways the character he plays mirrors his real-life western persona. Gone were the days when he was a kid in Stagecoach, a courageous sheriff in Rio Bravo, or even the gritty old codger in True Grit. He was truly reaching the twilight of his career.

Even it was one of the most storied of acting careers it was finally coming to an end. In just three years he would die of stomach cancer, and there was no gunshot to go with it this time around. During this movie, he still has life in him though, and even when he shares scenes with the whitening and tired-looking icon James Stewart, Wayne seems as resilient as ever. The Shootist is certainly not his greatest film or best performance, but I think it can be said John Wayne went out on his own terms just like Books.

4/5 Stars

Rio Bravo (1959)

Posted on June 19, 2014 by 4 Star Films

Starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, and Angie Dickinson with direction by Howard Hawks, Rio Bravo is a great western. A sheriff (Wayne) is faced with a difficult task. He must hold a prisoner in jail while the man’s buddies stake out all around town. His only help is the town drunk (Martin) and a crippled old man (Brennan). To make matters more complicated he takes interest in the new girl in town (Dickinson) and to top it off an old friend is shot (Ward Bond). Despite the odds and adversary, the sheriff stays tough and keeps the prisoner. Furthermore, the deputies all prove their value, including a young sharpshooter (Nelson). With a great cast and storyline, this movie is well worth watching. Howard Hawks does it again teaming up with John Wayne in the western genre.

Most any western with John Wayne is easily watchable, but this film boasts a extraordinary cast including some mainstays of the genre including Brennan and Ward Bond. However, you also have some other stars that you do not associate with westerns. Namely Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, and Ricky Nelson. Each one delivers a fun, likable, and even moving performance.

This western has been allegedly labeled as an answer to High Noon since that tale was supposed to be an allegory for the McCarthy era in Hollywood. That aside the western elements are certainly good and it is an entertaining set piece.

All of this is great, but any film can have this. Rio Bravo has great little sequences interspersed through the action that make you chuckle or really appreciate the characters. It is hard not to like John Wayne because he is larger than life. Here the rest of the cast also is good even down to lesser supporting players. The names are great too! John T. Chance, Dude, Feathers, Colorada, and of course good ol’ Stumpy.

5/5 Stars