Les Plus Belles Années de notre vie

Filmed with feeling, an appropriate amount of sentimentality and a huge load of natural and healthy human empathy, this is perhaps the best depiction of all its American brethren of the subject the struggle of war veterans to regain their place under the sun and their lost peace of mind. The script is extremely smart and manages to capture so many believable and varied emotions that the runtime could easily have been longer. All of this is crowned by the likeable leading characters, who sparkle in the best sense of the word, and of course all the excellent actors, who refrain from the trend of the time in the form of spectacular overacting and instead give relaxed and realistic performances. Really, though it’s only my own impression, few films have I trusted so wholeheartedly in depicting the social mood of a particular period of modern American history.... 95% (19/08/2015)

Yes, it is certainly an emotionally powerful film, perhaps a bit too much playing on the string that you expect, which is also the main reason why this movie didn't touch me so much. Additionally, it is unnecessarily drawn out, but I am sure that mainly for Americans it will have its charm. (29/09/2014)

Despite the rather insane runtime, this film is rightfully one of the greatest gems of world cinema. Every minute of it has a purpose, so they are not wasted. I am amazed at how William Wyler, so soon after the war, was able to accurately portray the state of society at that time through the fate of three returnees from the battlefields. Even the strong romantic storyline does not detract from the value of the film. (90%) (21/06/2021)