BYU

Harold B. Lee Library

The Best Years of our Lives

The Best Years_smallerMemorial Day Tribute
The Best Years of our Lives

  • Time: 7:00 PM
  • Date: Friday, May 28, 2010
  • Place: HBLL Auditorium, 1st Floor; Admission is free; arrive early for seats.

About the Event:

Starring Myrna Loy, Frederic March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Harold Russell.
“The picture came out of its period, and was the result of the social forces at work when the war ended,” wrote director William Wyler on the film’s release. “In a sense the picture was written by events and imposed a responsibility upon us to be true to these events and refrain from distorting to our own ends.”  How the lives of three returning World War II veterans (a banker, a soda jerk, and an amputee) change form the basis of this timeless story that won a total of seven Academy Awards, including those for Best Picture, actor, screenplay, and for Hugo Friedhofer’s score. A record two Oscars went to Harold Russell, a real life double amputee whose first film this was. This is a monumental film with a rare power to transcend its post-WWII era and one that lingers in the mind long after seeing it.

Samuel Goldwyn Productions. 1946. 172 mins. Director: William Wyler.