Lives Is a 1946 Film by Director

¶ … Lives is a 1946 film by director William Wyler. The story traces the lives of three soldiers who return home after the end of World War Two. The soldiers' names are Fred Derry (played by Dana Andrews), Homer Parrish (Harold Russell), and Al Stephenson (Fredric March). One of the main themes of The Best Years of Our Lives is how difficult it can be for an individual to adjust to a "normal" life after living a life consumed by combat. The title of the movie refers to the fact that soldiers often lose the best years of their lives to war.

War has the potential to tear apart families. For example, Al is married to Milly, and has two children: Peggy and Rob. Although his life seems normal on the surface, it is apparent that like his fellow G.I.s, Al has post-traumatic stress disorder. He drinks more than he should and it is hard to find meaning in his mundane career. When he finds out that his daughter and his fellow veteran Fred might be having an affair, the situation damages his newfound friendship.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a common experience among soldiers. Fred probably has what we would call today post-traumatic stress disorder, as he has frequent nightmares about the war. Moreover, Fred married Marie just before shipping off to war. Because Fred never had the opportunity to develop his career other than being a soldier, he has no sense of purpose or direction. This is a significant source of stress not just for Fred but also for his wife. Fred has no higher education and only knows how to work in a soda fountain shop, but his wife expected him to do more with his life. While this marital problem is going on, Fred meets Al's daughter Peggy. Peggy and Al have romantic chemistry and it appears they will have an affair. Peggy even goes so far as to suggest that Marie is not a suitable woman for Fred. When Al discovers that Fred and his daughter are flirting with each other, he delivers an ultimatum to his army buddy. The incident reveals a lot about the two men's characters. After this happens, Marie herself has an affair with another army veteran and leaves Fred. She insults Fred's character by suggesting that he does nothing important with his life. Fred continues to have nightmares, but he leaves town to pursue a new beginning.

Physical as well as mental illness is a common experience among war veterans. Homer is learning how to live with a physical disability that was due to combat injuries, because he lost both of his hands. His disability makes Homer feel somewhat ashamed, and he does not want to feel dependent on his fiance Wilma. He has too much pride to let her take care of him, and therefore he puts off the wedding and even suggests that they should not get married. Ultimately, Wilma convinces Homer that she loves him no matter what.

The three men depicted in The Best Years of Our Lives come to terms with their experiences in different ways. Each person deals with stress and combat differently, and there is no such thing as a universal experience of a veteran. Indeed, this is another important theme of The Best Years of Our Lives.